Conference : Mindstates VI, San
Francisco, May 2005.
States of mind are not memes, but the means for
inducing them may be.
Memes are habits, skills, theories, stories,
songs or any other kind of information that is copied from person to
person. Like genes, memes are replicators, evolving by variation and
selection. So we can look at the whole of human culture as a vast set
of evolving memes, our bodies as meme machines that copy and store
memes, and our selves as memeplexes. States of consciousness, such as
trance, tripping, deep relaxation or mystical transcendence, cannot be
directly copied from person to person and for that reason are not
memes – but the drugs, machines, and practices that induce them can
and are. Whether for fun or for insight, we use these technologies to
change our state of consciousness and so ensure the propagation of
these technological memes. This is true, too, of the ultimate quest.
Enlightenment is not a meme and cannot be directly copied – yet by
passing on certain tricks or skills, such as meditation or
mindfulness, one person may flip another into realisation.
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