Media Journal Entry #6

In response to the discussion on memetics during class on Wednesday I found it appropriate to pose the question: What separates memes from reality, or in other words is there a distinction between memes and perspective? Philosopher George Berkeley posed the statement: "To be is to be perceived". There is so much validity to this statement, especially in conversing over memes.

If our validity and self-defining characteristics of being are simply comprised of how others view us, then our means of self-projection and how we carry ourselves is solely based on accepted memes. Value systems, trends, songs, morals, faith, these characteristics of self-identity are all memes, and thus memetics create our systems of self and of perception.

I enjoyed Dawkins' underlying message of our power to control meme replication. He describes memes to be in ways analogous to genetics in the way that memes are culturally replicated as genes are biologically. Genes create memes however through our genetically inherited thought processes and thinking capabilities, thus with our biologically inherited genes we have the potential to critically consider which memes we replicate and carry in our lives. This is important to consider in that rather than outlining the scary and pervasive role memes carry in our lives, Dawkins emphasizes that meme-replication depends on our transfer of memes from brain to brain. Our brains have the capability to filter memetics, and determine their validity.

I feel the discussion on memes is very appropriately fit for discourse on religion and faith structures, and undermines belief systems completely. The information presented on memetics lead me to question whether or not any idea or manifestation of ideas can truly be original.