Not the same in a physical sense, obviously, but on the other hand, the exact definition of a gene — physically — is not 100% clear either. Just as Dawkins spent most of the book trying to demonstrate the idea that genes are, by the impetus of natural selection, basically self-governing, self-interested, self-controlling entities in and of themselves (and human beings or other organisms are basically just their clothing), he extends it in the chapter on memes by saying the same — that rather than the traditional paradigm of “people have ideas, people transmit ideas, people control ideas,” the view of “ideas use people to get around; better ideas last longer; poor ideas die off in a competitive “market”; etc.” is just as valid, and indeed, for many purposes, may be more useful or accurate.

The exact degree of credence or faith you place in the word or concept “meme,” as described in this way, is of course up to you; but for what it’s worth, what you seem to be saying is more or less antithetical to Dawkins’s own conception of it.

I can’t believe I just wrote all that… I sound like a bad academic.

I think i disagree with the main article where it tries to play down the usefuness of the meme concept by stating it is only an analogy. Just because memes are types of ideas, doesn’t make them any less real than genes or viruses. DNA is only code, the matter through which it is transmitted is less important, it is fundamentally an abstract thing - shape which does the business. The ability to replicate is the key, and whether this is done by biological mechanics, computer file copy or human communications is secondary to the concept of a large number of hosts inadvertently helping an abstract ’shape’ or idea to increase in numbers and spread geographically, A meme is a thing, not a metaphor.

Having said this, I believe Amy is accurately describing a process which I recognise. A useful word, phrase or idea is coined by experts in a particular field, and after a period of time it escapes from the specialised field it was invented for, and gets reported, used misused and eventually redefined by the world at large. This happens with IT jargon all the time, and gets to be really annoying because we need clear and precise terminology in order to communicate effectively and that terminlogy keeps getting rendered useless through dilution and common misconception. If people are already starting to use the word ‘meme’ as a pretentious substitute for any old ‘idea’, then I fear it may already be too late fo this one, it’s pretty much a one way process.

Of course, “tries” is anthropomorphizing, but it fits the way we think of viral infections; there seems to be a goal. I worry that all the talk of paradigms and facts (”Do memes really exist?”) could obscure one of the most promising aspects of the meme meme: a useful way of describing how a song gets stuck in your head, how a slang word becomes ubiquitous, and why low-carb diets are rampant.

p.s. I like your conclusions and think you have sound logic, but some of your statements seemed innacurate in tangental ways that didn’t directly affect your argument. “memes are not a fact” seems akin to saying “evolution is not a fact” or even “gravity is not a fact”. While technically none of these are facts since they all require an inductive leap of faith that can’t be proved, I think your distinction is a difference that makes no difference. Also an analogy is a useful way of explaining something unfamiliar by using a familiar example. Memes themeselves are not analogies. The desease model of a meme is an analogy. the disease model of a meme IS LIMITED to describing the propagation of a meme through a population of meme cariers (people usually). Memes behave in some very non disease like ways. The disease analogy does indead break down and fail to describe such occurances as meme complexes wherein memes act exclusively on other memes (diseases that only affect other diseases?) and benificial memes (diseases that help the host?). The proper classification of a meme is as a theory of information and communication science.

Memes can also be practical, culturally significant, or otherwise important. For example, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and other major spiritual paths or philosophies could be considered memes because they spread in meme-like ways. Similarly with impressionist painting and the graphic novel. Similarly with rock & roll music and the proliferation of mathematics.

Just because some examples of memes are silly (like urban legends) or harmful (such as rationalizations for genocide) does not mean that the meme concept is necessarily frivolous. That’s like deriding the entire concept of transportation simply because a broken tricycle does not meet your standards.

More background: The Lifecycle of Memes

- Amy Gahran
Editor, CONTENTIOUS