Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme

Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme
by Richard Brodie

Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme
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Book Summary Information

Author: Richard Brodie
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-15
ISBN: 1401924689
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Hay House
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Book Reviews of Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme

Book Review: No substance - very poor treatment of memes - weak authorship
Summary: 1 Stars

I bought this book to get what I hoped was a clear introduction to memes and memetic science. My plan was to start with Brodie's book and move on from there once I had a foundation for understanding memes. Unfortunately, there is little substance to this book and, aside from a few pages of discussion defining memes, there is almost no real discussion of this concept and certainly nothing that could be called science writing or even a book with a more formal presentation of a scientific concept made accessible to the novice. It is a very weak work of authorship, really quite an amateurish attempt at a book. I am surprised it even got published. Brodie writes simplistically, with a lot of personal references and many tiresome references to his other book, "Getting Past OK". His examples are poor and limited, there is little in the way of research or even citations on real research. His recommended reading list at the end of the book is very short and there is nothing that even approaches the level of footnotes or endnotes found in a serious work. I kept reading the book hoping that "the meat" of the subject would begin in the next chapter, but was always disappointed. Brodie discusses religion as imparting very powerful memes, but his discussion of this subject is laughable; he concludes this section with a brief, weak and weird couple of paragraphs supporting the contributions of faith but never provides a contrasting view. Later in the book he references Erhard Seminar Training and The Forum as example of organizations with strong memes but doesn't go further to discuss the damage such unregulated and unproven organizations has done to many many people. He promises to teach us to recognize our memetic programming and how to disinfect ourselves, but the few paragraphs on those subjects are useless. He also goes on to tell us how we should be aiming for a third level of consciousness in which we create the world we want for ourselves and others - the stuff is tripe and straight out of third rate self-help ideology. Brodie wrote a book that explains nothing and seems to a personal project where he can show readers just how "neat" memetic science is - a science he cannot explain because he is not a scientist and not really an author either. Do not waste your time.

Summary of Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme

Virus of the Mind is the first popular book devoted to the science of memetics, a controversial new field that transcends psychology, biology, anthropology, and cognitive science. Memetics is the science of memes, the invisible but very real DNA of human society.

In Virus of the Mind, Richard Brodie carefully builds on the work of scientists Richard Dawkins, Douglas Hofstadter, Daniel Dennett, and others who have become fascinated with memes and their potential impact on our lives. But Richard goes beyond science and dives into the meat of the issue: is the emergence of this new science going to have an impact on our lives like the emergence of atomic physics did in the Cold War? He would say the impact will be at least as great. While atomic bombs affect everybody's life, viruses of the mind touch lives in a more personal and more pernicious way.

Mind viruses have already infected governments, educational systems, and inner cities, leading to some of the most pervasive and troublesome problems of society today: youth gangs, the welfare cycle, the deterioration of the public schools, and ever-growing government bureaucracy.

Viruses of the mind are not a future worry: they are here with us now and are evolving to become better and better at their job of infecting us. The recent explosion of mass media and the information superhighway has made the earth a prime breeding ground for viruses of the mind.

Will there be a mental plague? Will only some of us survive with our free will intact? Richard Brodie weaves together science, ethics, and current events as he raises these and other very disturbing questions about memes.


If you've ever wondered how and why people become robotically enslaved by advertising, religion, sexual fantasy, and cults, wonder no more. It's all because of "mind viruses," or "memes," and those who understand how to plant them into other's minds. This is the first truly accessible book about memes and how they make the world go 'round.

Of course, like all good memes, the ideas in Brodie's book are double-edged swords. They can vaccinate against the effects of cognitive viruses, but could also be used by those seeking power to gain it even more effectively. If you don't want to be left behind in the coevolutionary arms race between infection and protection, read about memes.

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