Concept of Units of Concepts
Introduced by Richard Dawlkins in “The Selfish Gene”
Parallels the gene as a self replicating element competing for survival
“an imitable unit transmitted from one mind to another. (relates to the Greek word mimema for "something imitated".)”
- Melody, (effective) slogan, skill imitation
- “Remember the Alamo”
- Theme from “Bridge over the River Kwai”
- Spinning a combination lock a few times
- Replicator – a de facto observation
- Gene's that yield fatal infant diseases have trouble replicating – ones that facilitate reproduction can have great success
- “Gossip”, and “hot news” are examples of memes that often succeed (for a while)
- Meme's convince us to propagate them
- Memeplexes comprise groups of memes that replicate together and co-adapt.
- Memetics – an approach to evolutionary models of cultural information transfer based on the concept of the meme.
- Live Free or Die, “No broad based taxes”
- Free Speech, Right to bear arms
- Lots of money is used to find the right ones
- Hope for America
- Death Panels
- Climate Change
- (see Frontline “The Persuaders” Nov 9, 2004)
- Neanderthals aren't like us, they are inferior
- Dumb animals – not really human
- Or maybe they own/control all of the resources
- (hunting grounds, banks, good farm land )
- Any thing they have we should have
- And they should die
There are many more recent variations
- Infectious Ideas “to die for”: Religious, political, Freedom, ..
- Biological impact:
- Subordination of personal replication for the propagation of ideas
- Dangerous Abuse – Toxic Ideas
- How to inoculate populations?
- The “Moonie viral Meme”
- 5 Years in the Moonie cult
- Extracted & deprogrammed
- 5 years as a de-programmer
- Arrested for kidnapping
- Views cult as a viral memeplex
- Technology replicating/evolving
- Using humans as a path forward,
- But potentially in the future, without us
- Some of this leads towards the “Singularity”