Memetics

Paradigms “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” introduced Thomas Kuhn’s paradigm theory. Paradigms describe the scientific observations of a natural phenomenon or theory (Kuhn 2012, 41). Thomas Kuhn’s “Structure of Scientific Revolutions,” provides a philosophical look into the scientific process and an understanding of how theories change and progress over time. Paradigms help explain theories, concepts, and observations so they can be learned from (Kuhn 2012, 43). Kuhn himself…

People encounter memes in their everyday lives, whether it be on message boards, social media websites, or in conversations with friends and colleagues, memes are an inescapable aspect of American society. The first use of the term “meme” was by Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and author, who first used the term to describe the spread of cultural information between individuals within a culture. Internet memes, in particular, are used to spread the culture of the internet among…

At one point in a person’s life, they may partake in the step of creating their own family through parenthood. Families, in themselves, mimic their own form of community, typically when the elders, or parents, disperse ideas and beliefs onto children, resulting in a chain of common-thinking. In Arlie Russell Hochschild’s “From the Frying Pan into the Fire,” she discusses capitalism and how people struggle to find a balance between family and work. She shows how great of an impact capitalism…

May 28th, 2016 the 17 year old Gorilla Harambe was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after picking up and dragging a 4 year old who climbed into the Gorilla’s enclosure. Footage of the incident surfaced online and sparked outrage by some over the alleged negligence of the parents and the zoo’s decision to shoot and kill Harambe. But most recognized it as an unfortunate tragedy. What should have been a temporary news story turned into a collection of memes and hashtags that have continued to…

In James Gleick’s article What Defines a Meme, memes are compared to complex organisms that could self-replicate and evolve within or between hosts. Like genes, memes can be furthered by natural selection; while the former needs a physical medium, the latter is abstract and constantly changing (mutating). Memes “exploit” human brains, languages, the Internet, and all kind of mediums to advance its own survival. Gleick argues that memes are as powerful and destructive as virus and epidemiology,…

Black Mirror is a British television series that examines a variety of issues that face contemporary society, usually involving the implications of new technologies. Created by Charlie Brooker, this celebrated fiction series illuminates the darker, often chaotic side of evolving media and human knowledge. Using an assortment of satirical themes and motifs, this show fascinates audiences by conveying a sense of anxiousness that is felt by the fluctuating nature of modern society and its…

Perpetually Malicious Author Stephen Kendrick once stated in his book The Love Dare,“Almost every sinful action ever committed can be traced back to a selfish motive. It is a trait we hate in other people but justify in ourselves.” Almost every iniquity in the world has been caused by narcissism. Selfishness thrives in humans, feeding off of their evilness. People forget that evil exists within themselves as well, not just their peers. Evil is a very loose term, however the most clear denotation…

Meme Essay Memes are amusing images, videos, phrases etc. that people from all over the world create and spread all over the internet. Memes literally pop up out of nowhere and they show up on social media sites all of the time. They are everywhere and have been popular since the mid 2000’s. Memes are used as a form of a medium that people use to express their creativity and or beliefs. A controversial belief that people typically argue are rights of a particular group of people. Transgender…

Once in a life, we have been imitating a fashion and a behavior of idol or someone. What if imitation is always occurring in everyday life to individuals? In the essay, “Strange Creatures” wrote by Susan Blackmore, she claimed that whatever individuals act or think is imitation. The study said this phenomenon called “meme”. Blackmore claimed imitating is what makes us different from animals or living species. This is because humans are imitating each other without consciousness. Blackmore said…

theorists, three of whom are Kuhn, Popper, and Lakatos. Those philosophers provide distinctive theories as to how paradigms arise in science. Despite the differences in their ideologies, however, Kuhn, Popper, and Lakatos all demonstrate Dawkins’ memetic ideas. Kuhn, for example, crafted a systemic, three-step ideology consisting of “pre-science,” “normal” science, and revolutionary science. Kuhn’s ideology emphasizes acceptance of falsification: if an anomaly arises, it is the researcher’s…