Food for thought...
>From: Owen Carver <ocarver@willamette.edu>
>
>Reply-To: gbrain@listserv.vub.ac.be
>
>Hello GB mailing list group,
> I've discovered a flaw to my theory with the help of Frank
> Sudia. The following is my response to his reply, it is very much on the
> topic of the Global Brain. I feel it is very important because the
> following, I feel, speaks of the best way for each of us to accelerate
> and advance the Global Brain.
> "Frank,
> I deeply appreciate your response to my e-mail. I agree with you in
> the analysis of my quote, "When humans make 'bad
>decisions[...] it is because of a lack of knowledge, lack of education, or
>lack of information." This assumption of mine is
>flawed and does not take into consideration of humans with truely
>ill-hearted motives. That even if a person were given all of
>the right information that any single person could possibly learn in ones
>lifetime, or ever, that person might still make the wrong
>decision simply because, well, humans have emotions and aren't perfect.
> My theory is also faulted in it's lack of inclusion of internal
> mental processes. If a human knows everything there is to know, that
> human doesn't neccessarily have to understand, or keep conscious, that thing.
> I should modify my assumptions, thanks to your comments I feel I have
> found and learned something that I would not have
>taken into account before had you not mentioned it.
> Perhaps there are three things that need to be improved upon,
> Education, Knowledge, and Thought Processes.
> Frank, am I headed in the right direction here? Is there any hope
> for this crack pot blanket theory?
> Originally I had decided to include this theory in the mailing list
> because although it does not in nature require or pursue the
>creation of a Global Brain, it does however advance it more than any other
>possible improvements, whether they be in
>computer science, business theory, or the invention of some new type of
>networking system. The only reason that I believed
>this theory was because Education and Communication are both things which
>not only have great immediate benefits to those
>people who utilize them but they also have exponentially expanding
>influence and procreation over time through those people
>first benefited by them and so on...
> I'm not sure if we're in exact understanding of what I first meant by
> and intended for this theory to do, but perhaps through
>a dialogue such as this we might be able to better understand each other.
> The way I came up with this theory was thinking of my life as a short
> and fleeting spark in the infinite expanse of time. I
>thought to myself, "I will soon be dead and will have only had this one
>small opportunity to affect change on this human
>world." So I wanted to think of what would be the best way to
>exponentially benefit human society and advancement during
>my short lifetime. And in such a way that after I die those things worked
>on in my lifetime will continue to grow and benefit
>mankind on a larger and larger scale and depth.
> After much thinking, I came up with the wild idea that I during my
> lifetime could actually accomplish this task by simply
>improving two things, communication (as in any way in which humans
>communicate) and education (in every form of the
>word). Was I wrong? With little modification could I be right? My idea
>as stated before as 'exponentially benefiting' society,
>now and for years to come is something that is very real to me, that I
>truely believe can be done.
> The two assumptions that I attatched to the theory came much later
> and do not do the theory any real descriptive justice.
> I would like to hear more of your thoughts on this matter if you
> would be so kind as to help me come closer to making my
>vision a more possible reality.
>
>Owen Carver
>
>
>"K. S. Ryan" wrote:
>>Hello-
>>
>>RE: Education and Communication, these are the human scale equivalents of
>>the universal effort: information and comunication. Stellar atomic fusion,
>>DNA replication, evolution, memes, culture, software, GB.... The import of
>>these two intrinsically related themes cannot be overstated.
>>
>>The Great Techno Divide will get worse before it gets better, as info
>>cultures continue to accelerate towards singularity.
>>
>>Regarding the rest of the earthlings, I can tell you that many techno
>>laggards will skip industrialization and go straight to info. The third
>>world countries I've visited are all well stocked with internet cafes,
>>monitors all tuned to the ubiquitous Hotmail sign-in page. The communist
>>capitol of Laos, Vietienne, might have two paved roads, but has several web
>>cafes with locals talking into headsets or browsing away. India has an
>>exploding international customer service call-in industry (nearly a billion
>>english-speakers), as well as rapidly sophisticating computer science. They
>>are very strong in math, but Dehli has few street lights. It's really
>>strange to be in a web cafe while watching buffalo herded down the street,
>>but this is all over the third world. Kathmandu has no factories, but plenty
>>of up-links, a strong work ethic, and regicide aside, a blissfull lifestyle.
>>Just gotta keep the deciples of Mao away. Funny thing is though, these
>>Mao-ists are strongest where the rural way is most removed from the urban.
>>They are a revolt against being left behind.
>>
>>True that most third-worlders live in pastoral innocence, ignorant of the
>>whys and hows of stock-market powered techno applications. True that they
>>are jealous of both our way of life and theirs. Except for some Luddites in
>>Afganistan or wherever, most seem to understand that the wave of change is
>>coming their way: they can feel the buzz building.
>>
>>How to get the back of the line to move with the front is a problem as old
>>as water pouring from a bowl. The back just wont move until the preasure
>>directs it (Im no fluid dynamic engineer, but the principle is the same for
>>pouring water, moving traffic through a light, marching armies, and, it
>>seems, techno dvlpmnt on earth).
>>
>>China is skipping land lines for telecom and going straight to cell. Same
>>with most 3rd world. Much faster and efficient to dvlp. Maybe the UN should
>>have a huge educational program for science. Seed the countries with
>>knowlege.
>>
>>My point is that there is no stopping or slowing techno progress. But the
>>third world comes on line at our level, tapped directly into us. They dont
>>have to go through all the evolutionary stages of the ages. They step
>>directly from iron to info.
>>
>>-Kevin
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Jun 30 2001 - 19:38:53 PDT