Distributing Cognition: From Local Brains to the Global Brain

We show how the externalization of our local brain functions is leading to a planetary level intelligence, or global brain. We argue that this mechanism of externalizing cognitive functions is a fundamental driver towards an ever smarter human-machine symbiosis. We discuss implications and applications of externalizing various cognitive functions such as memory, computation, hearing, vision, brainstorming, reasoning, navigation, emotions and actions. We illustrate what such technological advanced could lead to, with a fictional story of a day in year 2060. We then take a top-down approach, and argue that this progressive externalization helps to better understand, foresee and facilitate the emergence of a globally distributed intelligence, best conceptualized as a global brain. We discuss different symbioses between biology and machines, and what would be the elementary elements composing the global brain. We finally embrace a broader cosmic perspective and argue that even if the singularity is near, an energetic bottleneck is nearer. We suggest that other extraterrestrial global brains in the universe might have successfully dealt with this energetic bottleneck.

ISBN:978-0692457665

Jaar van publicatie:2015

Trefwoorden:global brain, singularity, starivore