[snip]
>P.S. To the extropians; i saw on Big Life last night that your purpose is
>to accelerate human evolution. How do you feel about communal cognition?
>It's based on the assumption that whatever works between neurons to make us
>can work between us to make something orders of magnitude more intelligent.
>All that's required is that a particular functionality be imparted to social
>interactions. Any thoughts?
>
It is already happening, and it happens at its own pace. For us to try
and mold it would be like a cell trying to organise the body of which it
is a part- ridiculous. We bring it about by simply living our lives
fully.
Usenet is the beginnings of something like a 'brain' for the world, I
often think. People sharing memes and being infected by them. Over
time, memes that have been thoroughly spread and tested in argument this
way are more likely to be true and useful.
And there may be some holistic or emergent effect that we won't
understand (at least not initially, or not until its effects come within
our range of cognition).
Guru George