The next step in human evolution?

Is what we perceive only that which can be delivered to our minds through our senses? As a practical type person, I would say yes. Machines are being created that can interact with our minds directly, bypassing the senses completely. Artificial ears and eyes will be developed in the future. There are examples of devices that can respond directly to brain wave patterns, primitive now but a technology in its infancy. Applications for the handicapped are being discussed.

Imagine taking all this and giving it 100 years to develop. In less than 100 years we went from the Wright Brothers to the moon landing. From light bulbs to computers. If Moore's law has any truth, technology will only advance quicker in the future.

Back to our reality only being based on what we perceive through our senses. In 100 years, imagine a complete and total means of interacting with our minds not through our senses, but through technical means that bypass the senses. All kinds of interesting possibilities arise:

1. Why physically go on a vacation? Like Ahnold did in Total Recall, just plug yourself into the "super-hyper DVD player", and have all the experiences of the vacation without the effort of actually going.

2. Applications for porn are obvious, in fact, porn could drive all the other applications, almost like the internet. All the pleasures of an orgy, but none of the physical consequences. Would a virtual orgy be considered cheating on your wife?

3. Why take drugs or drink, with all the nasty consequences, when you can just "get wired", and experience euphoria? I believe one of the sci-fi guys wrote about this (Clark, Heileman?).

4. Running in the other direction, anyone could be superman. Bionics and all that other cool stuff. Tie your mind directly to UAVs and other instruments of war; kill through the machine without actually being there, no consequences to getting blown up.

5. Why even have a body, as flimsy as they are. Nourish the brain in some type of nutrient solution, live for centuries. Download the brain's memory and thought patterns to a computer (computers being quite advanced in 100 years), and "live" forever.

6. Link your mind to the 'net, it also having advanced quite a ways. Groups of minds could interact directly. Myriad possibilities.

Anyone care to add any other possibilities? If you lived in such a world, would you go for it? Once your mind is downloaded to a machine any your previous physical body no longer exists, are you even human any more? Would those connected and those not connected be in conflict? (The unconnected would get their butts kicked in a war, IMHO).

On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.

Not so much for the "Human Evolution" aspect because you are talking technology not evolution, but the book covers some of the topics you addressed such as the ability of the brain to make sense of inputs regardless of the sense feeding it.

mental
more tolerance, love and understanding.....
we don't need electronic evolution
we need mental evolution....
for the better....
I know...... big dreams, never happen :(
:grouphug: :grouphug:

lost

Another book rec Two more book recs for ya:

The Otherworld series by Tad Williams, if you haven't already read it. Fiction, but fascinating applications of the things you're talking about above, with lots of philosophical implications thrown in.

Altered Carbon and Fallen Angels by Richard Morgan, particularly as applies to fear (or lack of fear) of death and those implications. It's gonna be interesting.

Congrats again. :hi:

:rofl: Thanks, dude!! :hi:

I'll definitely check it out. I'm not advocating for this future, just something interesting to ponder.

By the way, this was a topic on NPR not too long ago.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5067661