Memetic Journalism, Part One

clear if Meme-complexes such as religions have adaptations and thus adapt. Worse, it does not provide us with possible mechanisms for such adaptations. The same can be said for the work of (Lynch 1988)on religion that also lacks explanations on how religions as Meme-plexes (co-adapted Meme-complexes) incorporate adaptations—some religions become more successfully disseminated than others do.

This lack of focus on adaptations and mechanisms perhaps explains why Memetic Theory has only incorporated that Memes are Replicators, but not that Memes are Interactors.

Memes are Replicators by definition, in analogy to genes. This is the common denominator in Memetics, and most writers recognize it on the subject. (Dawkins 1976) started the definition of Memes in this way, and where memeticists differ in opinion on what should count as phenotype-genotype distinction (see Hull 1988a for some opinions) and even on what Memes are (see Benzon 1998 versus Speel 1998), they do agree that Memes are Replicators.

A large part of memetics focuses mainly on the dissemination part of memetics that is directly related to replication. The Meme as thought contagion is a well-known view that focuses mainly on Memetic processes of dissemination. Aaron Lynch’s, Thought Contagion (1996) is perhaps the main work giving the Meme such connotations. Of course, Memes may be rightfully seen, as disseminating through human systems, but this view alone cannot account for natural or artificial selection involving Memes.

Replicators, or the structural entities that are replicated, pass on their structure directly from generation to generation. In principle, Replicators can only Replicate themselves, but they can also produce entities that interact and this indirectly results in the replication of Replicators (by reproduction). These entities are known as: Interactors—'entities that directly interact as a cohesive whole with their environment in such a way that Replication is differential.' Memetic Journalism will continue July 1, 2003 when part two will be on the site. Review and satiation of this first article hopefully will prompt us for the remainder of this portion of the Memes series.

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Works cited:

Dawkins R. (1976,1982) The selfish gene. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Gatherer, D., 1997; Macromemetics: Towards a Framework for the Re-unification of Philosophy. Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission, 1.

Mack & Monk. Acknowledgement: Eagle and Mark David. Genes, Memes, and Megathemes,

Marshall, Garry. The Internet

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