Do you think that technology is encouraging telepathy?

[◄♥ Witchy Mel ♥►]

With text messaging and facebook and myspace updates and now twitter, it seems we are striving to reach instant communication. It's like we are training our brains to expect it. So how long before our brains start doing it automatically?

I have a second question which I think is very connected with this one.

Have we ever evolved for the sake of convenience...or even social acceptance or has it only ever been out of necessity?
Raji, that is a brilliant observation. We do have to read between the lines much more now.

"send good thoughts to me":

I have often heard people say that the only reason we evolve is for survival and that's why people haven't or ever will be psychic in any way because it has nothing to do with survival. I don't agree with this but that is why I asked that question.

I will send good thoughts to you.
TR, thank you for taking the time to answer, I would really like to give you BA but I can't this time around.

[evirustheslaye]

well first of all it must be noted that our brain only goes so far, telepapthy won't happen unless we artifically agument our brain to communicate with computer systems, but in that case it isn't "true telepathy" because it requires inserting electronics into the brain.

now it must also be noted that individuals DON'T evolve, populations evolve, and furthermore evolution dosn't occur at will, it requires multiple generations and selective pressures.

[magma]

I don't think technology is encouraging it. I think it's the opposite in fact. They are using other communications to steer away from normal brain functions half the time. Wonder why some kids have bad grades in school? Most of them are texting class.

[Bruce McDonald]

The only way we will ever be able to communicate telepathically would be if they implanted our brains with wireless transmitters and receivers. Our evolution has been mainly driven by necessity and some convenience to make some parts of survival easier, but not exactly for acceptance.

[Ivan]

I believe magma is right children's minds are becoming if anything reversed of what you seem to believe I mean kids are always txting in class and we do thrive to have that connection but unfortunately technology is just slowing us down for now because the human mind needs that knowledge to stimulate the brain and we can't do that if our kids aren't paying attention

[bigdoctor358]

In a way. WE are constantly having to "read" our computer's mind, having to "read the mind of those with whom we communicate over the telephone, internet and other forms of communication and Media. Many times we have to read between the lines to find the base meaning to what we see and hear. So in that respect, we ARE having to learn to communicate in ways that are beyond verbal and written forms of communication.

Brightest Blessings,
Raji the Green Witch

[wushuboy001]

The part about evolving for survival is correct. Evolution is about odds over a long period of time and millions of specimens reproducing. If a particular specimen has a genetic trait, they have better odds of passing it to their offspring. That offspring has a slight chance of having those same traits, which gives them a slightly better chance to pass on their genes. Many generations later, the odds catch up with the species and all of that species has the new trait. This is adaption.

This would be a very useful skill to have to survive predators and elements 4000+ years ago.

The question we have to ask is this, would psychic abilities make it easier to pass genes on. I think with the onset of the internet, they would actually make it a little harder. The internet is a great way for people to get together, and certainly is having an effect on our species evolution. However, I believe that psychic abilities are becoming less useful for several reasons.
- Anything that can be done with a psychic ability (as far as relationships), can be done on the internet behind a shield of safety. We meet easier, can express our feeling easier, and converse with less fear of rejection.
- I think if someone knew what was going on behind the computer of the online people they were calling "friends", they might be overwhelmed and find themselves back at square one.

I am not opposed to meeting people face to face (not me personally, since I am already married), but I know for many people the internet takes a lot of edge off of meeting people. Psychic abilities would do the same thing off the internet.
All I am saying is that I think if anything we are losing psychic abilities that once were stronger, simply because we are loosing the need for them.

[minerva]

Frankly I think they are actually trying to SUPPRESS telepathy. I think humans relying so much on technology atrophy their natural telepathic abilities. Instead of using this naturally people are going the "Borg" route and hooking into the external techno hive mind (the internet is just a basic template for it and they are already talking about technology to hook the brain waves to the computer so you no longer need a keyboard).

[Flame]

Technology is nature based. Telepathy is supernatural based. People can encourage telepathy, and the inventions that people create can enhance our supernatural abilities. But the technology, in itself, cannot encourage telepathy.

We have evolved for every reason under the sun. Humans can use their will to make choices, and any choice has the potential to evolve. Choice is the purpose of our existence, and evolution is a result of our choices.

[tr]

Regarding your second question, "have we ever evolved for the sake of convenience or social acceptance": Populations evolve over time not necessarily based on necessity or "survival of the fittest", but on who procreates the most and who with. Obviously survival can come into it, e.g., only those that survive have the chance to procreate. And I am simplifying this a bit for the sake of space. But the point is that if convenience or social acceptance related to some gene-controlled trait is resulting in greater procreation with people having this trait (e.g., one holding this trait is more likely to have more children), then yes, the population will evolve to build this trait into the gene pool. Is this happening now with any gene controlled trait? Hard to say. This process occurs over such large time scales and it's much easier to see in retrospect.

Regarding psychic abilities, and assuming for the sake of argument that such abilities were real and controlled by genetics, and further assuming that it is present in some people due to a gene mutation, then the only way the population could evolve to have more psychic ability among individuals is if psychic people happened to have more children than non-psychic people. 10,000 or 100,000 years ago, if psychic traits existed, they could have helped people avoid predation from other animals, thus resulting in a surviving population with increasingly greater psychic individuals. Today survival is more linked to the availability of food and clean water, health habits and resistance to disease, and it's not clear how psychic abilities would aid survival or the ability to reproduce there. Perhaps the avoidance of car accidents and similar health hazards? Maybe that's one way, but there's not good evidence that psychic avoidance like this is actually happening.

Regarding your very first question, I don't see how technology can encourage telepathy if the brain is not physically capable of it in the first place. If anything, the reliance on technology means less reliance on our own brain power (think of the advent of the electronic calculator and how nobody ever does math with pencil and paper anymore!)