TED Talk - Susan Blackmore: Memes and "Temes"

Susan Blackmore, in a very cool TED Talk that takes another, different look at how the human brain developed the way it has. She's very interesting. I just bought her first book on memes, The Meme Machine.

Susan Blackmore studies memes, those ideas that replicate themselves, passing from brain to brain like a physical virus. Here she makes a bold new argument: humanity has spawned a new category of meme, the "teme," which spreads itself via technology.

Susan Blackmore is dedicated to understanding the scientific nature of consciousness. Her latest work centers on the existence of memes -- little bits of knowledge, lore, habit that seem to spread themselves using human brains as mere carriers. She's exploring the existence of a new class of meme, spread by human technology. It's temporarily named the "teme."

She has written about memes, consciousness, and near-death experiences; has appeared on the British Big Brother to discuss the psychology of the participants; and writes for the Guardian UK.

Tags: TED Talk, Susan Blackmore, Memes, Temes, technology, intelligence, evolution, consciousness