The Virian Lexicon

A-D     E-H     I-L     M-P     Q-T     U-Z

E to H

EARWORM: "A tune or melody which infects a population rapidly." (Rheingold); a hit song. (Such as: "Don't Worry, Be Happy".) (f. German, ohrwurm=earworm.)

EPIPHENOMENALISM:(vl) The doctrine that mental processes are caused by brain processes.

EPIPHENOMENON:(vl) A secondary phenomenon caused by another.

EPISTEMIOLOGY:(vl) The study of infectious knowledge. [from epistem(ology + epid)emiology] See memetics. (neologism due to Duane Hewitt.)

EXO-TOXIC: Dangerous to others. Highly exo-toxic memes promote the destruction of persons other than their hosts, particularly those who are carriers of rival memes. (Such as: Nazism, the Inquisition, Pol Pot.) (See meme-allergy.) (GMG)

GOD:(vl) An entity possessing omniscience, omnipotence and perfect morality.

HISTAMEME: See vaccime. (Morgan)

HOOK: The part of a meme-complex that urges replication. The hook is often most effective when it is not an explicit statement, but a logical consequence of the meme's content. (Hofstadter) (See bait, threat.)

HOST: A person who has been successfully infected by a meme. See infection, membot, memeoid.