Tim Tyler: Misunderstood memetics

Memetics is the name given to the study of cultural evolution by Richard Dawkins. It is one of the most misunderstood parts of Darwin's legacy - and that's saying something!

Unlike most misunderstandings of evolution, misunderstandings of memetics are common among ordinary scientists and biologists. This video lists a few of them.

Transcript: http://alife.co.uk/essays/misunderstood_memetics/

Please buy my book on Memetics: http://memetics.timtyler.org/

"Memetics: Memes and the Science of Cultural Evolution."

Amazon.com link: http://amazon.com/dp/1461035260/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• memetics
• darwin
• evolution
• meme

[42kang]

Can you give a responce to bruce liptons lecture, the biology of belief pleeeeeeeeeease?

[tmtyler]

@42kang My brief look seemed uninspiring. I got as far as: "His deepened understanding of cell biology highlighted the mechanisms by which the mind controls bodily functions, and implied the existence of an immortal spirit." - and then gave up.

[xgeronimo005]

dude, love your delivery style!

[zaniwilson]

what.the.hell.



[42kang]

@tmtyler haha that sounds like the presenter. His premise is that dna does not control the cell but the environment triggers parts of the dna. Then he strings environment together with thought and so on and so forth.

[carrtoonist]

The solution to the debate over directed memetic evolution and random memetic evolution is a simple one. Human minds cannot consciously direct the evolution of meme, we do not design memes. Instead we design the environment by which certain memes are favored over others. A comedian, for example, does not design the memes by which their jokes are created, they create an environment in their minds that increases the survivability of joke memes. This is a conscious and directed process.

[Rabbith]

This topic seems to have long since died, so perhaps my arguement will only fall on deaf ears. However, I will answer previous questions.

Is memetics a meme? absolutely

If so, how can you be confident of its truth? Better to answer this with another question. Why do you get songs stuck in your head? Why do you prefer coke or pepsi?

Skeptics seem to be trying to argue that memes are "bad". What you must come to realize is that they are neither good nor bad....or objective. They simply exist

[chiropra1]

The use of the actual books to quote from is compelling. Great quality of information!

It gets 5 stars from me.

Of course, style is irrelevant to the information, but beauty and aesthetics is important to us, human beings who spend the time in listening and watching this.

[naturalpreservation]

Memetics is the carrying over of narrow gene-centrism from the biological sphere to the cultural sphere where it holds even less resonance.

Culture is not the transmission of information. Dawkins would like you to believe that because it artificially bolsters his delusion of 'Universal Darwinism'. In the last 150 years Darwinism/neo-Darwinism have all failed to theorise culture.

Ideas spread, big deal. This is not a theory but an observation stiffened with biological metaphor. Garbageplex

[marcelavasques]

Somebody help me because I think I have a meme that surfaces every time I read about memes, making me think that is esoteric mambo jumbo of the worst kind but dangerously taking seriously a science-at par with 'intelligent Design' or 'Eugenics.' Freud cold have been flawed but Donkeys-I mean, Dawnkins is a hypocritical fraud for peddling this unscientific tosh around while criticizing Freud who brought us an infinitely superior 'theory'. You can always show me what a meme looks like though.