Virus of the Mind by Richard Brodie

Virus of the Mind is the first popular book devoted to the science of 
memetics, a controversial new field that transcends psychology, 
biology, anthropology, and cognitive science. Memetics is the science 
of memes, the invisible but very real DNA of human society. 

In Virus of the Mind, Richard Brodie carefully builds on the work of 
scientists Richard Dawkins, Douglas Hofstadter, Daniel Dennett, and 
others who have become fascinated with memes and their potential impact 
on our lives. But Brodie goes beyond science and dives into the meat of 
the issue: is the emergence of this new science going to have an impact 
on our lives like the emergence of atomic physics did in the Cold War? 

Brodie would say the impact will be at least as great. While atomic 
bombs affect everybody's life, viruses of the mind touch lives in a 
more personal and more pernicious way. 

Mind viruses have already infected governments, educational systems, 
and inner cities, leading to some of the most pervasive and troublesome 
problems of society today: youth gangs, the welfare cycle, the 
deterioration of the public schools, and ever-growing government 
bureaucracy. 

Viruses of the mind are not a future worry: they are here with us now 
and are evolving to become better and better at their job of infecting 
us. The recent explosion of mass media and the information superhighway 
has made the earth a prime breeding ground for viruses of the mind. 

Will there be a mental plague? Will only some of us survive with our 
free will intact? Brodie weaves together science, ethics, and current 
events as he raises these and other very disturbing questions about 
memes. 

Richard Brodie was Microsoft chairman Bill Gates's personal technical 
assistant and the original author of Microsoft Word, one of the world's 
best-selling computer programs. Educated at Harvard, he is the also the 
best-selling author of Getting Past OK. An accomplished speaker, he has 
appeared on more than 70 television and radio shows including NBC's 
Today.

For more information, check out Richard Brodie's home page at 
http://members.gnn.con/rbrodie

To order a new, autographed, hardcover copy of "Virus of the Mind", 
send $22 plus US$5 shipping/handling ($10 outside the US) to:

Richard Brodie
1202 E. Pike St., Suite 786-F
Seattle WA 98122
USA 

All checks must be for US funds drawn on a US bank.

*Please attach a note reminding me to autograph the book*

Richard Brodie - RBrodie@msn.com - http://members.gnn.com/rbrodie
"Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme" (Integral Press, just
published!)
"Getting Past OK: A Straightforward Guide to Having a Fantastic Life"
(Warner, 1993)
CEO, Brodie Technology Group, Inc., Seattle, a technology consulting firm.