Technology and the Memetic Self

This chapter provides an overview of current theories in philosophy of mind as they relate to cultural and technological evolution. The focus is to examine the influence of technology on identity formation by introducing the concept of “narrative consciousness,” the process of constructing a memetic self model, or “selfplex.” The human capacity to construct a “selfplex” evolved from an imitation-based system of memetic replication, enabled by and coevolved with technology over the last 50,000 years. The chapter examines the following four points: (1) an introduction of the idea of “narrative consciousness”; (2) a reframing of technology as “tools that enable imitation and sharing,” thereby facilitating the development of memes and the selfplex; (3) societal implications of narrative consciousness; and (4) the cultural influence of Human Enhancement Technologies (HET) on the selfplex and practical considerations for practitioners.