posted
Once upon a time, long ago, there were people that lived in communities governed almost solely by geography. Vast mountain ranges and other geographic obstacles separated communities and lines of communication. People only concerned themselves with staying in contact with those that they needed for survival. For example: a fisherman needed to know where to sell his fish so he needed to maintain communication between himself and the fish market. This connection between our theoretical fisherman and his market is an example of what I refer to as a "cultural synapse." Much like a synapse in the human brain, these are the channels by which signals are sent and received. As more and more of these cultural synapses develop, communities are strengthened by a better flow of information and expertise, allowing more members of that community to contribute to solving problems that they would otherwise have no access to. Sometimes it is the voice of the layman that can spark a solution unseen by experts. Sometimes a problem requires looking at it from different angles, and these cultural synapses allow necessary information to get to everyone, not just those directly involved.
Before most citizens learned how to use a written language, most of this communication was done manually through travel and verbal exchange. Later, more and more people became familiar with the written word. As the use of writing increased it allowed for a much vaster generation of these synoptic bonds and decreased the time it took for one persons idea to be interpreted by other individuals. Instead of one man speaking to an audience of 40, now that same man could print many copies of a book and disseminate them with a much higher degree of exposure and reach. As writing allowed individuals to share ideas across great distances, these sub-groups of "cultural synapse" began to form into larger "regional synapses". Suddenly geographic constraints became more of an obstacle and less of a barrier to the free exchange of ideas.
With the advent of global communication networks, and instant portable access to those networks, the time it takes for millions of people to have access to ideas has become almost nil. Now, billions and billions of lines of communication flow around is in every direction connecting the minds and thoughts of humans all over the globe crating a "global synapse". With the ability to cast out information to be absorbed and used by all people, mankind has begun acting like a collective organism. Individuals in this dynamic now act as neurons receiving, interpreting, and, transmitting data across our global synapse. As we grow closer and better connected we begin to witness the emergence of a global human organism.
Posts: 484 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
that is a cool idea. But more researcha and support would make it more valid. For instence, what have we seen to imply that the world is acting like a global organism with the internet and networks? It still seems like countries are pretty well isolated to me personally. etc, etc, etc, etc. Interesting concept worth looking into though, i think.
Posts: 17 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
It's not the first time I've heard the thought. I think we tend to be too selfish and individualistic to become a single organism. Then again, it could be an illusion that we're not ALREADY part of a single organism. At which point I should make a movie reference. But I won't.
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posted
I definitely think it's a global community emerging. I wouldn't say we're becoming some huge brain. We are able to communicate instantaneously with people all over the world instead of just within 50 feet, and that definitely changes economic and social dynamics. But I don't think we're capable of some kind of antlike hive mind.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Some of us are! I was cultivating my eyebrows into little antennae-like protrusions, until my wife made me pluck them.
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good points. I agree that individuality is an integral part of humanity. I don't feel however that we would necessarily loose this with the emergence of a global consciousness. microorganisms that work synergistically still go about their own litany of life. Can we not work towards our own goals while at the same time achieving the goals of the whole?
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posted
I've had many things said about me, AFR. That's a first. I kinda like it.
Ramdac, I think we're still too spread out for that to happen. While the information is available, it may not be "real". Heck, to some people I know, the idea that there is life outside out county is abstract.
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quote:As we grow closer and better connected we begin to witness the emergence of a global human organism
That's kind of like the idea that the earth itself is one large organism. (I think it's called 'gaia' or something like that)
Posts: 1256 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
What is good for the US economy is good for the world economy. It's not in China's best interest to start trouble with the US because they are selling us $300 billion worth of stuff to us. There maybe a few signs of this globalization starting to happen We (the west) are teaching them our manufacturing and management processes while they are providing us cheap labor and goods. There will only be more of this in the future.
Of course it going to take a long time for the world to become truly integrated, too much history, too many cultural differences, old prejudices die hard. It will be a major undertaking to get the entire world on more of a level playing field. People in general only do what is best for them. So for your theory to work, people will have to see how the global good is also good for them.
So what may happen instead of people's society's being based on geography it will be based on ideology. Up until now ideological differences tended to correspond with people’s geography. But now ideological minorities in one region can band together with other like minded majorities in another part of the world.
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posted
Even is they don't want to "band together" they will be banded together through the datasphere that everyone uses.
Posts: 484 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
You know, alot of this parallels the communism threads... you're likely to always have people who are more interested in what they want, instead of what the global population wants.
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quote:Originally posted by smitty: you're likely to always have people who are more interested in what they want, instead of what the global population wants.
this is true, but what they "want" is irrelevant. the synoptic pattern of communication is not about "the government of China" communicating with "the government of Peru". it's about a Chinese person getting an answer to a question from a person in Peru. it is the connection between individuals.
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posted
the situation is akin to when you were in 3rd grade and you were brainstorming. your teacher says "there are no bad ideas", 12 ideas are shouted out and 2 good ones make it through. now consider that classroom consisting of 8 billion people.
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posted
Kinda reminds me of that Ghost in the Shell 2 movie that was released....last year? They went on about how culture was a memory/information storage device.
"Interesting" film.
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I've had many things said about me, AFR. That's a first. I kinda like it.
