Introduction, Then: Genes, Memes and Why Contraception is Natural

I first began blogging on LiveJournal.com in April 2001 writing as Psyche under the username plutopsyche (now defunct). It was a personal journal, with details of my life, the events I attended and others I hosted, with updates on where my work was being published, book and media reviews, and so on. Frankly, it didn’t have a lot of focus.

Plutonica.net represents an evolutionary transition; its general focus will be reflections on subjects that interest me; namely philosophy, spirituality, the occult, and, of course, books and esoteric literature.

Recently I read Richard Dawkins‘ The Selfish Gene, where the fundamental theory of the book centres around the idea of the selfish gene, that “[t]he fundamental unit, the prime mover of life, is the replicator”. However, when the subject of contraception came up, he wrote: “Contraception is sometimes attacked as ‘unnatural’. So it is, very unnatural” (p. 117), further noting that “We, that is our brains, are separate and independent enough from our genes to rebel against them. As already noted, we do so in a small way every time we use contraception”.

I found this very surprising given the deftness he displayed reconciling other seemingly trickier angles with persuasive arguments supporting the selfish gene theory. Many possible explanations immediately suggest themselves, whether taken from a genetic or memetic stance. Continue reading »

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