cover of episode 491. Symbolic Patterns: Memes, Archetypes, Dragons, Genes | Dr. Richard Dawkins & Alex O’Connor

491. Symbolic Patterns: Memes, Archetypes, Dragons, Genes | Dr. Richard Dawkins & Alex O’Connor

2024/10/21
logo of podcast The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

Chapters

The discussion begins with a comparison between the concepts of a meme and an archetype, with Dawkins defining a meme as a virus of the mind that spreads by imitation, while an archetype is built into human psychology as a universal trait.
  • A meme spreads because it spreads, driven by imitation.
  • An archetype is innate to human psychology, not spreading epidemically.

Shownotes Transcript

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with Alex O’Connor and Richard Dawkins to discuss their differences of view on the Abrahamic biblical texts, truth claims in science and fiction, the extension of memes through Jungian archetypes, and the memetical reality of dragons.

 

This episode was filmed on September 30th, 2024

 

Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator, and bestselling author of books such as “The Selfish Gene,” and “The Genetic Book of the Dead.”

 

Alex O'Connor is a philosophy-oriented YouTuber, podcaster, and public speaker. He graduated in 2021 from St. John's College, Oxford University, with a BA in philosophy and theology. In 2023, he launched the “Within Reason” podcast, which has featured guests including Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Slavoj Žižek, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Rory Stewart, amongst others.

 

 

| Links |

 

For Richard Dawkins:

 

On X https://x.com/RichardDawkins?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

 

On YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@poetryofreality

 

The Genetic Book of the Dead (New book) https://www.amazon.com/Genetic-Book-Dead-Darwinian-Reverie/dp/0300278098

 

 

For Alex O’Connor:

 

On YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@CosmicSkeptic

 

On X https://x.com/CosmicSkeptic?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor