memetic lexicon

"A Memetic Lexicon"
Version 3.5
Glenn Grant, Memeticist
"An idea is something
you have;
an ideology, something that has
you."
--Morris Berman

What if ideas were viruses?

I first encountered the meme about memes in Douglas Hofstadter's Metamagical Themas, a collection of his wonderful columns for Scientific American. His articles on memes got me all fired up, setting off ideas like a chain-reaction of fireworks.

An infection strategy common to many meme-complexes, placing the potential host in the role of Victim and playing on their insecurity, as in: "the bourgeoisie is oppressing the proletariat" (Hofstadter). Often dangerously toxic to host and society in general. Also known as the "Us-and-Them" strategy.

A medium, method, or vehicle for the transmission of memes. Almost
any communication medium can be a memetic vector. (GMG)

(pron. vak-seem) Any meta-meme which confers resistance or
immunity to one or more memes, allowing that person to be exposed without
acquiring an active infection. Also called an `immuno-meme.' Common
immune-conferring memes are "Faith", "Loyalty", "Skepticism", and
"tolerance". (See: meme-allergy.) (GMG.)

Every scheme includes a vaccime to protect against rival memes. For
instance:

A meta-meme which confers resistance to a wide variety of memes (and their sociotypes), without conferring meme-allergies. In its purest form, Tolerance allows its host to be repeatedly exposed to rival memes, even intolerant rivals, without active infection or meme-allergic reaction. Tolerance is a central co-meme in a wide variety of schemes, particularly "liberalism", and "democracy". Without it, a scheme will often become exo-toxic and confer meme-allergies on its hosts.

The part of a meme-complex that encourages adherence and discourages mis-replication. ("Damnation to Hell" is the threat co-meme in many religious schemes.) (See: bait, hook, vaccime.) (Hofstadter)

1. The social expression of a memotype, as the body of an organism is the physical expression (phenotype) of the gene (genotype). Hence, the Protestant Church is one sociotype of the Bible's memotype.

2. A class of similar social organisations. (GMG)

A meme-complex. (Hofstadter.)

A meme which attempts to splice itself into an existing meme-complex (example: Marxist-Leninists trying to co-opt other sociotypes). (GMG)

Any memetic strategy used by a meme to encourage its host to repeat the meme to other people. The hook co-meme of a meme-complex. (GMG)

Any of several currently-epidemic memes which predict catastrophic events for the year 2000, including the battle of Armageddon, the Rapture, the thousand-year reign of Jesus, etc. The "Imminent New Age" meme is simply a pan-denominational version of this. (Also called the `Endmeme.')

The concept of memes, considered as a meme itself.

Any meme about memes (such as: "tolerance", "metaphor").

1. The actual information-content of a meme, as distinct from its sociotype.

2. A class of similar memes. (GMG)