Final Exam
•April 21, 22, 23
•In Moodle test centre
•Same format and procedure as midterm
•Not cumulative
•Covers everything from Attention to today’s
lecture
final exam review session
1pm on Friday in AH116
Memes
Richard Dawkins
What is evolution?
• Evolution is “a process of continuous change”
What is evolution?
• Evolution is “a process of continuous change”
• Evolution is not the opposite of creationism
• You are free to consider the following discussion of
memes without fear of eternal damnation
What is evolution?
• Evolution theory in a nutshell:
– Kids look and act like their parents
– Kids don’t look and act exactly like their parents
– Some people have more kids than others
What is evolution?
• Evolution theory in a nutshell:
– We are each a constellation of traits which reflects the set of
genes we inherit from our parents
– Traits (and the genes that underlie them) impart advantages and
disadvantages
– Genes are thus subject to “selection pressures” or “selective
retention” which increase or decrease their prevalence in a
“gene pool”
– Random variation introduces novel genes and their associated
traits into the gene pool
What is evolution?
• Evolution theory in a nutshell:
– Random variation + selective retention = evolution
What is evolution?
• “Evolution” applies to all replicators…genes
are just a one example
Memes
Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
Memes
Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
•Can you read this?
•Could your parents or grandparents? Could their
grandparents?
•What happened? Your genes are slightly different. Does that
account for our different language? If not, what does?
Memes
• Language is an example of an aspect of human
culture that evolves
• Dawkins’ thesis is that this evolution process
can be considered in the same light as the
evolution of genetic traits
• Memes are the heritable units of culture
Memes
• What are some examples of memes?
Memes
• What are some examples of
memes?
– Internet memes: Rickrolling
– Religious memes: Thor, God of
Thunder
• Son of Odin
• Has a hammer that can crush
mountains
• Rides a chariot pulled by goats
Memes
• What are some examples of memes?
• fashion
Memes
• What are some examples of memes?
• music
Memes
• What are some examples of memes?
• music
Memes
• What are some examples of memes?
• music
Memes
• What are some examples of memes?
– gestures
Memes
• How do memes replicate?
Memes
• How do memes replicate?
– Imitation
Memes
• How big is a meme?
– The “hook” of a pop song is a meme?
– How many memes is an entire symphony?
Memes
• Why do memes die? Why do memes persist?
– Some memes are more successful than
others…why?
– Competition:
• There is a finite number of memes that you pick up and
use in your life
• Likewise finite quantity of TV and radio play etc.
Memes
• Some memes stay bundled together
– They are mutually reinforcing
–E.g. the fear of eternal damnation if you
don’t believe in things like eternal
damnation…
Memes
• Some memes cannot co-exist
– they explicitly exclude other memes
• The meme that “blind faith” is good protects itself
along with a huge complex of other religion memes
Memes
• Do memes and genes interact?
– Consider that your parents are the primary source
of your memes (at least early in life)
• Any memes they pass to you may help you reproduce
• these will allow you to pass those memes to your kids
• And so on
– Consider memes about celibacy or birth control!
Memes
• Perhaps this makes you uneasy about your
own memes…
– Why do you hold true the set of beliefs that define
you? Are they accurate? Does it matter?
– There’s nothing wrong with questioning your own
memes! Try some other memes! See how they fit
with your own. Ask a stranger to share memes
with you.