|
Virus of the Mind is the first popular
book devoted to the science of mimetics, 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, author and
creative genius 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 Brodie 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?
Brodie 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 have 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? Brodie weaves
together science, ethics, and current events as he raises
these and other very disturbing questions about memes.
Richard Brodie was Microsoft chairman
Bill Gates's personal technical assistant and the original
author of Microsoft Word, one of the world's best-selling
computer programs. Educated at Harvard, he is also the best-selling
author of Getting Past OK. An accomplished speaker,
he has appeared on more than 70 television and radio shows
including NBC's Today.
|
