Tag: memetics

The Female Monster and the Misogynist Revolution

During the turbulent decades that preceded and followed the French Revolution, classical mythology was subject to extensive cross-pollination with Enlightenment and revolutionary literature. Many narratives were reinterpreted through the scope of Progressive ideals, and the question of women’s role in society and the differences between the sexes was no exception. Women’s issues were an important topic for many revolutionary schools of thought previously discussed in … Continue reading The Female Monster and the Misogynist Revolution

Cornelius Stahlblau

Prometheus the Fire-Bringer and Pandora the extraterrestrial sex doll

We don’t usually go out looking for myths: myth finds its way to manifest itself to us, an operating force that sheds light on the structure of the collective mind. Myths make understandable many elements of culture that would otherwise go unnoticed. This is why we believe myths are eternal, sacrosanct works. Their nature provides a security net for exploring the depths of shared attitudes … Continue reading Prometheus the Fire-Bringer and Pandora the extraterrestrial sex doll

Cornelius Stahlblau2 Comments
Sticky post

Bible study for NPCs: idols, ideology, and the violence within

The word “idea” has the Greek root εἴδω (“image”, “form”); a root it shares with other words, such us idol. An icon, from Greek εἰκών, is also an image, but in the sense of “portrait”, “semblance”. An idol is an image in itself, an object which offers an aesthetic experience. An icon is a different thing altogether: it is a representation of something real, different … Continue reading Bible study for NPCs: idols, ideology, and the violence within

Cornelius Stahlblau1 Comment

Mediatic facts and controlled demolitions from across the Rubicon

Conflict is deeply ingrained in the human mind. Like a cloud of electrically charged particles, it remains potential and shapeless, in an ideal resting state. When it is given ideological meaning, however, it’s as if the particles were suddenly exposed to an electromagnetic field. The latent conflict acquires a memetic nature, and animosity becomes orderly, vectorial. Ideological meaning works as a framework which allows hostility … Continue reading Mediatic facts and controlled demolitions from across the Rubicon

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The leisure class, techno-conspirators and the leftovers

As an interpretation somewhat removed from mainstream Marxism, the natural synergies between Communism and Capitalism are a favorite topic of this blog. This trait was best recognized by no other than an American, organic anti-capitalist Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929). Veblen had been a keen student of Marx’s ideas, and he was not at all convinced. He considered that Marxism, while critical of some tenets of Liberalism, … Continue reading The leisure class, techno-conspirators and the leftovers

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Experiments in fiction and reality: Catalan Separatists and Reckless Meme Necromancers

The working definition of “meme” is somewhat dry, and less innovative than it might seem. Although the term was coined by Richard Dawkins, the notion that ideas are subject to evolutionary pressures is much older, dating back to the origins of evolutionary theory itself. As zoologist and philosopher Thomas Henry Huxley (nicknamed “Darwin’s bulldog”) asserted in 1880: “The struggle for existence holds as much in … Continue reading Experiments in fiction and reality: Catalan Separatists and Reckless Meme Necromancers

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Contemplation and Weapons of Meme Destruction

The War in Afghanistan is the longest conflict the United States has ever been engaged in. Despite what the diminishing media attention it gets might lead to believe, it is still ongoing. Following the successful invasion of the country in 2001, a coalition of 40 countries, including all NATO members, formed a security mission to fight the insurgency that was still controlling much of the … Continue reading Contemplation and Weapons of Meme Destruction

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The Fool archetype as an agent of evolution: an introduction to Internet meme ecology

In the last post we introduced the idea of conceptual and sensual memes. In general, sensual memes are more infectious than those based on concepts. This idea (this meme!) is nothing new: an image is worth a thousand words, they say. This is because sensual stimulation appeals to a more primitive part of the brain, which requires less processing. It is energetically cheaper: sensual reactions … Continue reading The Fool archetype as an agent of evolution: an introduction to Internet meme ecology

Cornelius Stahlblau

Futurist rioting, conceptualism and sensuality

The Futurist Manifesto was first published in 1909. It was written by Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, a celebration of speed, youth, violence and technology. It was also a declaration of the author’s hopes for his country in the 20th century: a country of industry, innovation and dynamism, fully engaged with the world. It decried Italy’s main identity as the seat of a long-dead culture, … Continue reading Futurist rioting, conceptualism and sensuality

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From based to cringe: Tabarnia and badly waged memetic guerrilla

The Spanish War of Succession was a pan-European conflict ignited by the death of Charles II in 1700. Charles II was the last of the Spanish Habsburgs, a product of several generations of endogamic marriage, and is thus popularly seen as the archetype of decadent inbred monarchy. He was called “the Bewitched”, and suffered of many physical illnesses, probably related to some hormone deficiency. The … Continue reading From based to cringe: Tabarnia and badly waged memetic guerrilla

Cornelius Stahlblau