Telepathy

[Willum]

I am re-reading the Foundation Series and a thought has popped into my mind:

Assuming we could read each others minds - how would humanity change?

Would the impossibility of hiding secrets improve or malign people or the planet?

[DanieltheDragon]

I am re-reading the Foundation Series and a thought has popped into my mind:

Assuming we could read each others minds - how would humanity change?

Would the impossibility of hiding secrets improve or malign people or the planet?

I am assuming we would adapt as a species to account for such a change in our social interactions, there of course would be a period of adjustment. That being said as a species we are currently not adapted for such interactions emotionally.

If the change trickled in over a thousand or so years it would improve as we would develop the emotional capacity and empathy to deal with perceptively negative feelings and emotions. Those that could not or would not develop this would naturally isolate themselves from society and the gene pool.

So we would have a more emotionally mature and peaceful population.

[DeMotts]

[Replying to post 1 by Willum]

Humans already communicate non-verbally in many ways. The question is, in your scenario are we able to read people's minds against their will? Or is it simply the ability to communicate without speaking if we choose to? In the case of latter I don't think too much would change, social adjustments would be necessary and it would probably streamline the sharing of complex concepts. In the case of the former I think things would get pretty hairy pretty fast.

Fun question though!

[Delphi]

Mental telepathy would change the fundamentals of what it is to be human.

Communication could be non-verbal. Would we require words or syntax? I think not. Communication could be incredibly vivid without requiring language. Speaking or reading would be a slow, cubersome process in comparison.

We would not need to require learning english or spanish or swahili since we could merely pass concepts around from mind to mind. Is there any reason to encapsulate your ideas into a book or even a few pages when those ideas can be merely transported from one person to another (or to many)?

[DanieltheDragon]

[Replying to post 4 by Delphi]

We tend to think in verbal languages though. I reckon that might linger for sometime rather than simply projecting ideas.

[Neatras]

[Replying to post 5 by DanieltheDragon]

Really? My thought processes tend to gravitate toward "image construction" where I model an imaginative state's appearance. It's difficult to construct imagination using words alone, and much of the mind's space is spent imagining.

[bluethread]

[Replying to post 5 by DanieltheDragon]

Really? My thought processes tend to gravitate toward "image construction" where I model an imaginative state's appearance. It's difficult to construct imagination using words alone, and much of the mind's space is spent imagining.

It is even more complicated than that. As with the development of communication so far that is visual, tactile, audible, or use taste, smell or balance; mental processes are many and varied. There could be thought transference, stimulative empathy and/or emotive empathy, just to name three processes, not counting how the recipient might perceive them or the way the thought stimulation or emotion is perceived by the transmitter. What we would have is an entirely new universe of study.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 6 by Neatras]

[Replying to DanieltheDragon]

Actually, my two brilliant amigos, you are both right. I have a defect, or "alternative thought process," where I don't think either way but in concepts. I never know anyone did it differently.

Some people think in words, some in pictures, idiot savant use visual processes to solve logical problems...

So, what we are discussing is further interesting:
I am finding bluethreads comment intriguing, so much so, that I will have to let it digest a while before I can even grasp it sufficiently to comment.

V/R

[DanieltheDragon]

[Replying to post 5 by DanieltheDragon]

Really? My thought processes tend to gravitate toward "image construction" where I model an imaginative state's appearance. It's difficult to construct imagination using words alone, and much of the mind's space is spent imagining.

That's why I said tend obviously we are not exclusive in how we think. However, the point I was making was this; when you wrote down your response to me what language was your brain thinking when you wrote it?

[ttruscott]

I am re-reading the Foundation Series and a thought has popped into my mind:

Assuming we could read each others minds - how would humanity change?

Would the impossibility of hiding secrets improve or malign people or the planet?

Consider:
the Biblical story has GOD and HIS angels in the Spirit realm before the physical universe was created. This proves, so to speak, that they communicated telepathically as there was no physical way to communicate yet.

The presence of telepathy as the form of communication did not forestall the Satanic rebellion nor the fall of the elect into idolatry of the Satanic to force GOD to postpone the judgment.

Telepathy must not be considered to automatically assume that all thoughts are shared with everyone when thought. But if they were, everyone would be privy to the slowly growing rebellion in Satan's mind and his rational for that rebellion as his heart hardened.

Then, taking the Christian pov into consideration that we are all sinful and our minds are clouded by sin all the time, knowing everyone's intimate evil thoughts might be quite onerous upon our mental health...