A Struggle Among Memes

Brin's, "Survival of the Fittest Ideas: The New Style of War--a Struggle Among Memes," expounds upon the concept of living bundles of ideas known as memes. Memes are packets of societal concepts that successfully proliferate due to the host's ability to ingratiate such concepts to others. Brin suggests that complex bodies and behaviors are the tools to ensure genetic replication; memes are simply societal practices, traditions, etc. to ensure individual and thus communities to thrive. Brin breaks down four worldwide memes that illustrates such: Paranoia; Machismo; The East; and The Dogma of Otherness.

The entire article is quite interesting to me, but perhaps the Dogma of Otherness is the most interesting aspect because this meme is one that facilitates change. This meme embraces tolerance and provides a uptopian view of the future.

Yet how does one remain tolerant of intolerance and successfully create a world "where children are trained from birth to hunger for diversity?"

-Lolia