Chapter 14        Part D 

It is true that deep differences between the meme combinations and morés of the different societies of the real, hard world can be found and found in large numbers. But to say, as some moral relativists do (4.), that these cultures are therefore incommensurable is to abandon humanity to war for all time. And it simply isn't true.

     English poet-musician Gordon Sumner 

In the first place, though there are differences, there are a lot of similarities in our ways of life. At least some of the highest peaks in the "meme-scapes" of all cultures basically coincide. Everywhere on earth, people respect and value wisdom, courage, love, and freedom. We adhere to morals and the patterns of behavior that they lead to, in varying degrees, and in varying ways and combinations, in our various cultures, but the areas of thinking that we have in common far outweigh our differences. As Gordon Sumner (Sting) said in the 80's, "The Russians love their children too." (5.)  

In the second place, we can learn. We can learn to fish in four ways instead of just one. We can learn to talk in four, five, and more languages. We can learn to refrain from giving in to violent impulses that cause us to beat women or children who have displeased us. We can learn to imprison rather than execute convicted murderers. We can learn to eat vegan and stop using livestock completely. 

The values discussed in this book – values that derive from, and are tailored by and for, the physical universe – are pointing us toward a society that places ever greater emphasis on self-discipline, education, citizenship, pluralism, and good will. We want and need a global human society in a state of dynamic equilibrium of ever greater internal tensions, capable of responding successfully to an ever greater range of challenges, both short and long term.

We tend to change grudgingly and obstinately when it comes to changing our values, morés, and patterns of behavior, but we can learn. We can change. We can learn a non-violent style of cultural evolution.

Once we accept the view that there is a pattern in time itself along which our values and their attached behavior patterns, over generations, physically steer us, we are accepting the view that values are real, in the sense that they connect us to physical reality. Then, we must conclude that only certain values, ones derived from our best worldview – i.e.Science – will be effective to guide humanity to the greatest health and vigor in the future. We all must live and survive in this same physical universe.

The courage-wisdom meme complex and the behavior patterns that it entails are the human responses to entropy; the love-freedom meme complex enables our responses to quantum uncertainty. The optimal balance of them all is called names like "virtue", or "the tao". And it is always subtly shifting its path. We must sense those shifts and respond appropriately or die. 

           Lao Tzu 

The Tao Te Ching says: "The tao that can be spoken is not the tao." Lao Tsu was only telling his disciples not to ever get confident that they have life figured out and can now become complacent about their capacity to handle events around them; complacency is the harbinger of disaster. The way of all ways, the tao, is always evolving. To live – as individuals but far more importantly as nations – we must stay resourceful and sharp, individually and communally.

But values themselves, we can now see, are just our best indicators of where the survival path through reality lies.