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Spiral Dynamics
Mind-blowing site that combines Richard Dawkins' concept of the 'meme' with Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi (Optimal Psychology), and Clare W. Graves (the "Emergent-Cyclical, Double-Helix Model of Bio-psycho-social Behaviour"). Spiral Dynamics differs from other memetics sites in being oriented towards open-ended evolving values systems: the Third Force in a revolutionary paradigm including Chaos Theory and Systems Design. It reveals the "hidden codes that shape human nature, create global diversities, and drive evolutionary change. The methodologies have been successfully applied in a wide variety of contexts, including transforming South Africa out of race categories, revitalising local communities and sporting teams, and designing organizational and marketing systems for blue chip corporate firms and top-level government sectors. The system has been applied geopolitically by the Clinton/Bush (US) and Blair (UK) administrations on a variety of domestic and international issues." SD is currently being meme-spliced with the Integral Psychology of metaphysician Ken Wilbur. Mandatory reading if you want to be Isaac Asimov's Hari Seldon.
Aaron Lynch's Thought Contagion
Lynch is an ex-Fermilab physicist who has studied memetics full-time since 1986, and was hailed by Douglas Hofstadter as the leading researcher in this new field. His landmark book Thought Contagion: How Belief Spreads Through Society (New York: Basic Books, 1996) contained a wealth of scientific information, and was the first book on memetics to be produced by a major international publishing house. This site contains book excerpts, scientific papers, core mathematical data, and analyses of various thought contagion plagues. A growing wealth ofinformation for the specialist.
Richard Brodie's Meme Central
Brodie is an ex-Microsoft software developer who popularised memetics with his populist book Virus of the Mind (Seattle, WA: Integral Press, 1996). This popular site contains book excerpts, de-programming advice, and links to the rapidly growing memetics community. A useful starting point for the memetic engineering newbie. Brodie's work is best seen as introductory - with a strong Evolutionary Psychology influence.
Mark Dery
This began as a companion site to Escape Velocity: Cyberculture at the End of the Century (New York: Grove Press, 1996), the landmark book by cyberculture theorist Mark Dery. His cultural credentials are impeccable: he also edited the seminal anthology Flame Wars: The Discourse of Cyberculture (Duke University Press, 1995). His most recent book is The Pyrotechnic Insanitorium: American Culture on the Brink (Grove Press, 1999), full of insights into the underlying cultural scripts of the contemporary environment, and Dery's distinctive political voice. An insightful Environmental Scan for the memetic engineer.
UK Memes Central
Links to various newsgroups and memetics sites on the World Wide Web. Also includes valuable academic work and references by Dr. Susan Blackmore, author of The Meme Machine (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), which featured an introduction by Richard Dawkins. Blackmore is Lecturer in Psychology, University of the West of England, and has previously explored Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) and other similar phenomena.
Genesis P-Orridge: Cultural Engineer
Stunning official site loaded with essential archival information on Genesis P-Orridge: cultural engineer, industrial/rave music iconoclast, and founder of the bands Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV and Thee Majesty. A dataglut of revolutionary strategies for the new millenium.
Douglas Rushkoff
Engaging and diverse site by leading cyberculture critic Douglas Rushkoff, whose books Coercion: Why We Listen To What 'They' Say (New York: Riverhead Books, 1999), Playing the Future: What We Can Learn from Digital Kids (New York: Riverhead Books, 1999) and Media Virus: Hidden Agendas in Popular Culture (New York: Ballantine, 1994) are seminal examinations of the intersection between memetics, the media and cultural engineering. Sift through the riveting article and interview archives, join the Media Squat! e-mail discussion list, and get the scoop on where memetic engineering is going from one of its leading chroniclers.
Journal of Memetics
Academically peer reviewed journal edited by author Aaron Lynch, and managed by academic Hans Speel. Substantive data on current mathematical models, social forecasting, applications, and consciousness research. Often highly technical, but very relevant to the specialist. Frequently featuresimportant papers from the major academic researchers in the field.
Hans Cees Speel's Memetics Page
Speel is a leading memetics academic researcher, and his site features peer reviewed papers, journal publications, case-studies, and notes on memetics, evolution, and complexity research. He also co-founded the 'Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission.' Valuable material for the serious researcher.
The Lucifer Principle
The site for Howard Bloom's book The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Exploration into the Forces of History (Mew York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1995), featuring book excerpts, reviews, and commentaries. Bloom has conducted award-winning biochemistry research, written positioning papers for political candidates and conducted anti-censorship campaigns. An expert in mass human behaviour, and candidate for one of the most intriguing memetic engineers of our time.
Memepool
A global environmental scan, updated daily, of Internet culture and the cyberian lifestyle, across major subject areas (music, games, religion, computing). Finds many unusual and eye-opening sites. Join the collective and wreak havoc!
The World of Richard Dawkins
Massive, unofficial site regarding the work of zoologist Richard Dawkins, who coined the concept of memes. Features quotes, bibliography, scientific papers, videos, lectures and a huge collection of links. You could explore this site for months!
William H. Calvin
Calvin's site features scientific notes and lectures on a wide variety of subjects, including cutting edge consciousness research and memetics. The reviews are entertaining, the annotated bibliography simply massive.
Church of the Virus
A memetically engineered atheist religion and neo-cybernetic philosophy. Includes a huge reading list, valuable memes to add to your conceptual toolkit, Glenn Grant's landmark Memetic Lexicon, and Virian Virtues and Sins. Founder David McFadzean also runs an invaluable mailing list. A very influential site.
Principia Cybernetica
Ground Zero for industrial/cyber-culture and memetics. Excellent introductory point to memetics resources on the web. Developed by Belgium's Dr. Francis Heylighen and his international team, this "Universal Knowledge System for Cybernetics and Systems Science" also covers genes, evolution, the global brain, epistemology, metaphysics, and other cutting edges of conceptual and cultural development.
World Future Society
A non-profit educational and scientific organization founded in 1966, which publishes a diverse collection of books, research papers, journals, and magazines about future trends, scenarios, and alternatives occurring in contemporary society. Includes loads of eye-opening educational and reference materials, and links to WFS chapters and consultants worldwide. Mandatory site for any memetics engineer looking to influence the future trajectory path of contemporary culture.
Extropy Institute
An organization co-founded by the brilliant philosopher Max More to propagate Extropian memes, including those of Nano-technology, Dynamic Optimism, Self Transformation, Memetic Engineering and Spontaneous Order. Extropian thought is one of the most influential philosophical and para-political systems to have evolved out of cyberculture.
Clare W. Graves
A site dedicated to the biopsychosystems work of Clare W. Graves. His research anticipated the link between memetics and values systems. Features historical papers and speeches not found elsewhere.
Telepolis: Memetik
A collection of articles largely critical on memetics from the German cyberculture journal Telepolis. Mostly written in 1996 as memetics began to 'cross-the-chasm' into the scientific mainstream, these articles raise many critical concerns from a European perspective about the legitimacy of memetics in relation to cultural theory. Timothy Druckery's article 'Dangerous Contagion' in particular raises concern about the work of memeticist Aaron Lynch. Useful for its dissent value and for stimulating critical debate.
Front Wheel Drive
Features extensive interviews with and comments from Daniel C. Dennett, Richard Brodie, Marvin Minsky, Susan Blackmore, Esther Dyson and many other memetics researchers. Stunning visual design and crisp layout. A must-view site!
Jack Sarfatti's Physics-Consciousness Research Group
Sarfatti is a controversial physicist ("I'm in the meme business") whose theories on retro-causality have influenced the cultural meme pool via films like Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), 12 Monkeys (1995), and the Back To The Future trilogy (1985-1990). Apart from a wealth of material on quantum physics and paranormal research, the value in this site for the memetic engineer is in descriptions of his VALIS-like (Vast Active Living Intelligence System) experiences, and the Destiny Matrix missives that describe his contact and dialogue with New Age cultural luminaries, intelligence agents, and leading corporate/industrial figures. A casebook of memetic engineering in operation.
Memetics Publications on The Web
Valuable Environmental Scan of the Internet for memetics publications and related scientific data. Many links to scientific papers and commentaries by leading memetics-oriented scientists (some not found elsewhere), and to the major memetics sites on the World Wide Web. Well worth checking out.
Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping in the Empire of Signs
Written for the Open Pamphlet Magazine Series in 1993, Mark Dery's seminal essay explores culture jamming and agitprop within the Empire of Signs by a cyberculture critic who did much to popularise the term. Dery describes culture jamming as: media hacking, information warfare, terror-art, and guerrilla semiotics, all in one. Billboard bandits, pirate TV and radio broadcasters, media hoaxers, and other vernacular media wrenchers who intrude on the intruders, investing ads, newscasts, and other media artefacts with subversive meanings are all culture jammers.
Brain Tennis Debate: Memes: Self-Replicants or Mysticism?
Witty, uncompromising, and interesting debate between memeticist Aaron Lynch and social critic Richard Barbrook. Very intriguing comments and perceptions regarding the meta-meme of memetics.
The Memesis Network Discussion
Early discussion circa 1996 on memes featuring Douglas Rushkoff, Richard Barbrook, Francis Heylighen, Tom Serman and others. Demolishes certain criticisms made against memetics, including its conceptual differences to Social Darwinism.
Fictive Arcanum
A ground-breaking essay by magician and science-fiction author Don Webb which explores where memetics and communications sciences meet literary theory. An invaluable key to Understanding the works of H.P. Lovecraft, J.G. Ballard and others.
Memesis Symposium
An electronics symposium featuring leading cultural analysts and figures created for the Ars Electronica Festival 1996 that examines memetics and its influence on cyberculture, media studies, political science and many other areas. Often intriguing and controversial insights not found elsewhere.
David Benahum's Meme Newsletter
Created by author David Solomon Benahum, this site contains published articles, raw transcripts of interviews with cultural luminaries, and archives of his popular bi-weekly newsletter on memetics.
Transhumanist Memes Page
Part of the massive Transhumanist cultural site, with a huge range oflinks and reviews regarding memetics. The sections on 'individual memes' is particularly noteworthy.
Meme Shift
An online installation exploring the implications of the meme, a unit of cultural inheritance. Cryptic and oblique: some beautiful visual designs.
Telesis Foundation For Applied Memetics
A Web site devoted to seizing the nature of perception by applying memetics insights to social planning and planned progress. Memetic engineering with a fiercely Anarchist orientation.
Factasia Science Links
Roger Bishop Jones has assembled a fine collection of memetics and evolutionary theory resources, including essays on precursors to memetics, and real-world applications to policy formation and leadership issues.
Resistant Media
A collection of listservs, essays, digital artists and tactical media sites exploring the fate of Hakim Bey's Total Autonomous Zone and subversive media at the edge of the cyberian frontier. Well worth a look!
Sex For Memes' Sake
This GettingIt article (November 4, 1999) by Jeff Diehl examines paraphilias such as 'genital mutilation' from a memetics perspective.
The Beast Bay: Crowley Spiral Dynamics
This Beast Bay thread (February 24, 2001), by Xnoubis, discusses the connections between Aleister Crowley's model of the Aeon, and Beck and Cowan's Spiral Dynamics methodologies.
The Beast Bay: Eumemics?
This Beast Bay thread (May 10, 2001), by Xnoubis, considers how memetics and eugenics might be spliced to create eumemics: "the attempt to improve the set of memes operating within the culture."
Artspace: The Politics of Everyday Fear
Australian based artist collective, gallery, performance and installation space featuring artistic de-constructions of millennial culture and the cyberian psyche. Data-mine the Politics of Everyday Fear now!
Institute of Memetic Engineering
An interesting project first formed in the early 1990s, but now largely discredited by memetics-oriented academics as damaging to the field because of its misrepresentative officially sounding name. The site is useful for its description of key Internet mailing lists.
Agner Fog
Home-page for scientist Agner Fog, at Copenhagen Engineering College. His book Cultural Selection (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999) was an important online document in an earlier incarnation. Fog has developed models that he claims extend cultural theory beyond memetics. His work makes for invaluable reading.
Gary Cziko
Cziko is Professor of Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, University of Illinois. The 'Selection Theory' Bibliography has useful information and links.
The Meme Factory
Software company that has a page on memes, and links to various scientific essays and quotes.
The C Memetic Nexus
You WILL propagate the C-Memetic Complex, won't you? Unclassifiable, unique, one-of-a-kind site.
Scream in High Park
The story behind poet Darren Wershler-Henry, creator of the seminal Virus-23 meme.
Disinformation Article on The Advertising Virus
Check out the Disinformation article on The Advertising Virus.
Disinformation Article on Weird Science
Check out the Disinformation article on Weird Science.
Disinformation Article on Fight Club: A Postmodern Consumer Parable
Check out the Disinformation article on Fight Club: A Postmodern Consumer Parable.
Disinformation Article on The Age of National Schizophrenia
Check out hte Disinformation article on The Age of National Schizophrenia.
Disinformation Article on Expanded Spiral Dynamics® Bibliography
Check out the Disinformation article on Expanded Spiral Dynamics® Bibliography.
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