Quote:
Originally Posted by John Wilkes Booth
also, could you comment on the example of cults that literally pressure their members to cut of ties with the outside world? they give their members a sense of belonging while simultaneously promoting behavior that is seen as antisocial outside the context of that cult, imo.
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Regarding this, I think it is interesting to go outside the current scope of this discussion and look at meme theory.
What you're describing is something that generally happens in extremist religious groups, but maybe not exclusively. I think what such groups generally have in common is that they adhere to a belief system, values and culture that is basically out of sync with the greater society which they find themselves in. As such, there is a real threat of corruption from the outside. Mainstream thoughts, values and culture are a threat to the very existence of such groups.
Undoubtedly, many such alternative cultures have died out, possibly due to outside pressure (knowledge, belief, values) seeping in or perhaps internal pressures driving people away. As the outside world shares information faster, survival probably becomes even more difficult. The groups that do survive with their strange ways intact are the ones who have employed some trait or tactic that makes them competitive. Isolating their members from outside influence is a powerful strategy in this respect.
So I'd say it's not necessarily that everyone with strange beliefs are anti-social and want to isolate themselves. It's just that you have a natural selection on the meme level that removes such strange ideas unless they are somehow protected, such as by an isolationist culture.