Memes: The New Replicators

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Memes The New Replicators

• Richard Dawkins
• Presented by Jason Ward
• ACWR 104

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Summary 1/3

• Dawkins builds on Darwins theory of biological
  evolution but explains that there are other types
  of evolution. He points out that the
  transmission of culture is like the transmission
  of genes because both work through a copying
  process that involves change in subsequent
  copies, eventually creating a new species or a
  new language. Dawkins points out that this
  process is not confined to human culture, giving
  the example of bird songs that evolve through
  errors in copying.

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Summary 2/3

• He states that cultural evolution can be seen in
  many fields ranging from fashion to technology.
  Dawkins believes that a new term is needed that
  shows cultural evolutions connection to genetic
  evolution and so coined the term meme to describe
  a unit of cultural transmission. He describes
  the meme as behaving like a virus, which is
  transmitted not as a physical infection, but
  through imitation and language. He points out
  that the term selfish meme is a metaphor for
  how they behave because the sole interest of a
  meme is in its own propagation rather than the
  wellbeing of its host.

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Summary 3/3

• He describes how some memes can have very
  negative effects on society, such as religious
  intolerance, while others spread good ideas and
  scientific advances. Individually, we can leave
  our mark on the Earth by creating an idea that
  outlives our genes. He suggests that the
  survival rate of a meme such as a scientific idea
  might be measured by counting the times this idea
  is mentioned in journals. Dawkins concludes that
  although we are essentially machines designed to
  pass on our genes, we also transmit memes, and we
  have the potential to change the latter. Note
  This is 274 words do not go beyond 300!

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Do you think that Dawkins needed to invent the
term meme?

• Yes. It is something that already existed but
  because it had no name it was hard to describe
  how society is shaped through the transmission of
  thoughts between minds. The term mind-virus
  would have worked just as well to describe the
  process of replication and mutation that shapes
  our cultures but a virus is always negative
  whereas memes can also be positive because they
  are analogous to genes, which are units of
  evolution rather than destruction.

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Do you think that Blind Faith is a destructive
meme?

• It depends. If blind faith leads people to
  hurt others because of an unquestioning response
  to some political belief, religious book or idea
  then yes. However, if a persons blind faith
  causes them to have a better outlook on the world
  and only do positive things for it and its
  inhabitants, then it is not always a bad thing.

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Do you believe that we have the power to rebel
against selfish memes?

• Sometimes. Memes such as xenophobia are very
  strong because they provide an easy way to
  explain our problems, (blame the foreigners!),
  and explain our primitive fear of those that do
  not look like our immediate family. However,
  rationally we know that it is not fair to
  persecute foreigners because where you are born
  is not a choice, we are all foreign to someone.
  Recognizing that xenophobia is a kind of mind
  virus rather than a healthy rational thought
  might help to fight against beliefs which stem
  from this mental sickness.