The Meme Machine

CHAPTER 4
Taking the meme’s eye
view
We can now start to look at the world in a new way. I shall call this the meme’s
eye view, though, of course, memes do not really have eyes or points of view.
They cannot see anything and they cannot predict anything. However, the point
of this perspective is the same as the ‘gene’s eye view’ in biology. Memes are
replicators and tend to increase in number whenever they have the chance. So
the meme’s eye view is the view that looks at the world in terms of opportunities
for replication – what will help a meme to make more copies of itself and what
will prevent it?
I like to ask a simple question – indeed I shall use this question again in
several different contexts. Imagine a world full of hosts for memes (e.g. brains)
and far more memes than can possibly find homes. Now ask, which memes are
more likely to find a safe home and get passed on again?
This is a reasonable way to characterise the real world we live in. Each of us
creates or comes across countless memes every day. Most of our thoughts are
potentially memes but if they do not get spoken they die out straight away. We
produce memes every time we speak, but most of these are quickly snuffed out
in their travels. Other memes are carried on radio and television, in rewritten
words, in other people’s actions, or the products of technology, films and
pictures.
Think for a moment about all the thoughts you have had in the past ten
minutes – let alone all day. Even while reading you have probably thought
about other people, remembered things you meant to do, made plans for later in
the day, or (I hope) pursued ideas sparked off by the book. Most of these
thoughts will never be thought again. You will not pass them on and they will
perish.
Think of the number of things you are likely to say to someone else today –
or the number of words you will hear other people speak. You might listen to
the radio, watch television, have dinner with other people, help your children
with the homework, answer the phone to people far away. Most of what is said
in these conversations will never be passed on again. Most of it will not
reappear as ‘Then he said to her . . .’ or ‘And did you know . . .’. Most will die
at birth.