Egregore

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Definition

A possibly nonhuman form emitting influence on people, like a corporation or a religious institution - things that you can't quite pat on the head but they're having an influence regardless of whether they are materially present or physically describable.[1] A body of semiotics. Sun gods, like superman. Corporations. A relation of networks.

Wikipedia describes egregore as "a "thoughtform" or "collective group mind", an autonomous psychic entity made up of, and influencing, the thoughts of a group of people. The symbiotic relationship between an egregore and its group has been compared to the more recent, non-occult concepts of the corporation (as a legal entity) and the meme".[2]

References

  1. Discussion with @mathpunk on 8 Aug 2012.
  2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egregore