Dangerous memes | Dan Dennett

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  • čas přidán 1. 07. 2007
  • 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

Komentáře • 1,6K

  • @skyentistofnote
    @skyentistofnote Před 4 lety +71

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

    • @simonpassenger6233
      @simonpassenger6233 Před 3 lety +9

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

    • @Lucio.M
      @Lucio.M Před 3 lety +1

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

    • @herzglass
      @herzglass Před rokem +2

      I'd say relevant as ever.

  • @Graylien_
    @Graylien_ Před 7 lety +407

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

  • @extensiveme
    @extensiveme Před 12 lety +36

    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'

  • @fspsyco1
    @fspsyco1 Před 8 lety +62

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

  • @hnek
    @hnek Před 16 lety +17

    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
    @amandadudley2983 Před 8 lety +45

    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
      @abdul8685 Před 2 lety +4

      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
      @jaymorgan3600 Před 2 lety

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

    • @danieljakubik3428
      @danieljakubik3428 Před rokem

      Good useful analogy!

  • @Rico-Suave_
    @Rico-Suave_ Před měsícem +2

    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

  • @Skylos
    @Skylos Před 7 lety +202

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

  • @s0lid_sno0ks
    @s0lid_sno0ks Před 8 lety +149

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

  • @KS-ie7hm
    @KS-ie7hm Před 10 lety +67

    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
      @Matrix-ph1fx Před 5 lety +3

      m e m e
      *Read more*

    • @kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631
      @kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631 Před 4 lety +1

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

    • @swim_ad
      @swim_ad Před 3 lety +4

      @@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631 nah he just did it for the lulz

  • @George4943
    @George4943 Před 9 lety +56

    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.

  • @davidgray2805
    @davidgray2805 Před 8 lety +11

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

  • @wj3186
    @wj3186 Před 2 lety +16

    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
      @gordonkerr1 Před 2 lety +2

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

    • @sam5992
      @sam5992 Před rokem

      The babies being born today won't care.

  • @borissiebenhaar7508
    @borissiebenhaar7508 Před 8 lety +18

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

  • @FreeMan-ej6mj
    @FreeMan-ej6mj Před 6 lety +6

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

  • @timgarrett203
    @timgarrett203 Před 2 měsíci +3

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

  • @Danneleet
    @Danneleet Před 7 lety +84

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

  • @abhishek-rathore
    @abhishek-rathore Před 8 lety +3

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

  • @pedalman
    @pedalman Před 10 lety +2

    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.

  • @retrovirus61
    @retrovirus61 Před 11 lety +1

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

  • @paununs8719
    @paununs8719 Před 8 lety +91

    That intro music is so fucking annoying.

  • @sadmiral7333
    @sadmiral7333 Před 7 lety +64

    memes. the dna of the soul.

    • @tenebrasolanum4215
      @tenebrasolanum4215 Před 7 lety +16

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

    • @FreeMan-ej6mj
      @FreeMan-ej6mj Před 6 lety +2

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

    • @lorenzomanzoni9693
      @lorenzomanzoni9693 Před 5 lety

      @@tenebrasolanum4215 How is free will a joke?

    • @christiangasior4244
      @christiangasior4244 Před 5 lety +3

      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
      @akumaking1 Před 4 lety

      RULES OF NATURE!

  • @JohnnyZenith
    @JohnnyZenith Před 13 lety +2

    Can never get bored of this man.

  • @zsolttamas7622
    @zsolttamas7622 Před 4 lety +1

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

  • @AaronMk91
    @AaronMk91 Před 13 lety +6

    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".

  • @JDines
    @JDines Před 4 lety +6

    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
      @seetheanimal5867 Před 3 lety

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

    • @meo8258
      @meo8258 Před 2 lety

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

    • @seetheanimal5867
      @seetheanimal5867 Před 2 lety

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

  • @bernlin2000
    @bernlin2000 Před 11 lety +2

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

  • @knarfx4732
    @knarfx4732 Před 2 lety +1

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

  • @Monkeyabroad
    @Monkeyabroad Před 10 lety +27

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

  • @windows95ism
    @windows95ism Před 9 lety +73

    Memes ruined my life.

  • @marshymarshington6043
    @marshymarshington6043 Před 6 lety +1

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

  • @TX77002
    @TX77002 Před 13 lety +1

    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!

  • @Sheilaalien
    @Sheilaalien Před 7 lety +201

    Harambe was killed for being a dangerous meme

    • @KillerKabel
      @KillerKabel Před 7 lety +9

      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
      @Sheilaalien Před 7 lety

      Like a super virus that grows resistant and multiplies :o

    • @gicalinas
      @gicalinas Před 7 lety

      oi

    • @schlomoofenstein480
      @schlomoofenstein480 Před 6 lety

      Sheila Allen it all makes sense now

    • @bigdude8468
      @bigdude8468 Před 6 lety

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

  • @RichLuciano1
    @RichLuciano1 Před 4 lety +6

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

  • @PaulSmith-wz2xv
    @PaulSmith-wz2xv Před 2 měsíci +1

    RIP Professor Dan Dennett 19 April 2024 💕

  • @GuillaumeLeclerc
    @GuillaumeLeclerc Před 9 lety +2

    Damn! Everytime he blows my mind

  • @AmariFukui
    @AmariFukui Před 11 lety +3

    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

  • @Necrikus
    @Necrikus Před 7 lety +31

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

  • @MeekyMikey
    @MeekyMikey Před 10 lety +1

    Finally some words of reason and clarity :)

  • @Snoopod
    @Snoopod Před 7 lety

    Dan always manages to get longer TED talks

  • @nicholasdedless4881
    @nicholasdedless4881 Před 9 lety +8

    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.

  • @chapeudealuminio4866
    @chapeudealuminio4866 Před 8 lety +91

    Today, this talk would be considered offensive...

    • @williaml5223
      @williaml5223 Před 8 lety +17

      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
      @chapeudealuminio4866 Před 8 lety

      Will Lidden I agree with you.

    • @ilvaniosipriano8451
      @ilvaniosipriano8451 Před 7 lety

      Liga do Chapéu de Alumínio ue q idioma é esse

    • @chapeudealuminio4866
      @chapeudealuminio4866 Před 7 lety

      Nossa, um coxinha!

    • @ilvaniosipriano8451
      @ilvaniosipriano8451 Před 7 lety

      nossa, um portugays

  • @Onoma314
    @Onoma314 Před 13 lety +2

    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.

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 13 lety

    @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. :)

  • @BuckFieri
    @BuckFieri Před 8 lety +7

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

  • @ericmoulot9148
    @ericmoulot9148 Před 10 lety +3

    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.

  • @miqseri
    @miqseri Před 5 lety +2

    CZcams recommendations are off the hook once again

  • @PaulSmith-wz2xv
    @PaulSmith-wz2xv Před 7 měsíci

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

  • @lemonfryer
    @lemonfryer Před 9 lety +49

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

  • @varun009
    @varun009 Před 9 lety +15

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

    • @SomethingCool51
      @SomethingCool51 Před 8 lety +8

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

  • @hobgoblins6
    @hobgoblins6 Před 11 lety

    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.

  • @sirisoj
    @sirisoj Před 5 lety

    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

  • @zCuzzy
    @zCuzzy Před 8 lety +28

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

  • @warrenphillips5419
    @warrenphillips5419 Před 8 lety +9

    stop coughing ffs!!!

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 13 lety

    @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. :)

  • @PaulSmith-wz2xv
    @PaulSmith-wz2xv Před 6 měsíci

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

  • @Joshloft
    @Joshloft Před 9 lety +27

    maymays

  • @randomfat32
    @randomfat32 Před 9 lety +5

    Dank memes!!1!1!1!

  • @Renato404
    @Renato404 Před 11 lety

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

  • @freshdope1234
    @freshdope1234 Před 7 lety +24

    im here for the dank memes

  • @Chaziltasm
    @Chaziltasm Před 8 lety +4

    dank memes.

  • @kilgoretrout2878
    @kilgoretrout2878 Před 6 lety +1

    this boy's well ahead of the game

  • @fleetywoodymac
    @fleetywoodymac Před 10 lety +1

    Thank you Dan Dennett.

  • @Lokisdottir1964
    @Lokisdottir1964 Před 9 lety +3

    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!

  • @HarveyJackson1967
    @HarveyJackson1967 Před 9 lety +15

    Only came for the Sikh meams tbh

  • @gulllars
    @gulllars Před 13 lety

    Such a great talk

  • @rohitchaturvedi8662
    @rohitchaturvedi8662 Před 10 lety

    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

  • @TheKornbeef
    @TheKornbeef Před 9 lety +59

    tfw the memes aren't dank :(

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 13 lety

    @ssVinegar
    Actually sweets...I didn't include that one either way.. :)

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 13 lety

    @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 . :)

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 14 lety

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

  • @evertvdb000
    @evertvdb000 Před 5 lety +1

    This is probably the most important clip on youtube, explaining suicide bombers' behavior.

    • @zsolttamas7622
      @zsolttamas7622 Před 4 lety

      I think so too, but not just bombers, the last 10.000 years explained or more in a nutshell.

  • @jestermoon
    @jestermoon Před rokem

    Take A Moment
    Sir, you still stand on the heads of Giants.
    Keep Talking
    Stay Safe
    Stay Free

  • @Psnym
    @Psnym Před 10 lety

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

  • @tedoymisojos
    @tedoymisojos Před 11 lety

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

  • @eveningtsar
    @eveningtsar Před 12 lety

    @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.

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 14 lety

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

  • @StephenPaulKing
    @StephenPaulKing Před 11 lety

    This is a brilliant advocation of the Prime Directive!

  • @HeyHeyHarmonicaLuke
    @HeyHeyHarmonicaLuke Před 10 lety +1

    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.

  • @TheMetical
    @TheMetical Před 11 lety +1

    I need a beard like this dude!

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 13 lety

    @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. :)

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 14 lety

    @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. ;)

  • @jamesgrey13
    @jamesgrey13 Před 6 lety +1

    Just like viruses, memes cannot be completely destroyed! Some can linger for OVER 9000!!! years, in a dormant state...

  • @Gunnerss09
    @Gunnerss09 Před 11 lety

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

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 14 lety

    @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".

  • @milsumla
    @milsumla Před 11 lety

    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.

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 13 lety

    @BaloneyDetection411 It's a typo easily made if you don't grasp the difference. ;)

  • @devinbeverage5199
    @devinbeverage5199 Před 7 lety +1

    I think the "Me Decade" is back.

  • @aguaski06
    @aguaski06 Před 12 lety

    Pretty interesting watching this talk after seeing the movie Inception.

  • @eatingtacos000
    @eatingtacos000 Před 11 lety

    dennett is always interesting. good stuff.

  • @anze1998
    @anze1998 Před 4 lety +1

    He was awake when others were still sleeping.
    >inb4 this gets highlighted.

  • @landulf88
    @landulf88 Před 12 lety

    Superb!

  • @saleemisgod
    @saleemisgod Před 11 lety

    Pure,unrefined wisdom.

  • @edsknife
    @edsknife Před 3 lety

    Hoover Dam itself cannot evolve, but there was selection of architects and selection of designs

  • @rammice
    @rammice Před 11 lety

    If Dan put on a certain suit, he could totally pass off as Santa Claus lol

  • @99wmac
    @99wmac Před 11 lety

    mind blowing down to the very last word.

  • @ifuck3dyourmother935
    @ifuck3dyourmother935 Před 11 lety

    Well put.

  • @reddragonready
    @reddragonready Před 14 lety

    @naturalpreservation ROFL Now that sarcasm I got dear. Really good one! YOU saying this to me! Hahahaha hahaha

  • @dieselkeough4613
    @dieselkeough4613 Před 6 lety +1

    Memes are, and forever be, our reason of being.

  • @filipmatic488
    @filipmatic488 Před 8 lety

    They are entrenched in ideas reflecting the system, a system that abuses and corrupts the truth, protecting overall interest of those who belong to the very same system.