Challenges for the Future

Abstract

Education is the means through which meme-processing ability is learned and strengthened. An important challenge for the human race is then how to consciously design and implement educational methods specifically designed to enhance the meme-processing ability. Specific techniques of dealing with environments that are flooded with memes detrimental to the interests of the organism must be developed and taught, which may include both broad-spectrum anti-meme procedures such as relaxation and meditation techniques as well as specific anti-meme procedures yet to be developed. Identifying individuals who are vulnerable to infection by detrimental memes through genetic testing and environmental evaluation is another important challenge. The essence of our model of mental health and illness is that genes do not interact with environment directly, but through memes that enter the brain and are processed by the brain in interaction with and filtered by existing resident memes. New diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and tools must be developed specifically designed for gene × meme interaction. Certain testable hypotheses are discussed as well as the ethical implications of our model. As the quantum theory is most applicable and manifest in the microuniverse of subatomic particles, memes as memory and brain code provide a powerful model of gene × meme × environment interaction in the microcosm of the brain that results in mental health and illness. Memes may have achieved, or will shortly achieve, the ability to replicate themselves and evolve independently of humans in both space and cyberspace. Regardless of the evolutionary future of memes, they are currently mostly in a symbiotic relationship with our genes, and our mental health depends on the successful maintenance of the symbiosis through judicious processing of memes in the interest of ourselves, the result of our individual gene × meme × environment interaction.