Meme
Armondikov (Talk | contribs) m (→Memeplexes) |
Armondikov (Talk | contribs) (→Memeplexes) |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
==Memeplexes== | ==Memeplexes== | ||
| − | The idea was subsequently developed to include political philosophies and [[religion]]s, which were named ''memeplexes'', because they contain vast numbers of interacting memes. | + | The idea was subsequently developed to include political philosophies and [[religion]]s, which were named ''memeplexes'', because they contain vast numbers of interacting memes. Memes that interact favourably will form strong memeplexes, while memeplexes will resist incompatible memes. A political memeplex valuing authority of thought would be incompatible with memes valuing individuality of thought, for example. This goes some way to explaining the polarisation of of thought on the [[political spectrum]] |
Like genes, memes may be useful, negative or neutral. For example, political philosophies - or indeed any [[philosophy]] including the [[philosophy of science|philosophies of science]] - are also memes or memeplexes. | Like genes, memes may be useful, negative or neutral. For example, political philosophies - or indeed any [[philosophy]] including the [[philosophy of science|philosophies of science]] - are also memes or memeplexes. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Religious [[mythology]] is part of the memeplex of religion, as would be the idea that one ''needs'' religion. In the same way that Dawkins' "selfish genes" would propagate through populations for their own benefit and not for the benefit of the organisms that carry them, memeplexes propagate through society irrespective of their value to the society. Enduring negative memeplexes are sometimes called "mind viruses"; with atheistic proponents of memetics (i.e., Dawkins himself) citing [[Christian]] [[fundamentalism]] as one such example. | ||
==Internet memes== | ==Internet memes== | ||
Revision as of 04:20, 27 December 2010
A meme is the smallest meaningful unit of information within the context of a given culture. The term was coined by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene in the mid 1970s. Dawkins proposed the idea that social information could change and propagate through a culture in a way similar to genetic changes in a population of organisms - i.e., evolution by natural selection. Sticking with its roots in genetics and evolution, the term is derived from the word gene, which is a unit of hereditary biological information made of DNA. Compared to a gene, which has a physical existence within a cell nucleus, a meme is far more abstract and this has lead to accusations that memetics isn't really hard science.
Contents |
Memeplexes
The idea was subsequently developed to include political philosophies and religions, which were named memeplexes, because they contain vast numbers of interacting memes. Memes that interact favourably will form strong memeplexes, while memeplexes will resist incompatible memes. A political memeplex valuing authority of thought would be incompatible with memes valuing individuality of thought, for example. This goes some way to explaining the polarisation of of thought on the political spectrum
Like genes, memes may be useful, negative or neutral. For example, political philosophies - or indeed any philosophy including the philosophies of science - are also memes or memeplexes.
Religious mythology is part of the memeplex of religion, as would be the idea that one needs religion. In the same way that Dawkins' "selfish genes" would propagate through populations for their own benefit and not for the benefit of the organisms that carry them, memeplexes propagate through society irrespective of their value to the society. Enduring negative memeplexes are sometimes called "mind viruses"; with atheistic proponents of memetics (i.e., Dawkins himself) citing Christian fundamentalism as one such example.
Internet memes
The internet has been a source for the creation and propagation of many new memes. On the internet an idea can be developed and quickly acquire modifications from users around the world, such that the root idea becomes the basis for multiple spin-off ideas, subsets of ideas, and other similar iterations. In this sense, a "meme" evolves, taking on a life of its own through the contributions of users of varied cultural backgrounds.
Many memes are humorous in nature. "All Your Base Are Belong to Us" was an early internet meme, and "lolcats" is a popular emergent meme. Other memes focus on potential dangers, such as cell phones causing fires at gas pumps. When Internet vandals copy each other this also generates memes.