DARWINIZING CULTURE: The Status of Memetics as a Science

The publication in 1998 of Susan Blackmore's bestselling 'The Meme Machine' re-awakened the debate over the highly controversial field of memetics. In the past few years, there has been an explosion of interest in 'memes'. The one thing noticeably missing has been any kind of proper debate over the validity of a concept regarded by many as scientifically suspect.
This book pits leading intellectuals, (both supporters and opponents of meme theory), against each other to battle it out, and state their case. With a forward by Daniel Dennett, and contributions form Dan Sperber, David Hll, Robert Boyd, Susan Blackmore, Henry Plotkin, and others, the result is a thrilling and challenging debate that will perhaps mark a turning point for the field, and for future research. Superbly edited by Robert Aunger, this is a thought provoking book that will fascinate, stimulate, (and occasionally perhaps infuriate) a broad range of readers including psychologists, biologists, philosophers, linguists, and anthropologists.

Dr Robert Aunger completed his PhD in Anthopology at UCLA. He has taught at Nortwestern University, The University of Chicago, as well as Cambridge University. He has recently signed with Free Press (via agent John Brockman) to write a trade book entitled 'The Electric Meme)