Biography

Kate Distin is an independent scholar based in England.

She read History and Philosophy of Science at Clare College, Cambridge University and was awarded the Jacob Bronowski Prize 1991 for achievement in her subject, jointly with one other student. Her particular interest at this time was the Philosophy of Mind and her final year dissertation, prepared under the supervision of Peter Lipton, concerned the relationship between mind and brain. The Selfish Meme's emphasis on the importance of different levels of description (e.g. physical, mental, cultural, spiritual) can be traced back to the ideas in this dissertation. Kate's love of independent research can be traced back to the outstanding teaching and intellectual nurture that she received during her time at Cambridge.

From there, after a brief and risibly inappropriate attempt to train as a chartered accountant, Kate went on to join the Philosophy Department at Sheffield University. Here she was awarded a distinction in her taught MA, as part of which she submitted a dissertation on Mental Replication and Innovation, supervised by George Botterill. As suggested by the title, this was her first foray into the world of memetics; it formed the prelude to her doctoral thesis, Mental Evolution. This she completed in just two years - a time scale that bears witness not only to her obsession with reading and writing, but also to the inspiration and commitment of her supervisors, George Botterill and Peter Carruthers.

Since leaving Sheffield she has qualified as a teacher and spent some time teaching both Religious Education and Philosophy in secondary schools. Her interest in memes has persisted, however, and eventually The Selfish Meme emerged from the ideas in her original doctoral thesis.

Kate has also spent several years as a volunteer counsellor for the National Association for Gifted Children, and since leaving the Association she has edited and co-written a book about the needs of gifted children and their families.