Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Omega Point

Ryan Kuder brought up Teilhard, the Omega Point and the Noosphere at the Social Media Club, so it wasn't really a detour yesterday after all.
I think it's fascinating that a Jesuit Priest, Teilhard, was heavily involved in Paleontology and embraced evolution into his own framework to arrive at a concept of a shared mind or noosphere back in the 30s. Oh yes, he had his issues with the church...

Today, a rudimentary example of the power of the net can be seen with the oft maligned Twitter. Beyond simple "what am I doing" updates, Shel Israel is able to use Twitter for real-time restaurant recommendations, and research pointers. While this sounds like a nice convenience, no big deal, it's a rudimentary example of tapping into local domain knowledge while he is traveling. This exhibits just a taste of the power of things to come, for those who are tightly networked together.
Imagine legal expertise being on tap as needed, medical, financial, etc. Each member of the group benefits from the specific expertise of domain experts. The noosphere is the endpoint of that merging, expanding the base of knowledge. I boldly predict that the next level of networking will support these interactions. (probably already here but I'm just not aware of them!)

The noosphere includes a spiritual element as well, and the darker wolf in sheep's clothing Shel vs. Loren is a good example for that prerequisite, for in order for the noosphere to arrive, a simultaneous need for better reconciliation and attenuated aggression is needed. When energy, creativity and hostility are wasted on a feud (a mini- "Hell Realm" from Buddhism), it prevents the networked benefits from fully applying, despite the perceived entertainment value. The real loss is to the rest of the network, from the lost or diverted participation of talented individuals. As Teilhard writes, the connectedness of individuals should induce "the pervasion of the human mass by the power of sympathy". Not quite there yet...but this is one particular social aspect of the singularity that has been largely passed over in the rush to detail the technology advances. I'd like to look at this aspect in more detail in future posts.

Interesting that many respond to the singularity in terms of predictions that have failed to materialize, (former AI predictions cited here!). That's just the point. So a prediction that we will be unable to predict is perhaps circular. Taking the case of Teilhard with the "Omega Point" and H.G. Welles with the "World Brain", their predictions appear to be prescient, (although the timing of their fulfillment was wisely not included in their predictions).

While it is amazing that they were accurate in their predictions 80 years back, are there predictions being put forth today that will also seem prescient in another 80 years? Given accelerated change, it is argued that it is easier to foresee earlier in the curve, before the knee is hit.

Social Media Club

A brief detour from the singularity, joining the Social Media Club at British Bankers Club for drinks and discussion.

Social Media Club

...photos...


Kristie Wells, organizer




Shel Israel




Mike McGrath, Janet




LeeAnn Prescott




Shel and
Ryan Kuder



Darryl Ohrt of the Plaid Tour

Recap: Social Aspects of the Singularity

On the off chance of anyone reading this in mid-stream, here is a recap of the subjects which have been touched upon. Follow the links in the individual entries to really dig into the specifics of each topic.
If you haven't heard of the singularity before, here is a lead in from a couple years back, given by a leading exponent of it's early arrival, Ray Kurzweil.

Ray's World

..and a seminal article from Vernor Vinge back from '93.


Vernor


The recap of my blog in forward chronological order:

1) Approaching Singularity:
The impending singularity is near, I intend to focus on social and group dynamics rather than the technology that will bring forth the accelerated change.

2) Wisdom of Crowds:
I touch upon the ability of crowds to arrive at an answer that is better than that given by an individual expert. Reference James Surowiecki's book for details.

3) Cinematrix: Will of the Audience:
I describe a technology that demonstrates that a crowd can control a flight simulator with just a little bit of training.

4) Nirvana:
I point to some studies on rats that suggest we might just tap into our pleasure centers and dead end there. On the other hand, we could do something similar with drugs today, but we don't.

5) Into the Void:
I show some recent advances where we are already starting to meld our physical bodies with machines, leading to my belief that machines will not become our overlords, but that we will merge into them. I also bring up the very real possibility that an authoritarian control will emerge to tightly control human behavior and possibly even our very thoughts.

6) Old Age and Wisdom
I point out that wisdom may be harder to apply in the future, as change becomes more rapid, and that we haven't been so adept at using it in any case.

7) Where Did the Time Go?:
I bring up the mystery of what exactly time is, and why it seems to only go forward. I talk a bit about why our fear of death is pretty silly when set against the great sweep of time.

Given a prospect for living eternally, I wonder how that will effect our shorter term behavior? Will we stop taking risks with more at stake, or having merged into a collective mind, will we sacrifice our lives for the greater good with less identification of the individual self?