Biography

Francis Heylighen, Dr. is a Senior Research Associate for the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (NFWO). He works at the Free University of Brussels (VUB), where he is an associate director of the transdisciplinary Center "Leo Apostel". He is co-editor of the "Principia Cibernetica Project" (http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/), which attempts to consensually develop a cybernetic philosophical system, with the help of computer technologies for the communication and integration of knowledge. The main focus of his research is the evolutionary development of higher levels of complexity, and especially the development of knowledge. He tries to apply these ideas to the integration of knowledge from different disciplines into an encompassing, conceptual framework of "world view". Heylighen has published over 60 scientific papers, mainly in cybernetics and systems theory, and written or edited four books.

http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html

Quotes

Francis Heylighen
Evolution of Memes on the Network
*from chain letters to the global brain

"The most important medium present is the emerging global computer network, which can transmit any type of information to practically any place on the planet, in a negligible time. This highly increased efficiency of transmission directly affects the dynamics of replication. Meme transmission over the network has a much higher copying-fidelity than communication through image, sound or word. Digitalisation allows the transfer of information without loss, unlike the analog mechanisms of photocopying, filming or tape recording. Fecundity too is greatly increased, since computers can produce thousands of copies of a message in very little time. Longevity, finally, becomes potentially larger, since information can be stored indefinitely on disks or in archives. Together, these three proeprties ensure that memes can replicate much more efficiently via the networks. This makes the corresponding memotypes and sociotypes potentially less fuzzy."