Limits of machine learning

A good joke is a replicator because it’s funny and it causes me to want to share it with others, who then keep sharing it, etc. Is that correct?

A good cupcake recipe is a replicator because it makes delicious cupcakes and it causes me to want to bake cupcakes and share them with people, who then get the recipe and keep sharing it, etc.

I am definitely struggling with the replicator concept. I was considering reading The Selfish Gene. Or maybe I’m just misunderstanding the relevant sections in FoR.

I was studying for an AWS exam I had to take for work and I didn’t have a lot of free time to read. And I didn’t think it was worth posting until I had read a little bit more about it. I’m kind of backed up with questions on other topics which I have to post too. And I know I’ll have more questions in the future. There isn’t any other place I know of where I could ask these questions. There’s not really anywhere for me to “leave” to lol