Mind Hack

I am an enthusiastic Darwinian, but I think Darwinism is too big a theory to be confined to the narrow context of the gene. 

- Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene

Memes are to the mind what genes are to the body.

While genes are molecular units of hereditary information, memes are, to paraphrase Terrence McKenna, the smallest unit of information forming a coherent idea.

Both must find hosts in order to survive, replicate, and evolve. Both are transmitted from person to person and both are subject to mutations.

Genes are the blueprints that shape the biology of our planet, from the smallest microbes to the largest dinosaurs and everything in between. Memes, on the other hand, shape the way we think and interact with each other. They are cultural and psychological DNA, the building blocks of society, technology, and belief.

Right about now you might be asking yourself, "If memes are so important, why doesn't anyone talk about them? Where are all the meme theorists? Why aren't they educating the public?"

People readily accept the existence of genes, and rightfully so; because they can be physically detected, classified, and studied, scientists have a very good understanding of the role they play in the formation and evolution of life.

Memes are immaterial. They cannot be detected by our dull senses. We can't put a meme under a microscope and say "There it is!" As a result, memetics is a neglected and oft misunderstood field of study.

The only way to study memes is to study their effect on the material world, and here we have a plethora of evidence. Memes are only invisible while they float around the memesphere. As soon as one finds its way into your mind, it becomes manifest, showing itself in a variety of ways.

Take the spear meme, for instance. The idea of a long stick with a pointy rock secured at its end was ephemeral and completely useless until our ancestor homo heidelbergensis brought the idea to life.

This is how a meme secures a spot in your mind and ensures its long-term survival. It convinces you that it will render a valuable service.

The spear meme's service is indisputable.

Spears have been humankind's go-to instrument of war and hunting for the better part of 300,000 years. Only recently has this indispensable tool been replaced by more advanced weaponry and despite this demotion, the spear maintains a hold on the public imagination. Spears are everywhere: in video games, movies, books, and TV shows.

No meme provides its service for free though; each one demands something in exchange. In addition to reserving space in your mind, some memes demand changes to your behaviour. Think of this as a downpayment of sorts: "do this, say this, and think this way, and in return I will (eventually) give you [insert reward here].

A diet plan is a great example of this kind of meme. It promises that if you (don't) eat (drink) [less/more] [calories/carbs/fat] [leafy greens/raw foods/vegetables/protein] you will get [leaner/thinner/healthier/yoked]. Notice how it works? You don't get to be yoked until you've been doing all the other stuff for an extended period of time. The diet meme requires a downpayment of discipline and faith in exchange for its potential gift.

With diets, you can gauge the results for yourself. You can track the weight you've lost or the sizes you've dropped. You know whether the meme is making good on its promise or not.

This isn't the case with all memes. Some demand a substantial downpayment and promise distant rewards that can't be measured or even detected. Some memes--let's call them con artists--survive by virtue of deception. They dupe unsuspecting hosts into believing that they will get something so amazing and valuable, it defies detection.

During the course of its evolution, the con artist has devised clever ways to exploit your most basic emotions and urges. It taps into your insecurities and feeds your ego, bypassing whatever defences you have. It's a Trojan Horse; once inside your mind, it unloads harmful and contradictory ideas that pollute your thoughts.

Love those who hate you, the con artist urges, and in the same breath: hate those who are different from you! If allowed to flourish, such memes will do great damage to your rational mind.

How should you go about defending yourself against such memes?

First, know thyself. You can't defend a fortress if you don't know its layout. Map out your inner citadel. Learn who you really are--your likes, dislikes, biases, skills, flaws, weaknesses, beliefs, and habits. Explore the myriad ways in which your mind and senses can and frequently will deceive you. Figure out how your conscious and subconscious mind interact together and how your past experiences affect your perception.

Second, master your emotions. Not all of them, mind you: just the toxic ones like hate, anger, jealousy, bitterness, self-pity, and despair. These do nothing but cloud your judgment and hinder your ability to overcome whatever obstacle has caused them to appear in the first place.

Lastly, call into question your most cherished and long-held beliefs. Examine the ideas you take for granted, the ones that knock around your mind on a regular basis. Sever your emotional connection to these memes and scrutinize them objectively.

Remember that every idea, opinion, fashion trend, technological advancement, and belief-system is just a selfish meme looking to survive. Some have valuable rewards to offer, many do not, and a select few do more harm than good.

It is your duty to appraise ideas, take them apart, examine their components, and ascertain how they work.

Only after you have done these things should you be prepared to let a meme into your inner citadel.

/rant over