The Viral Mind of Susan Blackmore

Meet Susan Blackmore, the world’s foremost expert on memes. The intro to her seminal work The Meme Machine was written by none other than genius biologist and fundamentalist atheist blowhard Richard Dawkins. Her lectures on TED receives millions of views— even despite TED's dishwater-dull format when compared to Litopia After Dark (rowr!)

“Man becomes, as it were, the sex organs of the machine world,” said Marshal McLuhan. Never has this been more true.

 (Full quote: Man becomes, as it were, the sex organs of the machine world, as the bee of the plant world, enabling it to fecundate and to evolve ever new forms.)

But do memes actually exist?  Or are they simply metaphors to observe our shifting culture? And who is Susan Blackmore anyway?

After an out of body experience she studied the paranormal for 24 years, only to arrive at the conclusion it was bollocks— all of it.  So who’s to say she won’t soon say the same about memes?

But wait, there’s more! Now she’d like for us to consider what she calls temes— technology assisted memes. Replicators so powerful they may yet turn our computers against us— and sooner than you think. Just ask Stephen Hawking.

Because your Macbook Pro is spreading words, tunes, images and ideas much faster than your feeble human mind can imagine.

Check everything you think you know about memes at the door. Because this show is no lecture. This show is virus inside of your mind.

Spread the word.

(PS - Blackmore's explosive article on fellow Litopia After Dark guest Susan Greenfield can be found here!)

Check out her website!

Buy her book!

Do it now!

Photo by zooterkin

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