Synopsis:
A cultural evolution scientist presents an outline of "meme," a distinct pattern of rapidly reproducing electrical charges in a brain node, citing their role in free will, human identity, consciousness, and society.
Review:
Marc D. Hauser Harvard University, author of "Wild Minds" What makes "The Electric Meme" a welcome addition is that Aunger takes a serious crack at turning memetics into a more rigorous science, one that can uncover, like a microbiologist looking at a virus, both the structure and transmission of memes. Be warned, however: your memes may never be the same again.
David L. Hull Northwestern University, author of "The Metaphysics of Evolution""The Electric Meme" is not only a critical, detailed and coherent development of the meme idea, it also improves our understanding of genes, prions, computer viruses, information theory and neurophysiology as well. Aunger even asks the most fundamental question of all -- do we have memes or do our memes have us?
Terrence W. Deacon Boston University, author of "The Symbolic Species" Sometimes it can take a generation for a simple concept to be clearly articulated...This is without question the most erudite and penetrating book yet written on memes. Potentially, it heralds the beginning of a new science.
Daniel Dennett Tufts University, author of "Consciousness Explained" and "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" With this book, Robert Aunger puts memetics decisively on the intellectual map. "The Electric Meme" will eclipse the field as the inaugural book of a whole new school of social science and cultural history.
Richard Dawkins Oxford University, author of "The Selfish Gene" What more, one might ask, needed to be said about memes? The answer turns out to be plenty, and Robert Aunger says it clearly, intelligently and entertainingly.
Kevin Padian Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley With good examples and lively prose, Aunger explores the question: just how tangible are the units of cultural replication that we call memes? His far-reaching answers will surprise and stimulate readers.
Dan Sperber French National Center for Scientific Research, coauthor of "Relevance;" author of "Explaining Culture" Unlike others who write about cultural evolution, Robert Aunger has actually studied it in the field as a practicing anthropologist. He is also an accomplished evolutionary theorist. This makes him uniquely qualified to write about memes. In this clear, well-written, and challenging book, he addresses the important and difficult issues of memetics with ease, and puts forward novel ideas that are sure to stir great interest and also controversy.
"With this book, Robert Aunger puts memetics decisively on the intellectual map. "The Electric Meme" will eclipse the field as the inaugural book of a whole new school of social science and cultural history."--Daniel Dennett, Tufts University, author of Consciousness Explained and Darwin's Dangerous Idea
"What more, one might ask, needed to be said about memes? The answer turns out to be plenty, and Robert Aunger says it clearly, intelligently and entertainingly."--Richard Dawkins, Oxford University, author of The Selfish Gene
"Sometimes it can take a generation for a simple concept to be clearly articulated...This is without question the most erudite and penetrating book yet written on memes. Potentially, it heralds the beginning of a new science."--Terrence W. Deacon, Boston University, author of The Symbolic Species
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
