Mind Wars: The battle for your brain

(Paperback)

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Description

Explores the notion that ideas are not simply phenomena which occur in the human brain, but are self-replicating programmes that spread from individual to individual. This concept has become known as "meme theory". Through the same process of natural selection that has shaped biological organisms, these belief systems have developed the capacity to build social structures, control economic systems and harness the energy of human beings to promote their own existence. Their fundamental power lies in their ability to shape the individual's view of reality: although they co-exist with the individual's own perceptions, they have the power to determine the individual's interpretation of their perceptions, and to exploit gaps in human knowledge in order to perpetuate their own survival.

Author Bio

Ian McFadyen was born in Melbourne. He attended Melbourne High School where, although his initial love was science, he began to develop an interest in literature and film. He went on to study Arts, Education and Criminology at Melbourne University where he also became involved in theatre and film-making. Following university he worked as a social worker and a teacher before moving into theatre and television as an actor, director and producer. In the 1980's, he formed his own television production company, producing, among other things, the hugely popular series The Comedy Company, which created a boom in Australian television comedy. Since that time Ian McFadyen had dedicated himself to scriptwriting, teaching young film-makers and writing about entertainment, mass media and the new technologies. He now lives in Brisbane.