Dangerous memes | Dan Dennett

www.ted.com Starting with the simple tale of an ant, philosopher Dan Dennett unleashes a devastating salvo of ideas, making a powerful case for the existence of memes -- concepts that are literally alive.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes -- including speakers such as Jill Bolte Taylor, Sir Ken Robinson, Hans Rosling, Al Gore and Arthur Benjamin. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, politics and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at
www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

[@skyentistofnote]

It's 13 years later, and now more relevant than ever.

[@simonpassenger6233]

I think the channel uploaded the video 13 years ago, but in a book i’m reading this talk is mentioned and dated 2002..

[@luciomartinez4755]

@@simonpassenger6233 What's the book are you reading? Can you tell me?

[@herzglass]

I'd say relevant as ever.

[@Graylien_]

It's unfortunate that the audio for this clip was captured in a Tuberculosis ward.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

LOL!

[@RrockCj]

i was to write a comment like that before seeing yours

[@deus_ex_machina_]

Perhaps they were coughing from the smoke of the dank kush that Dan was enjoying?

[@TrekJohnDoe]

Paul that was just great.

[@TheMacGeek]

And the video was taken on a 240p potato camera

[@extensiveme]

Beautiful talk. 'There is plenty of room for moral passion once we've got the facts...' Bob Dylan said...'Dont criticize what you cant understand'

[@s0lid_sno0ks]

Seriously, it sounds like the audience was infected with more than just memes.

[@williamedmeades4572]

They were infected with dank memes

[@RimoDanish]

now i heard it and can not unhear it

[@urbanizedpizza]

@@RimoDanish covid2020

[@hnek]

I wish they had given him an hour! He covers so much ground so deftly and it really just gets juicy at the end. I want to talk about what the translation memetically of public health measures is. MORE, need more of the metameme from Dennett! He lays it out so perfectly, so much better than I could ever be able to.

[@amandadudley2983]

I really loved the correlation between memes and germs; brilliant and simple all in one. Just like parasites spread quickly and dangerously, so does toxic information; we must be conscious of what the younger generation is fed through the media and from our mouths!

[@abdul8685]

that's why religion needs to be completely dismantled and done away with. We mutilate our baby boys because some mad man in the middle of the desert 6000 years ago how didn'y know that the earth revolves around the sun said that God wanted us to do it because he made a mistake and left he foreskin a little to long. Faith is the root cause of the vast majority of the evil we see and experience. it inherently evil, we must never shut off our critical thinking and believe in nonsense for no good reason

[@jaymorgan3600]

@@abdul8685 new born mutilation is happening largely in Islam and other abrahamic religions!

[@danieljakubik3428]

Good useful analogy!

[@Skylos]

14:13 "How can we tell the good memes from the bad memes?" Are they dank?

[@fspsyco1]

that moment when the word we all make fun of/with is created by a scientist

[@KS-ie7hm]

I remember working with this gentleman on this project. I had to introduce to him what a meme was. Boy was he excited about caturday. He would just giggle and giggle.

[@Matrix-ph1fx]

m e m e *Read more*

[@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631]

U r a victim of Cultural Marxism indoctrination of the Impressionable Youth

[@swim_ad]

@@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631 nah he just did it for the lulz

[@George4943]

We have evolved into a meme-driven species. Memes reach into our basic biology. Memes that invoke fear work. Memes that invoke anger work well too. Grief works for some. Empathy for others. All the instinctive emotions. Those feelings that make up being a human being being human.

[@andrewwalker1377]

In agree. I'd like to know when they started driving us.

[@bystrengthandguilesbs6694]

Oh no not the memes!

[@TheMagicmagic290]

George Steele don't forget about the dank memes

[@timgarrett203]

So long Dan. Your memes continue to spread. Thank you.

[@Rico-Suave_]

I loved Dr. Daniel Dennett, very sad to hear about his passing, I would have loved to meet him, he was my absolute favorite, an intellectual giant, a legend, true sage, heard he was also very kind gentle person, huge loss to civilization, I will watch tons of his lectures in the next few weeks in his memory, I made a playlist of his lectures and interviews for myself to work through, listening to Dr Dennett lectures would be my idea of Heaven 15:38

[@wj3186]

I remember people coughing a lot like this before the COVID 19 pandemic forced them to be more conscious about exposure and sanitation. It was gross and I'm kinda hoping we don't go back to it with the restrictions lifted.

[@gordonkerr1]

I wish you hadn't mentioned that! Now I'm going to have to re-watch this, on mute with subtitles !!!!

[@sam5992]

The babies being born today won't care.

[@FreeMan-ej6mj]

This is the most brilliant meme I've ever heard of. I'm "intoxicated" with it, that's for sure :-)

[@pedalman]

This man is such a clear speaker, its is a pleasure to listen to him because I understand much of what he says first time through.........I listen again if i there is something dont understand first time.

[@davidgray2805]

Did the audience have a joint, all that coughing? good speech..

[@borissiebenhaar7508]

Should be mandatory viewing in every school. I love this guy.

[@felixlipski3956]

that's quite the opposite of the point of schooling

[@PotionsMaster666]

@@felixlipski3956 🤦‍♂️ how ?

[@abhishek-rathore]

as always! he is great at whatever he shares with us.

[@zsolttamas7622]

This video is important for all of us. The most important. A lot of question that beggin "why", solved with that.

[@bernlin2000]

Likely one of the most thoughtful, intelligent thinkers we have today.

[@Danneleet]

"Do memes excist?" stares lost into my reddit feed

[@andrewwalker1377]

Yes. Especially the meme of denial :-)

[@williamedmeades4572]

M E M E S D O N ' T E X I S T

[@thealtruistmc5020]

*exist

[@sadmiral7333]

memes. the dna of the soul.

[@tenebrasolanum4215]

Religion is a myth. Free will is a joke. All memes, all passed down to the next generation.

[@FreeMan-ej6mj]

knight of equestria sir dashy -- soul is a meme, DNA is not a meme

[@lorenzomanzoni9693]

@@tenebrasolanum4215 How is free will a joke?

[@christiangasior4244]

Determinists believe that there is no such thing as true free will as we are all under the influence at all times from our genes and circumstances. Basically we just think we’re making choices when it’s just an illusion.

[@akumaking1]

RULES OF NATURE!

[@TX77002]

I guess the summary to this is: don't hate help manipulate.. not only are you helping yourself but others too which makes you have a sense of faith if you are doing it for a better tomorrow.. thats my thought!

[@1isaacmusic]

Great talk from Mr Dennet. Memes, in effect, use minds to survive and propagate. Maybe we only exist for the self-preservation of information/ideas. You have to wonder how something like war, which we can't seem to escape from by evolving, but yet evolves in the very way we wage it, ..why it stays with us.

[@AaronMk91]

Memes are an amazing thing. And it kind of makes me sad now that I've come to learn of the scientific concept of memes when someone uses the term "meme" on the internet incorrectly. To many users now memes aren't ideas, they're the jokes and viral videos that spread so well on the internet. Although it's correct to say many of these "viral" concepts are memes, they are not the soul definition or representation of a larger idea, a larger "meme".

[@paununs8719]

That intro music is so fucking annoying.

[@AtliTobiasson]

+Pau Nuns It's a meme

[@ffnovice7]

It's an unfavorable, unnecessary, counter-productive meme.

[@grymmrhoninn1855]

ffnovice7 It's a dangerous meme

[@ffnovice7]

Grymm Rhoninn For you.

[@thBrilliantFool]

It was written and produced by no-talent wannabes.

[@JohnnyZenith]

Can never get bored of this man.

[@GuillaumeLeclerc]

Damn! Everytime he blows my mind

[@windows95ism]

Memes ruined my life.

[@GameSlayer1001]

+windows95ism memes saved my life

[@VOLightPortal]

the intro music ruined my life

[@Sheilaalien]

Harambe was killed for being a dangerous meme

[@KillerKabel]

Sheilaaliens they tried to kill the meme and look what happened, it only grew stronger, just like arguing with religious people make their faith grow

[@Sheilaalien]

Like a super virus that grows resistant and multiplies :o

[@gicalinas]

oi

[@schlomoofenstein480]

Sheila Allen it all makes sense now

[@bigdude8468]

You think that saving a small child's life is a dangerous meme? Really???

[@MeekyMikey]

Finally some words of reason and clarity :)

[@gulllars]

Such a great talk

[@RichLuciano1]

We would like the thank Dr. Dennett for coming to the COVID-19 ward to teach us on how memes are infectious.

[@JDines]

If you get your knowledge of the term "memes" from Facebook you will not understand this, because pictures with funny captions are not actually memes. The wrong idea that these are memes, however, is ironically an actual meme.

[@seetheanimal5867]

@@CharlieParkerr the fact u ask means u too stupid to understand the answer

[@meo8258]

@@seetheanimal5867 the fact that you said that means you are too stupid to answer it

[@seetheanimal5867]

@@meo8258 no idiot. The framing of the question shows the frame of the mind.

[@PaulSmith-wz2xv]

This is a very important talk and needs to be shared and translated into all human languages. Lchaim

[@retrovirus61]

I would die for the idea that no one should die for an idea.

[@Monkeyabroad]

I knew this video would be a breeding ground for religious debate.

[@quandaledingle4524]

wow you have a lot of subs

[@AmariFukui]

I find the good memes take a lot more practice, funny thing is its always easier to ruin things than it is to fix them :P

[@Renato404]

5:22 just like that?? Daniel Dennet you are a genius!

[@marshymarshington6043]

Ahhh, I love searching random words and looking at the first video about it

[@Necrikus]

It sounds like memes aren't the only virus being spread if all that coughing is any indication.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

LOL!

[@bobdeni244]

LOL! In another video about memes, Dan talks about the cold virus :D

[@urbanizedpizza]

uh rip

[@urbanizedpizza]

@@bobdeni244 wat abut corona virus

[@nicholasdedless4881]

Its an interesting hypothesis but there is a big difference between genes and memes. We have a rigorous definition of what a gene is and we have mathematical formulas (e.g., rB > C for kin selection) that describe why organisms can sometimes behave in ways that seem to be or are contrary to their potential reproductive success. We have none of that for memes. Dennet and other meme advocates admit as much in their books on the topic. In The Meme Machine Susan Blackmore says that no one can define what is and isn't a meme and Dennet says the same thing in his book Darwin's Dangerous Idea. If you can't even define what are and are not examples of some concept X then X is hardly a valid scientific concept. Another way to evaluate the meme concept is to ask how much research has been inspired by it. And the answer is essentially none. The only actual experiments I'm aware of regarding memes were done by Scott Atran (documented in his paper The Trouble with Memes, its available online) and what he did was to show that memes, unlike genes, do not replicate with anywhere near the reliability required for a successful replicator. As Chomsky says on a youtube video the meme concept is an interesting metaphor but that is all it is, it doesn't seem to have much actual validity as a way to understand human cognition.

[@reddragonready]

@Vinegar. So please, DO continue to pose it! I am very much enjoying such a beautiful and definitive demonstration of your utter incapacity (on many levels) to deliver what you claim you will . :)

[@landulf88]

Superb!

[@chapeudealuminio4866]

Today, this talk would be considered offensive...

[@williaml5223]

Why? All he's talking about are ideas. If people find criticism of those ideas personally offensive, that's their problem, and is no doing of Prof Dennett's. People have rights, ideas do not.

[@chapeudealuminio4866]

Will Lidden I agree with you.

[@ilvaniosipriano8451]

Liga do Chapéu de Alumínio ue q idioma é esse

[@chapeudealuminio4866]

Nossa, um coxinha!

[@ilvaniosipriano8451]

nossa, um portugays

[@ericmoulot9148]

Interesting analogy between the meme and the virus... I want to hear more of this theory before I can maybe integrate it into my set of values.

[@tedoymisojos]

LOL at the ending advertisement. A lot of beauty and then an ugly car.

[@GenX52]

the TED intros reminds me of, old vhs videos when they did a sound test at the begining of every movie that was realeased

[@BuckFieri]

Great talk, but I'm glad it's not 2002, at least in terms of video/audio quality.

[@lemonfryer]

There are only dank and non-dank memes. There is not inbewtween.

[@asyncdef2413]

+john mcintosh youve heard the dank meme overseer. his word is true

[@havingicecream]

I would argue on behalf of a dankness-scale

[@lukeskywalker3664]

You Yoda?

[@fleetywoodymac]

Thank you Dan Dennett.

[@eveningtsar]

@zytigon You mention Hitchens twice there, which is completely understandable: once wouldn't be enough for Hitchens! lol. Seriously though, thanks for the suggestions. "Breaking the Spell" was one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. I have read some of those authors before (mainly the "big four"), but others are new. I shall definitely check them out.

[@Joshloft]

maymays

[@williamedmeades4572]

Mimis

[@randomfat32]

Dank memes!!1!1!1!

[@knarfx4732]

I’m very upset about finding this video 14 freaking years later 😂

[@rohitchaturvedi8662]

this is so similar to the practice of skilfull means taught in the Lotus sutra by Shakyamuni BUddha and i saw it today on Buddha Purnima... a very beautiful and prosperous BUddha Purnima to you all ! Namyo ho renge kyo

[@zCuzzy]

Ted talks just got a lot more dank with these memes.

[@varun009]

Am I the only one who's wondering why everyone's fucking coughing?!

[@SomethingCool51]

+varun009 The memes were too dank. You gotta cough to get off.

[@PaulSmith-wz2xv]

RIP Professor Dan Dennett 19 April 2024 💕

[@milsumla]

i agree with you. this is only a theory, taking the concepts of evolution and applying them to ideas. i dont think this was meant to be a serious case, but an interesting thought to muse over. the connection is there, i think it's worth a ted video to mention the striking analogy.

[@freshdope1234]

im here for the dank memes

[@Chaziltasm]

dank memes.

[@Psnym]

as a free state project member, i of course love this video @4:00

[@eatingtacos000]

dennett is always interesting. good stuff.

[@warrenphillips5419]

stop coughing ffs!!!

[@HarveyJackson1967]

Only came for the Sikh meams tbh

[@reddragonready]

@vinegar Thanks hon, yes they are out and about and I will enjoy. Cheers! :)

[@reddragonready]

@naturalpreservation LOL loving the "voodoo" comments dear. Says so much both about your world views and my influence level in/on your mind! :)

[@Lokisdottir1964]

Ok, I'm going to be picky and say that all that coughing from the audience is very distracting. It's like dogs barking - one person coughs and sets off a chain of others. Take a throat lozenge for reason's sake!

[@TheKornbeef]

tfw the memes aren't dank :(

[@hobgoblins6]

Funny, it seems to me that the talk was from one of the mental giants of our time. Sure his delivery is a tad bid poor but the ideas he is sharing are golden. It is such a privilege just to be able to comprehend such beautiful concepts.

[@Mya_water]

Brilliant example!!

[@ifuck3dyourmother935]

Well put.

[@99wmac]

mind blowing down to the very last word.

[@sirisoj]

Eu vi esse vídeo como recomendado no meu YT, então bati o olho rapidamente e (eu juro) que eu li "há 11 horas atrás", e tomei um susto quando vi "Publicado em 3 de jul de 2007" kkkkk 11 ANOS

[@miqseri]

KZbin recommendations are off the hook once again

[@reddragonready]

@Vinegar. "Methinks the lady doth protest too much" Yep, definitely hit a nerve there! That's how we interpret a heated denial over here doll. ;)

[@reddragonready]

@vinegar. The reason for the human species being exceptional is the fact that they are uniquely human and exceptionally good at being human. Much more so than any other species is or has ever been. Because of this exceptionalism of the human species by human standards..human culture is the most significant thing in existence and THE biggest riddle to "crack".

[@kilgoretrout2878]

this boy's well ahead of the game

[@Snoopod]

Dan always manages to get longer TED talks

[@HeyHeyHarmonicaLuke]

I'm not sure what you are referring to, the 'missing link' concept is from the late 1800's, when we didn't have any of the hominid family tree mapped out. It was about transitional form fossils, not DNA. A major issue to realize with the missing link concept is that it admits we have mapped out the family tree in enormous detail, just missing some link of particular interest. There are MANY ways we've mapped the family tree, and they all independently converge on the same results.

[@saleemisgod]

Pure,unrefined wisdom.

[@reddragonready]

@ Vinegar babes..I just love how you now try to be disparaging about dictionaries. Though of course seeing as we have experienced how you do not comprehend the different nuances of one word as defined by said dictionaries and often intermingle them..can't say I am surprised. Merely gratified your displays of inability are becoming more blatant every day. :)

[@StephenPaulKing]

This is a brilliant advocation of the Prime Directive!

[@aguaski06]

Pretty interesting watching this talk after seeing the movie Inception.

[@dennervideos]

Reminds me of John Denner's connecticut guitar clinic

[@mastertheillusion]

Well said.

[@reddragonready]

@Vinegar...yes you definitely strayed into that realm because that is certainly precious...how all you know about Jung is his idea of collective consciousness and you think this is why I suggested reading his work. :) You follow that up by an even deeper foray into said realm but showing you didn't even get that since I mentioned there are many such "unifying theories" religion and psychology were mentioned as two different subjects. Aaaaw..so precious. :)

[@Gunnerss09]

It was such a terrible segway, but Dennett is still gold.

[@PaulSmith-wz2xv]

This is an extremely important presentation and childish negative comments are an unwarranted distraction from it’s importance.

[@reddragonready]

@Vinegar. Ooops sorry! I forgot about your paranoia when it comes to removed comments. Please allow me to assure you once again...merely the correction of a spelling mistake sweets. As always. :)

[@TheMetical]

I need a beard like this dude!

[@reddragonready]

@ssVinegar The 2 quotes I posted were illustrations of that fact and, I think, particularly well phrased ones. Which is why I picked those two from the myriad of posts directed at you all conveying the same message. :)

[@sassulusmagnus]

I have gradually acquired this impression of DD, whom I respect as an authority on the philosophy of consciousness/cognition (his actual area of specialization), after listening to a great many of his comments in regard to theology (an area of study with which he does not appear to have detailed familiarity). Not just in this video, in many instances DD seems not to realize that to many theists the concept of evolution is simply not controversial and it does not contradict the idea of God.

[@reddragonready]

@ssVinegar "Hit a nerve" darlin'??? Since you did not I am afraid it is unclear to me which nerve and how? You do continuously manage to tickle my funny bone though. I mean...I just can't get over how oblivious you are to reality in general and your reality in particular. Hilarious and simply too too precious. :)

[@daiitokumyouou899]

@goof-chan I am agreeing that it is an emotional process in how a culture accepts and incorperates the theory.

[@daiitokumyouou899]

@goof-chan looks like this conversation is over. btw-Einsteins equations reduce to Newton's and in fact one of the criteria Einstein's equations had to meet was that they must reduce to Newtonian mechanics. Newton=Einstein where inertial frames are motionless with respect to each other and indeed even where U

[@daiitokumyouou899]

@goof-chan No, I am saying that multiple theories are required to explain culture because culture is not one thing. culture the result of a lot of factors. Innate factors, social factors, individual needs that are separate from society, memes and indeed many other influences. Each of these influences needs to be address with a different thought process. Chemistry for example has many theories to account for bonding as bonding results from the interacting of many factors.

[@daiitokumyouou899]

@goof-chan The theory that objects in motion have a tendency to stay in the motion is a theory of inertia. This is not culturally created but based on observations. The acceptance of this theory is not, for some individuals, culturally influenced but the theory has an impact on the culture where the majority of individuals do accept the theory. This is where theory becomes part of culture, as groups of people will falsely interpret the theory and develop a series of subjective social constructs.

[@arhabersham]

Interesting!!!