View source for Talk:Spring 2013 Philosophy of Culture Practice Exam Questions

Leroy Jenkins

A meme is an idea that spreads like a virus. These ideas could range anywhere from fashion to the total hatred of a culture. When one thinks of memes or these ideas, he or she should ask the question of how much influence do memes have in our culture? Memes have an incredible impact on culture and the way we live. A good example of a meme influencing life would be Livestrong bracelets. The idea of wearing these spread like wildfire when they were first introduced. Our culture told us they were "cool" and stood for a good cause. This idea was terminated when Lance Armstrong was a fraud. How quickly we succumb to ideas.

== Dr. Tobias Funke ==

Memes are any cultural phenomenon that permeate a culture and might exist for multiple consecutive or nonconsecutive generations.  Memes' purposes are often difficult to trace as they are constantly being modified and adapted depending on the time in which they exist.  A relatively simple example is the use of different styles and embellishments in fashion that might have been useful in the process of sexual selection but might seem arbitrary, excessive and meaningless today.  Meme theory states that the memes that exist within a culture indicate what is important and relevant to the culture at that time.  Because of this fact, meme theory also believes that there is reciprocity between memes and culture in which memes drive culture and culture can modify memes.
An obvious criticism of meme theory is that certain memes exist but they do not necessarily say anything significant about the culture in which they exist.  This criticism is seen in situations like the fashion example above. Another criticism of meme theory is that memes can really arise out of nowhere and take off for no apparent useful reason which makes their cultural relevance unclear.