Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme

Of course, like all good memes, the ideas in Brodie's book are double-edged swords. They can vaccinate against the effects of cognitive viruses, but could also be used by those seeking power to gain it even more effectively. If you don't want to be left behind in the coevolutionary arms race between infection and protection, read about memes.

Unlike some in the self-development field, Richard Brodie does not insult the intelligence of more educated readers. He doesn't hide the ball, act mysterious in his presentation, cop out to supernaturalism, or try to claim false or highly questionable scientific support. I have found it easy to disagree with him on some points and still get a lot out of his work. He has certainly given a lot of serious thought to the nuances, pitfalls, and strongpoints of our modern culture and that shows through in this book. He is a guy trying to figure things out just like all of us, and he shares his thoughts in a non-offensive highly accessible way. I think you will find his book a joy to read, and find many useful insights as we individually try to navigate the quickly evolving cultural environment we find ourselves in today.


Virus of the Mind   December 10, 1999
Jonathan Logan (Portland, Oregon, USA)
89 out of 96 found this review helpful

Virus of the Mind is nothing short of extraordinary! What you'll learn from Richard Brodie's book is how and why words, concepts, ideas and beliefs are transmitted, become dominant and get woven into the very fabric of our personal lives and our cultures. Indeed, Virus of the Mind is a wonderfully insightful book that should be read by everyone wishing to make better sense of the world around them--not only of global events, but also of their own life patterns. I am the president of a software development company, an attorney, a student of psychology and linguistics for 15 years and the information I learned in this book was truly ground breaking. In my opinion, this is one of the 10 most important books that is available to read today. Get it and read it!


Excellent Memetics intro for the average Joe   May 19, 1999
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

This book is a ground-breaker. Yeah, okay it's written at a fairly simple level, but that's one of the reasons it's so effective! In recent years, a series called [Whatever] For Dummies has become wildly popular (along with another, [Whatever] for the Complete Idiot). Of course, these books are for neither "dummies" nor "idiots", but rather for the common guy/gal, the "average Joe", the lay person who wants to get the gist of a topic, a working knowledge, without having to wade through a bunch of complicated extraneous matter to get to the heart of the subject, and get a grasp of it, a good working knowledge that will be USEFUL. And this is exactly what Richard Brodie has done. _Virus of the Mind_ could be retitled "Memetics for Dummies" and probably sell tons more books (cuz hey, the 'for Dummies' buzzword is a pretty successful meme, eh?). I've read several reviews here where 'intellectuals' were slamming the book, cuz maybe it's "not technically correct" about some aspects (in their opinions) of memetics, or it's "written at a high school level", or it uses "cute cartoons" to get some points across. Hey, that's what makes it accessible to so many more people than some of the "loftier tomes". This book is what will (has?) spread the Memetics mind virus throughout the "masses", like a cold spreading through a crowded room!! Hurrah for Richard Brodie.


PARADIGM SHIFT   December 7, 2005
Psychonaught (CHITOWN)
24 out of 28 found this review helpful

First of all I would like to point out that people like to attack the things they don't understand, especially when it threatens to change their world view. Second THIS WAS AN AMAZING BOOK. Reading it as some one not familiar with memes, it was a very good intro lesson. I agree he is not one of the literary masters but there is not use in denying the importance of the subject matter. I went for months without being able to see a TV commercial or radio ad without thinking about this concept. It will either open your eyes or you would condemn Richard Brodie to hell yourself. Very powerfull ideas, although most of the really good ones weren't originally his own. If you don't believe in the concept please read George Orwell's essay: "Politics and the English Language", and "The Selfish Gene". Ignore the other naysayers only defending their narrow world view. If you have an open mind this book is an adventure.


Read this book now!   September 4, 1999
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

This is an incredible book! It's a fascinating subject which offers a new perspective into the way we think and the propagation of ideas. Regardless of reality, if we are convinced that an idea is true, our behavior reflects that belief. We are only able to change our behavior and control our own destiny by understanding why we believe and how others convince us. I've never read anything else that gave me such a clear vision of the power in ideas - not to mention advertising!

Richard Brodie has a conversational style of writing that I particularly enjoy. I've always been frustrated by authors who find it necessary to weigh down their writing with a lot of dry and heavy prose. Richard does a great job of explaining some fairly complex and little known ideas in clear, simple language. Science doesn't have to be boring. Apparently, when an author loves his subject, it can even be a lot of fun. That's the case with this book.

The author doesn't try to pretend that he invented the idea of the meme. We are taken along on his quest for enlightenment about this mysterious concept. Once we gain a general understanding of the meme, he supplies further information into its character. We learn how it can be used against us, and how we can use the meme to our own advantage as well.

This book opened my eyes to the concept of a very influential method of communication. It's a fascinating topic written in a style that is fun, easy, and quick to read. It gets my top rating as a must read. Don't wait. This is a technique you won't want to be the last to know!