Quote:
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Originally Posted by MrSelfDestruct
Large organisms evolve from smaller ones. Single cells combine to from larger organisms. Evolution moves toward perfection. So, shouldn't it make sense that God is a point in our future when technology connects enough of us that we become omniscient, rather than the beginning of all things?
I don't remember the exact wording, but I'm curious to see if anyone has heard this before and knows where it came from. Share your thoughts. I wouldn't say I agree with it, but I think it is an interesting thought.
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Hope nobody minds, but a friend of mine wrote something recently that has got me thinking about these things, and I searched through the forum to find this thread and I'll now resurrect it:
It's Not Just A Game: Spirituality and Technology by JamesTM at
http://www.eternalgamer.com/play/art...60123211212739
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The consciousness of the world's human population is exploding. The exponentially increasing rate at which we receive data began with such simple inventions as the printing press, burgeoned with the creation of radio and television, and continues to expand ever more rapidly in the evolution of the Internet.
Whether you read esoteric prophecies or speculate on future cybernetic technologies, humanity appears to be racing toward a unified, shared consciousness. If the revolution is the result of an augmented spirituality or technology is not so important, though I lend my faith to a combination of the two. I simply feel an inevitability of dramatic change in the way humans think and cooperate, and I feel it is imminent in our lifetimes.
What's all this have to do with online gaming?
I view every Internet technology as rehearsal for endowment of this collective conscious. The truly awesome capability of instantaneous, world-wide connectivity among intellects seems to me a bit overwhelming to absorb in a singular stride. Multiplayer online games serve as an ideal exercise toward handling this power, in that they allow us to communicate instantly and react collectively to stimuli vaguely resembling the real world, all the while transcending the physical limitations of space.
It's not just a game, it's practice for a revolution in the way humanity thinks. When I bear criticism from people in real life about gaming and gamers, I shake my head in disbelief and try to explain my theories. Certainly there exists a point where too much "practice" can be dangerous. The sustenance of one's own life supercedes digital connectivity with others', and I have no doubt the same will be true when our consciousness does unify. However, the person who spends several hours a day actively communicating in and manipulating these illusory environments more closely embraces the reality we appear destined to inherit than the average real-life sociophile.
Hopefully, that reality won't be limited to blasting people in the face with a fully automatic weapon, directing vast armies toward unparalleled destruction, or convening to depose the most powerful enemy of the land. Unfortunately, building schools and feeding the homeless in simulated environments isn't fun... Yet! In the meantime, both competitive and cooperative efforts in online gaming prepare us for something substantially greater than the sum of humanity's individual parts.
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While he's not specifically invoking biological organisms, or anything to that fact, he does seem to be reinterpreting the idea of the godhead as a sort of collective consciousness spurned by technology and internet gaming... or rather, looking forward to the future, will the distant relative of the MMO be responsible for uniting humanity in such a way that, while not evolving biologically, we could evolve socially, and at least realize ideas of God and omniscience in a more perfect society? Could we focus all of our efforts, our downtime, by participating with the global community in an egalitarian virtual realm where problems are solved and true progress, perhaps even social perfection, achieved? Would that constitute God in any way?
Looking forward to thoughts....