![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gemfyreBut I don't have a scanner. :(
As![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
redkam asked "What are memes anyway?"
I decided to answer.
Memes are "cultural genes".
The regular way of passing along traits in organisms is via genes.
Humans however seem to have done away with genetic selection (medical advancements and such have pretty much thrown natural selection out the window). Instead we seem to working on memes - we pass things on via culture, talking, writing, art etc. One person starts to use a hula hoop - pretty soon it's a craze taking on the world. That kinda thing.
The term was originally coined by Richard Dawkins (big name in Evolutionary science). I originally read about them in the book "Evolution - The Triumph of an Idea" by Carl Zimmer (awesome book, read it cover to cover). When I was watching the series on TV I wrote a little ponderance on most of the topics that came up. The thoughts on memes is here - http://www.livejournal.com/users/gemfyre/133567.html
As
redkam asked "What are memes anyway?"I decided to answer.
Memes are "cultural genes".
The regular way of passing along traits in organisms is via genes.
Humans however seem to have done away with genetic selection (medical advancements and such have pretty much thrown natural selection out the window). Instead we seem to working on memes - we pass things on via culture, talking, writing, art etc. One person starts to use a hula hoop - pretty soon it's a craze taking on the world. That kinda thing.
The term was originally coined by Richard Dawkins (big name in Evolutionary science). I originally read about them in the book "Evolution - The Triumph of an Idea" by Carl Zimmer (awesome book, read it cover to cover). When I was watching the series on TV I wrote a little ponderance on most of the topics that came up. The thoughts on memes is here - http://www.livejournal.com/users/gemfyre/133567.html
