A "meme" is any information -- ideas, actions, attitudes, or relationships between things -- that can be passed on (i.e. "replicated"). Thus, a meme is an abstract unit of culture.

An example of a meme is a numbered list (such as the one several lines below). The idea of expressing nonnumeric information in the form of a list is probably quite ancient and emerged, obviously, after writing and numerals had been invented. Most likely, the idea of such a numbered list didn't occur in one fell swoop to one individual, but arrived in several stages involving many individuals. However, these intermediate forms were not nearly as memorable as the product we see today and were generally forgotten once this more "evolutionarily stable" version was developed.

However, it gets more complicated. Not only can the concept of such a numbered list be considered a meme, but also the details of the list's construction, for example:

1. aligning the left side of the list
2. indenting the numbers
3. putting a dot, or in competing versions, a bracket - "1)" - directly after the number
4. using the same size of writing for both the numbers and the following text
5. and so on

In actuality, there exist a host of competing varieties of numbered list whose popularity depends in large measure on how well they fit into current typography trends. Here's another variety of numbered list that breaks all the rules listed above:

1 ,,,Mormon theology is absurd2:-) Mormon culture is whacked

-3- Official Mormon history is hogwash

Now let me ask you a rhetorical question: which of all possible varieties of numbered lists is true?...

• Huh??:)

Memeplexes

Memeplexes are conglomerations of memes that survive and replicate more successfully in groups. In the example above it is clear that a numbered list design that takes advantage of stylistic elements already in common use in typography will enjoy more popularity than one that doesn't (like the second example).

Memetic success depends not on the "truthfulness" of a meme or memeplex but on its replicative power. Its replicative power depends on how well it fits into the existing "memosphere," how well it takes advantage of the physical and psychological characteristics of its hosts (people), and how it makes use of its hosts' experience with the surrounding environment.

• I just made that up, so I hope it's correct:)

Just now I looked over at my new HP printer. I noticed that its color scheme and rounded form match those of other computer equipment popular at the moment. I ran my hand across the top and noticed that the smooth but ever-so-slightly roughed-up texture is pleasant to the touch and has something in common with human skin. It also prints quietly without any unpleasant jerking sounds. In short, this printer takes advantage of my physical and psychological characteristics and also my experiences with office equipment in the past and therefore has a chance of "reproductive success." All these design elements, as well as the very idea of a "printer" and all the accompanying concepts and knowledge involved in creating the printer, are memes. Together they form a memeplex that unites these separate memes into a cohesive unit.

Where do memes come from?

I recently was forced to answer an interesting question: if existing memes simply recombine in new combinations in our heads like genes in DNA, then where do new memes come from? In other words, how does the memosphere grow?

Here's what I came up with:

• Beware, I made this up, too:)

Let's try to divide facts from memes - at least theoretically. A fact is an objective interaction between man and his surroundings. For example:

1. The vase fell on me
2. My girlfriend is crying
3. My foot is wet
4. Columbus discovered America in 1492

These facts do not contain judgments, explanations, or analysis. They are "nonmemetic," so to speak.

• Actually, not entirely. The words and meanings attached to objects ("vase"), actions ("cry"), and sensations ("wet"), as well as units of time ("in 1492") are all memes subject to evolutionary laws. But that's beside the point here... I think:)

Man's nervous system is designed to accurately register sensory information and to recognize information in the outside world (including his own body) that is relevant to the survival of his genes. Each of the facts listed above belongs to a category of information that is important to the survival of our genes: our emotions, actions, and sensations and the emotions, actions, and sensations of those around us.

• Even Columbus discovering America in 1492??

Yep. This is an objective fact of the same class as "Fred brought us two coconuts yesterday." Similarly, "the mothership is smothered in goo" is essentially of the same class of information as "my foot is wet." Our minds are designed to be able to receive information of this type (though certain pathologies can undermine a person's ability to do so).

Besides perceiving bare facts, our minds are also designed to draw useful conclusions from facts.

1. My shoulder bumped the shelf + shortly thereafter the vase fell on me = the vase fell on me because I bumped the shelf. The vase fell on me + I felt pain = I should avoid bumping the shelf to avoid pain.
2. My girlfriend saw me with another girl + my girlfriend is crying = my girlfriend is crying because she saw me with another girl. When my girlfriend cries I feel sad. My girlfriend's emotions reflect her willingness to reward me, etc. etc. blah blah blah.

• And so on. I'm getting bored with this exercise.

My question right now is how much of this is built into our brains and how much is subject to memetic drift. I'm going to assume that memeticists out there have dealt with these issues in depth and have taken this logical path further than I have.

Now what then is a meme? A meme is any information that can be passed from person to person by processes broadly described as imitation - whether conscious or unconscious. By definition a meme has to be capable of replication and is therefore subject to darwinian processes of self-organization.

Any behaviors or perceptions that are not completely hardwired (i.e. uniform among all people) are subject to imitative, i.e. memetic, influence. For example, smiling is universal among all nations. However, there are variations on smiles and a host of other facial expressions that people pick up from those around them.

• And who wouldn't admit that Americans smile differently than the Japanese?

Things like smiling are subject to much less memetic drift than, say, methods of explaining weather patterns. Smiling has certain physiological (and hence genetic) limitations, while methods of explaining weather patterns have no physiological limitations other than, perhaps, the brain space required to hold such an explanation in one's head. But with the advent of computer technology brain power has received an incredible boost...

• But I digress.

A good test of whether something qualifies as a meme or not is whether there is an alternative behavior or perception that a person could switch to within a lifetime. For example, I doubt a person could change his breathing patterns while sleeping within his lifetime.

• And all the other examples I can think of are also completely genetically determined.

Let's take a look at the "facts" listed above and see why they aren't memes.

If I simply read in a textbook, "Columbus discovered America in 1492," that's not a meme. A meme has to have a context. Bare facts can only become memes if they gain additional meaning through becoming a cog in a mental construct or social interaction. If I start saying "Columbus discovered America in 1492" in a certain context - say, every time my mother asks me to take out the trash, then I have created a meme that can be imitated and spread to other people. Or I can create a logical relationship such as, "Columbus discovered America in 1492 and as a result millions of native Americans died of diseases that the Europeans brought with them."

Here I can't help inserting an interesting note. Different people are receptive to different kinds of memes in different ways. For example, some people easily process large amounts of abstract information yet are almost unable to process concrete information without outside help, and vice versa. But that's a whole other subject...