Despite his numerous asinine claims about, well, almost everything about philosophy [1], I have to give Richard Dawkins credit for one brilliant thing--creating the word "meme"! Dawkins reportedly introduced this term in his book The Selfish Gene--I say reportedly because I have not actually read this book myself. Of course, now people often use the word meme to refer to an (often humorous) image with comedic text shared on the Internet, not the more intellectual concept of one idea spreading from one person or geographical area to others that Dawkins originally intended. I find great delight in seeing how the word for a concept meant to represent a legitimate reality has come to embody comedy for Internet users!
Yes, this is a much more lighthearted post than many of the others on my site. After appreciating some quality Star Wars memes this morning, I happened to reflect on how I have Dawkins to thank, at least in part, for the name of this phenomenon! As of the moment of writing this I am still basking in the humor of memes. Remember, not everything funny to come about from new atheist material has to do with the philosophical positions of new atheists! This is one case where I will unashamedly call Dawkins an unintentional genius.
Yes, I am aware of the high level of sarcasm embedded in this post.
[1]. Including ethics, epistemology, science, and theology. He has said some VERY dumb things!
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