1 / 13

Memes

Memes. Richard Dawkins. Genes. Evolution theory in a nutshell: We are each a constellation of traits which reflects the set of genes we inherit from our parents Traits (and the genes that underlie them) impart advantages and disadvantages

noleta
Download Presentation

Memes

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Memes Richard Dawkins

  2. Genes • Evolution theory in a nutshell: • We are each a constellation of traits which reflects the set of genes we inherit from our parents • Traits (and the genes that underlie them) impart advantages and disadvantages • Genes are thus subject to “selection pressures” or “selective retention” which increase or decrease their prevalence in a “gene pool” • Random variation introduces novel genes and their associated traits into the gene pool

  3. Genes • Genes are selfish replicators • They blindly “try” to make copies of themselves (try in the sense that most organisms “try” to create offspring to which genes are passed along) • Are our genetic traits the only aspects of ourselves that we pass along?

  4. Memes Whan that Aprill, with his shouressoote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote And bathed every veyne in swichlicour, Of which vertuengendred is the flour; Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales

  5. Memes Whan that Aprill, with his shouressoote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote And bathed every veyne in swichlicour, Of which vertuengendred is the flour; Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales Can you read this? Could your parents or grandparents? Could their grandparents? What happened? Your genes are different. Does that account for our different language? If not, what does?

  6. Memes • Language is an example of an aspect of human culture that evolves • Dawkins’ thesis is that this evolution process can be considered in the same light as the evolution of genetic traits • Memes are the heritable units of culture

  7. Memes • What are some examples of memes?

  8. Memes • How do memes replicate?

  9. Memes • How do memes die?

  10. Memes • Some memes stay bundled together • They are mutually reinforcing • E.g. the fear of eternal damnation if you don’t believe in things like eternal damnation… • And everything else that is bundled up in the meme complex of this particular religious doctrine

  11. Memes • Some memes cannot co-exist • E.g. they are incompatible or contradictory • E.g. they explicitly exclude other memes

  12. Memes • Do memes and genes interact? • Consider that one’s parents are the primary source of one’s memes (at least early in life) • Consider memes about celibacy or birth control

  13. Memes • Perhaps this makes you uneasy about your own memes… • Why do you hold true the set of beliefs that define you? Are they accurate? Does it matter? • There’s nothing wrong with questioning your own memes! Try some other memes! See how they fit with your own. Ask a stranger to share memes with you.

More Related