Memes

Back in February 2002, just 4 months after 9/11, fear, rage, panic and prejudice infected all discussions of what might drive people to sacrifice their own lives (as well as the lives of their victims) in the interests of a cause or belief - and how we could stop them.

Against this backdrop, philosophy professor Dan Dennett gave this fascinating and illuminating talk on memes: Dennet, D. (February 2002). On Dangerous Memes. [video] retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_dennett_on_dangerous_memes



Here is the life cycle of the lancet fluke that Dennett refers to:



Viruses are physical entities that can hijack our bodies and minds. Memes are bits of information that can do the same thing.

Here are the questions and transcript: Dan Dennett text and questions


Enjoy!