Robert Aunger

In one of his books on string theory, Brian Greene provides the following citation: "string theory is a piece of 21st century physics that fell into the 20th century". If this theory of memetics can ever be empirically verified, then it could be a piece of 22nd century social science that fell into the 21st century. The author of this book has studied biological evolution and other replicators such as computer viruses in great detail. Then he has developed a memetic theory based on the assumption that memes are "essentially a state in a neuronal network capable of creating a copy of itself in either the same or a different neuronal network, without being destroyed in the process" (p.325). In this theory, the physical substrate of the replicating meme is the brain, and nothing else. This makes intuitive sense and is clearly a more viable scientific hypothesis than confusing theories where memes somehow float around in the external world.

This book was written in 2002. A google search for "professor in memetics" in early 2023 yields zero relevant results, so it's safe to say that this field of scientific study has not taken off at all in the past 20 years. You might therefore wonder if the author's theories are even worth the paper they're printed on. But I don't think you should care if this book will spark a new field of science or not. Perhaps it will be exposed as a wild goose chase when all is said and done, but it can still be appreciated as an original and intelligent effort to present a new idea. The electric signals this book generates in your brain can be stimulating even if they don't exactly correspond to the author's description.… (mais)

Dawkins: A Meme - a unit of cultural transmission.

A variety of academics from different disciplines look at the "meme" idea 24 years after Dawkins introduced it in his 1976 book, "The Selfish Gene". The result is a miserable rag bag of a text.

Academics setting out on a journey of discovery tend do nothing until the concepts of "journey" and "discovery" are clearly defined - which may be never - and which may suit them just fine as they still collect their salaries. Contributing author David Hull wants them to get moving, emphasising that Darwin was happy to proceed with his investigation while the gene was still hypothetical.

There is some agreement among the authors that Blackmore's requirement (in her book "The Gene Machine") for memes to replicate by imitation is too restrictive, but the background unwillingness to investigate the issues is wholly depressing. Sociologists are just not interested in the dynamics of the transmission of ideas, anthropologists say that they've covered that ground already (and don't give much importance to it) and psychologists regard information transmission as irrelevant to social dynamics.

So biologists are left holding the bag (meme) and the editor (Robert Auger) can only make the following timid statement with regard to the revolutions of language, writing and the Internet; "But whether these have increased the transmissibility of memes .............. remains to be determined."

He does suggest that three forms of inheritance (genes, memes and artifacts) could form the basis of a new sophisticated theory of information transmission but it is clear that none of these authors is going to take up the challenge. As a complete layman it would seem to me that a young technologist reading a scientific paper and and checking with his supervisor, is taking on a meme - but that may just be my imagination.… (mais)