January 4, 2009

Dangerous memes: When ideas can kill [VIDEO]

http://www.jewishjournal.com/blog/item/daniel_dennett_ideas_that_evolve_into_evil_organisms/

Philosopher Daniel Dennett says ideas can live and evolve just like living organisms—for better or for worse. (Dennett is the author of one of my favorite books “Conciousness Explained.”)

These living, evolving ideas are called memes.

Some memes turn into dangerous ideological organisms.

In this video, Dennett asserts that several memes require—or maybe a better word is ‘demand’—

death:

* Freedom

* Jihad

* Justice

* Communism

* Capitalism

Is there an ‘idea’ that you would die for?