Learning, Evolution, Life and Civilization with Genes, Memes and Temes

Susan Blackmore on TED.com uses the basic law of "Natural Selection" and Units of Replication to explain Learning, Evolution and "Life"(sic). She explains how units of replication - Genes (physical), Memes (mental) and Temes (technological) are the driving forces for replicating information or "Life".

Memes use up nearly 20% of our energy and are indiscriminate in their propagation.
She seems to suggest that these memes need to be filtered to avoid ending our "civilization-as-we-know-it" from an untimely end.

She actually uses an old idea used to statistically calculate number of intelligent AND communicating ALIEN  civilizations which made it through the dangerous parts of their history. These would be the civilizations which could possibly contact us if at all. She then modifies this equation to reflect Replicator Generations instead of  Technology Revolutions.

Imagine an internet where both "good", "bad" and "ugly"  ideas are roaming about cross-pollinating each other without any filteration device except for "Natural Selection" i.e. the meme which replicates most "wins".

Where humans/intelligent data mining bots are taken over by causes and holy-wars but now with much better equipment to carry out a solitary madmans delusions ("virulent/mad/bad" memes??)

As Susan says we don't know if our civilization will make it through the Temes Replication.
Further she proposes (in effect) that the internet is a VAST collection of Temes (good, bad and ugly) which replicates on its own.

Visions of Terminator 2 and RepRap and maybe WallE come alive in the above talks.

What is the "viewpoint" of a bacterium with respect to a human being and vice-versa.
After all we're relatives but with maybe better replicating capability (at least as far as ideas/memes are concerned).

We consider them life-forms of no great importance unless they're useful/harmful to us as in say
a) Yeast for yoghurt and other such uses - grow them and even sell them in sachets for baking cakes.
b) Disease causing bacteria- just wipe them out.

Maybe more "advanced" memes will view humans with the same angle - utility. Makes sense!!

There was a Doctor-Who episode called "Full Circle" with around the same premise as the storyline.

Maybe best taken with a pinch of salt... as evolutionary processes can be slow (or fast depending on the circumstance). Still thought-provoking as to why life is getting so complex.
Blame it on the Memes/Temes!! :-)


On a more "positive" side of the story on Memes and Temes.
Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from | Video on TED.com
Steve Johnson describes "The Liquid Network" of Britain (coffee-houses) which allowed people gather and talk and bounce ideas off each other.

Essentially allowed these coffee-houses allowed ideas/memes to "have sex" and "create little hybrid ideas" i.e. convergence and emergence of new and more powerful memes.

Its hybrid ideas like these that led to Hitech devices made with off-the-shelf low tech parts below.
Hitech incubators for premature babies don't work for long in African countries, as they don't have trouble sourcing spare-parts and finding tools/technicians to maintain them.
Somebody then observed that these countries have enough infrastructure to maintain cars!!
Putting these 2 memes together he thought of using off-the-shelf locally available car parts to build a premature baby incubator for African countries. So now they have car mechanics (not high-tech engineers) maintain these mash-up devices by simply replacing/repairing these worn-out parts.

Come to think of it this blog itself is a mash-up of all the above articles!!
AND
A meme/teme in its own right.

Anybody who reads this blog post replicates these ideas in their own head. Beware!! :-D