BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

MEMETICS 1)4)

← Back

The study of the way memes translate from one individual to others, and of their effects.

R. DAWKINS, who introduced the concept of memes, and Susan BLACKMORE are the main promoters of memetics, which appears to be on its way to become a new discipline. It seeks to investigate the ways memes appear, become accepted and spread after the crossing of a critical threshold. (M. GLADWELL, 2000).

As such, it seems to point toward a deep reworking of some of our psychological and sociological concepts and models. It is obvious for example that religious beliefs, or ideologies, rumors and even fashions and fads do propagate in ways similar to epidemics.

According to a recent article by Susan BLACKMORE (1999, p.40-44), it could also lead to new insights about the deeper meaning of Buddhist psychology.

Memetics seems as well related to the "mindbugs" described by J. WARFIELD.

They are originally at least in part a biological metaphor, which could of course be in time elevated to the level of a workable analogy, leading to useful conceptual isomorphisms.

→ Clanthink; Effects (Herd); Network; Percolation; Propagule; Runaway process; Small world

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

We thank the following partners for making the open access of this volume possible:

© 2020 BCSSS Contact/Imprint