I found the following story on BBC News today. It describes British scientists' attempts to use virtual environments as a scientifically valid way to test telepathy.
Virtual worlds to test telepathy
A virtual world designed to test human telepathy has been demonstrated at the University of Manchester, UK.
I don't know if telepathy is real, or see the need to cultivate such an ability considering how the laying bare of my own thoughts could only lead to one of three negative outcomes: boredom, anger or depression. This is, however, another example (though an odd one) of the ways in which the advances in computer technology have enhanced scientific research.
On the subject of reading minds, I am interested in the concept of the Noosphere -- the idea of a collective human consciousness. To some, the Internet is a physical manifestation of the Noosphere, in which case the more "connected" we become, the more in tune with the collective consciousness we get, and therefore the more able to understand each other.
And this post is good proof of my earlier point that baring my thoughts will result in boredom for the "mind reader."
If you want to read more, the Wikipedia article on Noosphere includes some good links.
2 comments:
The idea of a technology gap is an interesting one here. People who are connected to the Internet will probably grow closer in certain ways. However, that may also come to the exclusion of those who are not internetted. That may be to the disadvantage of all involved, especially those who want to be connected to everyone. I think there may be some people who are counting on me & you not recognizing that...
I agree completely. The strength of the consciousness that develops from this "connectedness" is directly related to its inclusiveness. Having a network that's made up of like minds, with the same experiences and insights just reinforces the tendency to believe a particular viewpoint is the dominant paradigm. And if there is already a dominant paradigm that wants to further perpetuate the idea that it is the only correct and acceptable way of looking at the world, it can best do so by excluding competing views.
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