Evolutionary psychology. Seminar 1. Of genes and memes

Darwinian evolution prerequisites
Inheritance
Variation
Selection
A replicator – something that can be an object for all of the above
That’s gene, if we are speaking of biology. And if we’re not?

Inheritance

Variation

Selection

Meet Richard Dawkins

Meme theory (memetics)
First published in 1976
Many works on the topic later: including Hofstadter (Methamagical Themas column), Dennett (in Conciousness Explained), Dawkins again (Viruses of the Mind)
Focused around memes – “the mutating replicators in human cultural evolution”, that are striving to survive and grow.

Memes all around

Meme theory (memetics)
Memes can be either natural or artificial (forced) by their nature
Forcing memes is used in order to viralize some parts of a memeplex
Examples?

Targeting: adding something to memes that we know are there

Meme drift?..

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