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Phenotypic Effect
A meme is a catchy idea that circulates in a culture. Richard Dawkins coins the word “meme” by adapting it from the Greek word mimeme, which means “imitate.” He thinks memes jump from brain to brain, by being copied into different people’s minds. For example, a scientist might learn about an idea from a paper. If the scientist likes the idea, they’ll talk about it in their lectures, and their students will learn about the idea as well. The scientist will likely also talk about the idea with their peers, and maybe mention it in their papers, meaning more people will learn about the idea and store a “copy” of the idea in their brains. According to Dawkins, a meme is a replicator. Since each brain has a limited capacity for memory, memes essentially compete to be remembered, in a new form of evolution: cultural evolution. Some examples of memes include the idea of God, a catchy tune or jingle, a memorable image, or—importantly—the idea of altruism. Dawkins argues that altruism doesn’t exist in nature, so it must be an idea that was invented at some point, and then spread in human culture.
Meme Quotes in The Selfish Gene
The The Selfish Gene quotes below are all either spoken by Meme or refer to Meme. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 11 Quotes
I think that a new kind of replicator has recently emerged on this very planet. It is starting us in the face. It is still in its infancy, still drifting clumsily about in its primeval soup, but already it is achieving evolutionary change at a rate that leaves the old gene panting far behind. The new soup is the soup of human culture. We need a name for the new replicator, a noun that conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation. “Mimeme” comes from a suitable Greek root, but I want a monosyllable that sounds a bit like “gene.” I hope my classicist friends will forgive me if I abbreviate mimeme to meme.
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After Dawkins has claimed that multiple kinds of entities can fit the description of a replicator, he argues that we don’t actually need to go looking for life on other planets to see if he is right. He believes there is a second type of replicator that has recently emerged on Earth, and this replicator is a “meme.” Adapted from the Greek word for “imitation,” a meme is a bit of human culture that gets copied and spread around in its “primeval soup.” Primeval soup captures the pool in which a replicator floats around. For genes, the primeval soup was Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi om
We have the power to defy the selfish genes of our birth and, if necessary the selfish memes of our indoctrination. We can even discuss ways of deliberately cultivating and nurturing pure, disinterested altruism—something that has no place in nature, something that has never existed before in the whole history of the world. We are built as gene machines and cultured as meme machines, but we have the power to turn against our creators. We, alone on earth, can rebel against the tyranny of the selfish replicators.
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A couple of times so far, Dawkins has asked if there’s anything that makes humans different from other organisms on Earth. It would be quite depressing if it turned out that we’re no different from a cell, or bit of seaweed in our purpose. Here, Dawkins provides his answer. In fact, there is something about humans that makes us unique. We shouldn’t despair that we’re just survival machines for genes, because we also have memes: our culture. We have significantly more agency when it comes to memes. We can choose which ones stick with us, and which ones we’ll spread Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui
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Meme Term Timeline in The Selfish Gene
The timeline below shows where the term Meme appears in The Selfish Gene. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 11: Memes: The New Replicators
...something that can rapidly imitate itself. Dawkins decides to call this “unit of imitation” a meme (adapted from the Greek mimeme Examples of memes include catchy tunes, phrases, images, fashions, and...
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...themselves in the gene pool by hopping from body to body via eggs and sperm. Memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by hopping from brain to brain, by a process...
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Another meme that’s very successful is the “God” meme. It’s a very old idea that has stayed...
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Some theorists want to know why the “God” meme has psychological appeal, and whether there’s a genetic reason underlying it, but Dawkins thinks that’s...
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Memes, like genes, have varying success in the overall pool. Some memes have “brilliant” short-term success,...
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Dawkins wonders if memes compete for survival in the way that genes do—he thinks they do. He asks the...
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Memes survive for various reasons. Fear makes ideas stick, for example, which is why religion has...
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Another thing that makes memes different from genes is that human brains have the capacity for conscious foresight. Genes don’t—they...
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