The ‘meme’ meme revisited

Abstract

He “meme†concept is usually attributed to Dawkins. It does, however, have a much longer history, predating the acceptance of the “gene†concept in early twentieth century biology. This chapter traces the history of the “meme†meme and explores the role of intentionality. Intentionality. role of —or its exclusion—in the analogies drawn between biological and cultural evolution. There are three main problems with the “meme†meme in its current forms: A taken-for-granted gene-centric view of evolution; a disembodied notion of culture as the transmission of unit “ideasâ€; and the misleading promise of connecting biology and culture that is based on yet another taken-for-granted assumption: That biological and cultural evolution are ultimately two quite separate realms.