i’ve been attempting for some time now to put into words how I visualize my understanding of information and how it ties into a larger ontology. I won’t say this is perfect, it definitely still needs refining but I think it’s a start.

I visualize the entirety of human essence as a vast and ever-shifting “memetic amoeba.” This amoeba transcends the physical sum of humanity’s biomass, encompassing every medium through which information is exchanged, stored, or transformed. Language, writing, the internet, and all forms of technology are integral parts of this system. Yet, it extends further, folding in DNA as a biological repository, neural networks as cognitive substrates, and even natural configurations of matter—such as crystals or other formations that encode information through selection processes.

This metaphor builds on Susan Blackmore’s insights into memetics, portraying humanity as the medium for memes—units of information that replicate and evolve, much as genes do within biological systems. The memetic amoeba functions as the environment in which these memes operate, evolve, and compete. Memes—whether ideas, patterns, behaviors, or technologies—inhabit and transform the mediums that constitute the amoeba, flowing through language, neural pathways, societal structures, and even natural phenomena. For example, the selection pressures that shape stable crystal formations parallel the dynamics that influence human cognition, cultural artifacts, or technological innovation. All of these processes are intertwined, forming conduits for memetic flows.

What sets this amoeba apart is its ability to operate across multiple dimensions and levels of selection simultaneously. Biological evolution molds DNA and neural architectures, while cultural evolution refines ideas, values, and technologies. These processes are deeply symbiotic: memes shape their mediums, and the mediums, in turn, sculpt the propagation and survival of memes. Human cognition, for instance, is not merely a product of biological evolution; it is also a malleable substrate for cultural memetics. Language, art, and science are tools for memes to propagate, but they are also reshaped by the memes they carry.

The amoeba’s “memetic tendrils” stretch out in fluid, multidimensional, and even contradictory directions, reflecting the complex and paradoxical nature of memetic evolution. These tendrils are not reaching outward to an external truth or inward to an essential “self.” Instead, they are manifestations of the amoeba’s continual process of self-generation, rearrangement, and transformation. The flow of memetics defines the amoeba, weaving new patterns of information within and across the mediums that constitute its form. These flows, characterized by paradoxes, creative leaps, and analytical structures, are mechanisms for internal exploration rather than attempts to access an external or absolute reality.

Crucially, the memetic amoeba operates entirely within a self-referential framework. While there may exist an external “truth” or reality beyond its boundaries, the amoeba does not access it directly. Instead, its processes are shaped by internal selective pressures—biological, cultural, and even material. The representational icons it generates, such as linguistic constructs, technologies, or neural processes, are not mirrors of an external reality but heuristics for navigating and expanding the internal landscape of the amoeba. This dynamic interplay ensures that the amoeba remains adaptive, constantly evolving its internal structures in response to shifting pressures and conditions.

In this view, the memetic amoeba embodies the totality of human existence as a self-contained yet profoundly communal system. It is shaped by the collective contributions of humanity and the mediums that transmit and store information, yet it operates autonomously within its own self-referential framework. The selective processes—whether acting on biological structures, cultural artifacts, or configurations of matter—fuel the amoeba’s internal dynamics, driving it to continually adapt and transform.