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Memetics

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Memetics. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is related to the study of self-replicating units of culture, not to be confused with mimetics.

Memetics

Memetics is a term coined by Douglas Hofstadter in the 1980s, relating to the notion of meme, introduced by Richard Dawkins, as genetics relates to that of gene. Memetics purports to be an approach to evolutionary models of cultural information transfer. A Journal of Memetics was published electronically from 1997 to 2005.[1] History of the term In his book The Selfish Gene (1976), the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins used the term meme to describe a unit of human cultural transmission analogous to the gene, arguing that replication also happens in culture, albeit in a different sense. The modern memetics movement dates from the mid 1980s. Internalists and externalists The memetics movement split almost immediately into two. These two schools became known as the "internalists" and the "externalists.

" Maturity Critique New developments. Theoretical foundations of evolutionary psychology. The theoretical foundations of evolutionary psychology are the general and specific scientific theories that explain the ultimate origins of psychological traits in terms of evolution.

Theoretical foundations of evolutionary psychology

These theories originated with Charles Darwin's work, including his speculations about the evolutionary origins of social instincts in humans. Modern evolutionary psychology, however, is possible only because of advances in evolutionary theory in the 20th century. In 1964, William D. Hamilton proposed inclusive fitness theory, emphasizing a "gene's-eye" view of evolution. Hamilton noted that individuals can increase the replication of their genes into the next generation by helping close relatives with whom they share genes survive and reproduce.

Several mid-level evolutionary theories inform evolutionary psychology. General evolutionary theory[edit] Natural selection[edit] Sexual selection[edit] Inclusive fitness[edit] Inclusive fitness theory, proposed by William D. Cost < relatedness × benefit. Memetic engineering. Memetic engineering is a term developed and coined by Leveious Rolando, John Sokol, and Gibran Burchett while they researched and observed the behavior of people after being purposely exposed (knowingly and unknowingly) to certain memetic themes.

Memetic engineering

The term is based on Richard Dawkins' theory of memes. Memetics. This article is related to the study of self-replicating units of culture, not to be confused with Mimesis.

Memetics

Memetics is a theory of mental content based on an analogy with Darwinian evolution, originating from the popularization of Richard Dawkins' 1976 book The Selfish Gene.[1] Proponents describe memetics as an approach to evolutionary models of cultural information transfer. The meme, analogous to a gene, was conceived as a "unit of culture" (an idea, belief, pattern of behaviour, etc.) which is "hosted" in the minds of one or more individuals, and which can reproduce itself, thereby jumping from mind to mind. Thus what would otherwise be regarded as one individual influencing another to adopt a belief is seen as an idea-replicator reproducing itself in a new host. As with genetics, particularly under a Dawkinsian interpretation, a meme's success may be due to its contribution to the effectiveness of its host. History[edit] The modern memetics movement dates from the mid-1980s.

Meme. Thought or idea that can be shared, in analogy to a gene A meme (/miːm/ MEEM[1][2][3]) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture—often with the aim of conveying a particular phenomenon, theme, or meaning represented by the meme.[4] A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices, that can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena with a mimicked theme.

Meme

Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate, and respond to selective pressures.[5] Proponents theorize that memes are a viral phenomenon that may evolve by natural selection in a manner analogous to that of biological evolution. Memes do this through the processes of variation, mutation, competition, and inheritance, each of which influences a meme's reproductive success. Memes spread through the behavior that they generate in their hosts.