In this video from TED, Susan Blackmore talks about memetics, the theory of memes – and how we should see that memes and genes ensured our survival and evolution. She says that we should think that we are passing on ideas through mimicry – and this mimicry or these memes use us as meme machines. She says that all other species are gene machines, we are gene and meme machines. As soon as our ancestors started imitating there was war – genes that wanted to keep the brain economical and function orientated and memes that wanted to get bigger brains that could copy memes further (memetic drive). That explains how we’ve ended up with such “peculiar brains” she says.
Towards the end she talks about a new meme – the technology meme or teme and that’s when it gets a little bonkers…. worth a watch.
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Hi Piers, Blackmore is only good for beginners in memetics, as a starter, if you want to know more you must leave her aside and read other authors, especially it is necessary to read also on semiotics, genetics, eigenetics, evolutionary psychology etc. Blackmore is a smart girl who knows how to capitalize on human stupidity and emotions. Her theatrical performance is extremely similar to that of AL Gore in his “The Inconvenient Truth”, full of emotions , too few facts, perfectly mixed, and those who know too little are the prey. It should be prohibited by law spread Blackmore’s ideas as they are dangerous, misleading and far from being scientific.
June 6th, 2008 at 4:21 am