Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme - Couverture rigide

Brodie, Richard

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1401924689 ISBN 13 : 9781401924683

Editeur : Hay House Inc, 2009

Synopsis

Unusual book

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Virus of the Mind is the first popular book devoted to the science of memetics, a controversial new field that transcends psychology, biology, anthropology, and cognitive science. Memetics is the science of memes, the invisible but very real DNA of human society.In Virus of the Mind, Richard Brodie carefully builds on the work of scientists Richard Dawkins, Douglas Hofstadter, Daniel Dennett, and others who have become fascinated with memes and their potential impact on our lives. But Richard goes beyond science and dives into the meat of the issue: is the emergence of this new science going to have an impact on our lives like the emergence of atomic physics did in the Cold War? He would say the impact will be at least as great. While atomic bombs affect everybody’s life, viruses of the mind touch lives in a more personal and more pernicious way.Mind viruses have already infected governments, educational systems, and inner cities, leading to some of the most pervasive and troublesome problems of society today: youth gangs, the welfare cycle, the deterioration of the public schools, and ever-growing government bureaucracy.Viruses of the mind are not a future worry: they are here with us now and are evolving to become better and better at their job of infecting us. The recent explosion of mass media and the information superhighway has made the earth a prime breeding ground for viruses of the mind.Will there be a mental plague? Will only some of us survive with our free will intact? Richard Brodie weaves together science, ethics, and current events as he raises these and other very disturbing questions about memes.

Présentation de l'éditeur :

We are surrounded by information in the 21st Century: we are bombarded by advertising, attitudes, celebrities, news, wars, fashion, the latest fads... the sheer amount of information we have access to appears untameable, unworkable, and too much to gain sense from unless we pick and choose very carefully. However, our choices are very often made for us as the result of advertising, media companies, the government and popular culture. The results of these choices are called memes, and their impact is shaping not just society but us individually, and on a core level, beyond psychology, personal free will, and even genetics. The very first book on the subject of memes, and how they behave just like viruses, this is an incredible study into the power of communication and going along with everyone else. Virus of the Mind explains just how we are infected by the deliberate shaping of society's attitudes and behaviours and how we can cure ourselves.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Hay House Inc
• Date d'édition: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1401924689
• ISBN 13: 9781401924683
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 272