Book Description
Not all infectious agents are living organisms, according to Richard Brodie: "Viruses of the mind" can live and reproduce in the form of urban myths, advertising jingles, even sexual habits. Drawing upon Richard Dawkins's concept of a "meme," a sort of cultural gene first defined in The Selfish Gene, Brodie describes how cultural traits are passed from one person to another, how they evolve, and how they are similar to traditional organic viruses. Not content with simply describing them, he also offers advice on how to design your own memes. Virus of the Mind has a rather frenetic tone and pop-culture feel, but it also contains some kernels of wisdom that may help you better understand your own culturally induced biases.

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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