The '''Consciousness Singularity''' refers to a hypothetical point of time in the future when human consciousness, at both the personal and species level, experiences an abrupt transition into a collective state of transcendence.
The evolution of a consciousness "singularity" as a possible next stage in Julian Jaynes' model of the breakdown of the bicameral mind is detailed in this breakthrough series of reports. The proposition that consciousness singularity will come about not from the "uploading of consciousness" but will be the result of escalating interaction with machines creating a new kind of mentality even more significant than that created through human use of language is explored. Questions of transhumanism and the seat of the new consciousness: human, human-machine, or machine are addressed.
Transhumanism and the role of machines in consciousness are also explored through the literary works of Paolo Bacigalupi, Robert J. Sawyer and today's dominant movie genres in such films as Blade Runner, The Matrix, Terminator and Avatar. The emerging roles of virtual experience on Facebook, Second Life, and even modern drone warfare as are discussed as vehicles for abstracting humans from face-to-face community and as surrogates for real life.
The role of entrainment technologies and machines in altered states of consciousness are pursued. The unfolding of machine consciousness, from the influence of 18th century automata to modern nanotechnology, is examined. Similarly, the evolution of entrainment technology (from the drum beating shamans and the photonic stimulation of Ptolemy--- to hundreds of consumer electronics entrainment products today) is reviewed. Suggestions are made as to how various technologies might be more fully integrated into daily use in decision making, creativity, relaxation and enlightenment in the post-Singularity world.
Finally, what is consciousness? Contemporary neurologists and philosophers often describe consciousness as an emergent phenomenon with correlates to underlying neurophysiology, biochemistry and perhaps even electromagnetic radiation. When asked how consciousness may have evolved, scientists hypothesize an evolutionary unfolding from single cell organisms to plants and non-human animals and finally to modern humans, also suggesting an emergence of consciousness but to different degrees among living things dependent perhaps upon natural selection, heredity and genetics. In this presentation the latter stages of the evolution of the human brain are explored and it is theorized that novel human consciousness may have emerged as a consequence of a heavily and progressively modified genetic transcription environment. But, rather than selective adaptation developing consciousness through DNA mutation alone, it is suggested a primary mechanism of genetic engineering was epigenetic. Epigenetics is a relatively new model in biology where gene expression is shown to be altered by factors external to underlying DNA sequenced code. What epigenetics is and why it is important to the study and understanding of the evolution of human consciousness are detailed in this presentation. Specifically, two of the more subtle epigenetic drivers of human consciousness are examined: language and computing. Language as an epigenetic driver posits that over time critical biological / neurophysiological scaffolding evolved allowing language and higher order consciousness to occur and this platform combined with genetic and epigenetic factors amplified the process. Possible epigenetic influences of language development, including the transpermia hypothesis, the FOXP2 gene speculation, and the role of nutrigenomics are discussed. To be sure, higher levels of thinking are dependent on language and mathematics, and; in fact, modern language and mathematics may accelerate the biological process of consciousness. But, beyond language, humankind is currently undergoing a second epigenetic driver: our escalating interaction with computers. This epigenetic interaction could result in a new kind of mentality that could be as significant as that created through human use of language and mathematics. Epigenetic factors currently influencing transhumanism and biological singularity are discussed.
