Richard Semon
Encyclopedia
Richard Wolfgang Semon was a German zoologist and evolutionary biologist, who believed in the inheritance of acquired characters
and applied this to social evolution
.
Semon proposed psycho-physiological parallelism according to which every psychological state corresponds to alterations in the nerves. His ideas of the mneme (based on the Greek goddess, Mneme
, the muse of memory) were developed upon early in the 20th century. The mneme represented the memory of an external-to-internal experience. The resulting "mnemic trace" (or "engram
") would be revived when an element resembling a component of the original complex of stimuli was encountered. Semon’s mnemic principle was based upon how stimuli produce a "permanent record, . . . written or engraved on the irritable substance," i.e. upon cellular material energistically predisposed to such inscription (Semon 1921, p. 24).
Semon found evidence in the way that different parts of the body relate to each other involuntarily, such as "reflex spasms, co-movements, sensory radiations," to infer distribution of "engraphic influence." He also took inventive recourse to phonography
, the "mneme machine," to explain the uneven distribution and revival of engrams.
Semon's book Die Mneme directly influenced the Mnemosyne-project of the idiosyncratic art historian Aby Warburg. Richard Dawkins
's concept of a cultural unit of cultural replication which he called the meme
(Dawkins, 1976), though self-attributed, is similar to to Semon’s idea of more than half a century earlier.
He committed suicide wrapped in a German flag allegedly because he was depressed by Germany's defeat after World War I
.
Inheritance of acquired characters
The inheritance of acquired characteristics is a hypothesis that physiological changes acquired over the life of an organism may be transmitted to offspring...
and applied this to social evolution
Social evolution
Social evolution is a subdiscipline of evolutionary biology that is concerned with social behaviors that have fitness consequences for individuals other than the actor...
.
Semon proposed psycho-physiological parallelism according to which every psychological state corresponds to alterations in the nerves. His ideas of the mneme (based on the Greek goddess, Mneme
Mneme
In Greek mythology, Mneme was one of the three original Boeotian muses, though there were later nine. Her sisters were Aoide and Melete. She was the muse of memory....
, the muse of memory) were developed upon early in the 20th century. The mneme represented the memory of an external-to-internal experience. The resulting "mnemic trace" (or "engram
Engram
Engram may refer to:*Engram , a hypothetical means by which memory traces are stored*Engram , a term used in Scientology and Dianetics for a "recording" of a past painful event not normally accessible to the conscious mind...
") would be revived when an element resembling a component of the original complex of stimuli was encountered. Semon’s mnemic principle was based upon how stimuli produce a "permanent record, . . . written or engraved on the irritable substance," i.e. upon cellular material energistically predisposed to such inscription (Semon 1921, p. 24).
Semon found evidence in the way that different parts of the body relate to each other involuntarily, such as "reflex spasms, co-movements, sensory radiations," to infer distribution of "engraphic influence." He also took inventive recourse to phonography
Phonography
Phonography, meaning "sound writing" in Greek, may refer to:* Pitman shorthand, sometimes called phonography, a system of shorthand stenography developed by Isaac Pitman* Phonography, a neologism used by some to refer to field recording...
, the "mneme machine," to explain the uneven distribution and revival of engrams.
Semon's book Die Mneme directly influenced the Mnemosyne-project of the idiosyncratic art historian Aby Warburg. Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
's concept of a cultural unit of cultural replication which he called the meme
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
(Dawkins, 1976), though self-attributed, is similar to to Semon’s idea of more than half a century earlier.
He committed suicide wrapped in a German flag allegedly because he was depressed by Germany's defeat after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.