Technology, Transhuman, and Transpersonal: Man and Machine Collaborations

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Technology, Transhuman, and Transpersonal: Man and Machine Collaborations

by

David M. Hester Jr.

Transpersonal Integration Paper

submitted

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology

Sofia University

Palo Alto, California

January 24, 2015

I certify that I have read and approved the content and presentation of this paper:

Susan O’Connell, MTP, REACE, Associate Core Faculty Date

Nancy Rowe, Ph.D., Chair of Global Master’s Program Date

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Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Get Connected 2

Conscious Awareness 3

Developing Consciousness Past and Present 4

Mapping the Meditative Mind 5

Can a Synthetic Mind Be Built From the Ground Up? 7

The Role of Technology in Collective Unconsciousness Exploration 7

Possible Future Applications 8

The Future of Conscious Machines 10

Conscious Machines 10

The Ramifications of Social Media 11

Tools for Building Awareness Synthetically 12

Possible Future 13

Tools for Building Consciousness Holistically 13

The Future of Self Development 14

Conscious Creativity 15

Conclusion 17

References 20

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Introduction

The current environment is constantly changing, from newly created technology to the possible future collaboration of human intellect and computer interface. From this perspective, comes the well-documented envisioned future of humanity. Vernor Vinge credited with coining the term singularity, pushed forward and popularized by Ray Kurzweil (2005) in The Singularity Is Near, which served as a prediction of man fused with machine:

What, then, is the Singularity? It's a future period during which the pace of technological change will be so rapid, its impact so deep, that human life will be irreversibly transformed. Although neither utopian nor dystopian, this epoch will transform the concepts that we rely on to give meaning to our lives, from our business models to the cycle of human life, including death itself. Understanding the Singularity will alter our perspective on the significance of our past and the ramifications for our future. (p. 8)

From this perspective of technologically-driven biological enhancement, arises fresh, new, and innovative ideas for communication. Technology is evolving every year as it becomes seemingly more and more ineluctable. The co-founder of Intel, Gordon Moore, postulated in 1965 that semiconductors and overall computing power would double every 18 months (Diamandis, 2012). He predicted that this trend would last for ten years. Now, decades later, his prediction remains accurate—computers are becoming twice as efficient and faster, exponentially growing every year. Is our spiritual prowess and development following the same trend? As the interconnectedness of technology brings us closer, it would behoove the race to take charge of spiritual development. As the phenomenon progresses, humans have the opportunity to interact and enhance biological capabilities, mental tendencies, and spiritual sensibilities through technology. Likening spirituality to a muscle, if it is not used it may be lost.

The aim of this thesis is to inform and ask pertinent questions, thereby starting a dialog of how the mind in all its complex simplicity has changed in light of technical and conscious innovation. The paper will also highlight current and future technology and its subsequent relation to the integral. Finally, this paper will explore the possibility of new technological advancements moving humans forward towards spiritual evolution.

Get Connected

The rise of technological connectedness is coming thanks to the constantly evolving inventions of humans. Arguably, one of the most influential inventions of the past century was the computer, more specifically, artificial intelligence (AI), and the web of interconnected computers known as the Internet. This massive computer network has irrevocably changed human existence. The Internet may be regarded as a collective mental space, where users outsource memories, pictures, creations, and personal knowledge to this online collective. The Internet has changed the world we interact with everyday. Emails sent through time and space, arrive at their destination miles away in a matter of seconds. People start organizations and businesses with a swipe of a screen, and students now have access to archives of knowledge through libraries throughout the world without physically being present.

The Internet is perpetuating an environment whereby our interactions, relationships, and social norms are fundamentally and undeniably transformed. This interconnectedness can alter political and economic standards. Now that information is readily available via smartphones, tablets, laptop computers, and wearable technology, knowledge is in abundance. Wearable technology such as Google Glass displays our evolutionary proclivity towards mental enhancement through information. Google Glass hit the market in early 2014 to mixed reviews and meaningful potential. For example, emergency room doctors have already begun to use Google Glass to access patient electronic health care records (Heembrock, 2014). Google Glass, although not very popular, uses a heads-up display to give the user enhanced information about their environment, which opens up doors for collaboration with facial recognition software. Remembering the person at the coffee shop will no longer be an issue. The negative side is the probability of lowering use of personal memory base by outsourcing it to external technology.

Conscious Awareness

Conscious awareness is one of the latest patterns of how technology is becoming integrated into our daily life. Humans are now more connected than the previous generations could have envisioned. The level of knowledge transfer has become instant. With this increase in awareness, knowledge has become abundant and available. Now, people seemingly have access to answers of health, life, mathematical problems, and current events all at the swipe of a screen or click of a button. I often wonder if this interconnected network is the current age’s primary source for answers to spiritual questions, such as “What is consciousness?”

There have been many ideas for human spirit improvement throughout the ages, often addressed through religions, wisdom traditions, and earth-based practices. Along with these past ideas, follow different variations and schools of thought. Due to the variety, there is not a universal definition of spiritual training and development. However, for the purposes of this paper, Ferrer (2003) provides an interesting goal for growth:

Integral growth is a developmental process in which all human dimensions—-body, instincts, heart, mind, and consciousness—-collaboratively and co-creatively participate as equals in the multidimensional unfolding of the human being. This process can be understood as having two basic elements: integral practice and integral training. (p. 26)

Consciousness is subjective in nature, which makes it difficult to use the objective limitations of science as a method of identification. Consciousness continues to evolve through experience, altered states of consciousness, some drugs, spiritual practices, and physical exercise. This evolution is based on many factors, interior and exterior in nature. Altered states of consciousness are by definition the activation and stimulation of the mind, or as Daniels (2005) stated, they are “a state of consciousness different from the ‘ordinary’ states of wakefulness, dreaming, and dreamless sleep” (p. 279). There are multiple incarnations of alternate states of consciousness, such as lucid dreaming, enlightenment, out of body experience, and transcendence, to name a few. Have you ever driven on a long-distance road trip and found yourself unable to recall the previous moments, yet the car is still on track? This experience points, in a very common way, to the human capability to enter an altered state of consciousness. Although altered states of consciousness experiences have been classified with spirituality, recently researchers have explored the biological means of consciousness. Currently growing in popularity is a way of explaining consciousness through the compound structure of the brain. The neuroanatomical systems, including the amygdala, cerebellum, thalamus, parietal-frontal circuits, prefrontal cortex, and parental lobe, provide evidence suggesting a direct correlation between consciousness (Dulany, 2014).

Developing Consciousness Past and Present

Through the ages, consciousness has been theorized, and usually developed, without the aid of technology. Buddhists use FA or focused attention meditation, and OM, or open-minded meditation, to improve awareness (Lutz, Slager, Dunne, & Davidson, 2008). Buddhism is a practical way of life that alludes to true awareness without the aid of outside sources. FA and Om are examples of tools used in meditation practices and are further explained by the research of Colzato, Oztur, and Hommel:

In FA meditation, the individual focuses on a particular item, thought, or object. Everything else that might tend to attract attention, such as bodily sensations, environmental noise, or intrusive thoughts, is to be actively ignored by redirecting attention constantly back on the same focus point. In OM meditation, instead, the individual is open to perceive and observe any sensation or thought without focusing on a concept in the mind or a fixed item; therefore attention is flexible and unrestricted. (p. 176)

FA and OM are used to develop mindful techniques that change the brain’s development through focused attention. In a study by Lutz et al. (2008), Buddhists used focused thinking and their breath as a gateway into altered states of consciousness. In doing this, the practitioner takes time out to witness the automatic function that is the breath, which is an indicator of life. The breath is deeply associated with mindfulness. Buddhist meditations are aimed at the development of awareness, using concentration as a tool for reaching the center of the mind (Gunaratana, 2009). The latter research is important because it demonstrates a human discovery about how these particular practices offer a path towards increasing human depth of consciousness. The continuation of these practices seems to show an awareness of a need to integrate conscious awareness into everyday life. Integrating in a way that contributes to what some might perceive as spiritual evolution and some perceive as contributing to brain development. In either case, even before technology and brain science proved the benefits of meditation, the practitioners themselves recognized a benefit that warranted continuation of these practices.

Mapping the Meditative Mind

Transhumanists theorize that human life expectancy will be increased through transcendence of the physical body, by uploading consciousness onto computers and subsequently creating a synthetic mind (Kurzweil, 2012). Although the topic of transhumanism is hotly debated, mind mapping has become one of many instruments used in the exploration of the human mind. Stimulated areas of the brain produce a framework of the brain as it enters an altered state of consciousness.

In addition, several recent cross-sectional studies found differences in functional connectivity in the “resting state” which indicated stronger coupling between brain regions implicated in self-monitoring, cognitive control, and attention in experienced meditators compared to subjects with less or no meditation experience. (Desbordes, 2012, online source)

With various methods of meditation, researchers have used technology understand what occurs when Buddhists and other associated practitioners engage in meditation.

In addition to those practices noted above, other types of meditation include mindfulness of breathing, mindfulness of mental thoughts, Transcendental, and self-awareness. These four types essentially cultivate awareness of one’s breathing while simultaneously focusing on the contents of one’s mind (Desbordes, 2012). As stated above, Buddhists and relevant practitioners have developed methods to unlock the mind through meditation, hypnosis, and mindful exercises. When studying the effects of continued meditation, during a research trial, results suggested that neural activity during meditation is dynamic and slowly evolving during practice (Benson, 2000). Although brain activity has been implicated in focus practices, not all neuroscientists agree that meditation is an effective means to get in touch with our biological functioning. One conflicting perspective stems from the experiment published in the Psychophysiological Research Journal, which revealed that scientists had found evidence that introspective elements show no difference in meditators and non-meditators (Khalsa, 2008). However, Khalsa’s research focused only on meditators’ ability to notice heart rate.

Can a Synthetic Mind Be Built From the Ground Up?

Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio (2008), believes that building a synthetic mind can be achieved by, "gathering pertinent data of neuron-to-neuron interactions and, in real time, and transferring this data to a computer program” (p. 5). Damasio’s hypothesis also covers the structure and design of the brain, specifically, how it designs the mind. His hypothesis further states that the brain creates second-tier representations of external objects, indicating that the brain’s components of the thalamus and cingulate cortices contribute to creating an understanding of experience. With rising interest in neuroscience, philosophy, and mind mapping, various tools are in development to help with the progression.

Although history tells of spiritual ascenders, such as the Buddha, Gandhi, and the various incarnations of the Dali Lama. These individuals are a minority; and it is unknown what, if any, role technology played in the above leaders’ development. However, it is feasible to consider that the role of technology in today’s spiritual development may increase. It can be inferred that political consciousness would not have come to fruition without the advent of the printing press; and, currently, society would not be as connected without the technological advances in social networking. Extending this mode of thinking, can the argument be made that planetary consciousness, or a universal cognitive link between all, may be achieved with a worldwide communications network, accessible to the masses?

The Role of Technology in Collective Unconsciousness Exploration

The recording of brain activity with Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) may provide a deeper view of what occurs within the brain, with possible implications of how to improve brain performances. The brain produces a complex electrical pattern, which can be measured on the surface of the head using EEG. The EEG electrical activity frequency range is divided into five main categories: Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma (Grainger, 2009). Although understanding and identifying the delicately laced neurons that fire and create a state of mind are intriguing, with all of the accumulated knowledge regarding the mind, a complete understanding is still far off (Grainger, 2009). Similar to the immensity of the ocean, there is the deep undiscovered portion of the mind, ripe with the knowledge to help unlock the past and open doors to future development.

The human brain is similar to the World Wide Web; whereas the Internet is connected to nodes, cloud storage, and bridge servers, creating a massive interconnected web. It has not been widely accepted that the brain may have the capability to connect outwardly and communicate in the same way as the Internet. The difference here is that computers, smartphones, and other devices are linked via the Web, creating an infinite amount of connectivity and shared information. Carl Jung theorized that collective unconsciousness is nothing more than the assumption of instincts (Carvalho, 2014). If Jung is correct, the idea of a collective unconsciousness uniting humans may be described as subtle, often misunderstood, and hardly accessible. Is it, therefore, even possible to activate an unspoken link between all people? The answer to this question is currently unknown. However, the connections between mind and unity consciousness, mind and body, and mind and computer are developed and practiced by Buddhists meditators, spiritual practitioners, and neuroscientists, respectively.