The Meme Machine. – Review – book reviews
Kendrick Frazier
The Meme Machine. Susan Blackmore. Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314. 1999. ISBN 019-850365-2. 264 PP. Hardcover. $25.00. A “meme,” a term originally coined in 1976 by Richard Dawkins, is now included in the Oxford English Dictionary as “an element of culture that may be considered to be passed on by non-genetic means, esp. imitation.” Cognitive psychologist Susan Blackmore explores in detail this “powerful idea, capable of transforming our understanding of the human mind.” Is the analogy between memes and genes a useful one? Blackmore shows that it is, and in doing so she confronts deep questions about ourselves: the nature of the inner self, the part of those that is the center of our consciousness, feels emotions, has memories, hold beliefs, and makes decisions. In her view, this “inner self” is an illusion, a creation of the memes for the sake of their own replication.
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