The Evolution Meme
(Sawyer Library Lobby)
Richard Dawkins coined the term meme to describe a piece of information that reproduces itself through organic minds much as genes reproduce themselves using organic bodies. Because replicating memes are subject to variation and selection, one way to understand them is through Darwin's theory of evolution. The concept of a meme is itself a meme, one which has recently begun to spread more quickly with the help of the internet.
Darwin's theory of evolution, while informing the concept of a meme, can also be treated as a meme itself. Since its introduction to the world in 1859, the theory of evolution through natural selection has come to dominate the biological sciences. Variations on the theory have spread throughout the humanities and social sciences to explain all sorts of change, from the evolution of hammers to the variations of religious practice. The books in this display showcase how the idea that Darwin brought forth has changed and adapted over time to occupy many different niches of our scholarly environment. In short, the concept of evolution is an evolving meme.
For further reading, consult Susan Blackmore's "Meme" in the Encyclopedia of Evolution (e-reference edition). For more on the bicentennial of Darwin's birth and the sesquicentennial of the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species, see darwin-online.org.uk.
For more information, contact Nick Baker.
On display February 12th through March 2nd, 2009.