Arguing that human beings, the so-called intelligent species, are not totally in control of their own thought processes, this new perspective on human behavior and history, known as meme theory, arises from the ideas of neo-Darwinism. This book explores the notion that ideas are not simply phenomena that occur in the human brain but are self-replicating programs that spread from individual to individual. Meme theory says that through the same process as natural selection, belief systems have the capacity to build social structures, control economic systems, and harness the energy of human beings to promote their own existence. Belief systems' fundamental power lies in their ability to shape the individual's view of reality-determining the individual's interpretation of his or her perceptions-and to exploit gaps in human knowledge to perpetuate their own survival.