meme

philosophy /meem/ [By analogy with "gene"] Richard Dawkins's

term for an idea considered as a replicator, especially with

the connotation that memes parasitise people into propagating

them much as viruses do.

Memes can be considered the unit of cultural evolution. Ideas

can evolve in a way analogous to biological evolution. Some

ideas survive better than others; ideas can mutate through,

for example, misunderstandings; and two ideas can recombine to

produce a new idea involving elements of each parent idea.

The term is used especially in the phrase "meme complex"

denoting a group of mutually supporting memes that form an

organised belief system, such as a religion. However, "meme"

is often misused to mean "meme complex".

Use of the term connotes acceptance of the idea that in humans

(and presumably other tool- and language-using sophonts)

cultural evolution by selection of adaptive ideas has become

more important than biological evolution by selection of

hereditary traits. Hackers find this idea congenial for

tolerably obvious reasons.

See also memetic algorithm.

[Jargon File]

(1996-08-11)