Human Energy Podcast
On Being a Noospheric Species – Terrence Deacon – N2 Conference
On Being a Noospheric Species
Presented by Terrence Deacon as part of Human Energy's 2023 N2 Conference at the University of California, Berkeley
Presentation Summary:
Teilhard argued that the human evolutionary process does not exhibit the pattern of diversification and specialization characteristic of biological evolution in general. Rather it has a convergent character. This has parallels with the current recognition that there have been major transitions in evolution that have involved the coming together of once autonomous organisms to form higher order composite organisms, such as multicellular organisms like us.
Symbolic communication (e.g. language) has contributed to this trend toward collective unification because of the way it enables thoughts to be shared and cognition to be collaborative. Yet it is only possible if one is embedded in a cooperative social group that maintains this shared interpretive capacity. In this respect, humans have long been part of a collaborative mental process, a noosphere.
Learn more at www.humanenergy.io
On Being a Noospheric Species
Presented by Terrence Deacon as part of Human Energy's 2023 N2 Conference at the University of California, Berkeley
Presentation Summary:
Teilhard argued that the human evolutionary process does not exhibit the pattern of diversification and specialization characteristic of biological evolution in general. Rather it has a convergent character. This has parallels with the current recognition that there have been major transitions in evolution that have involved the coming together of once autonomous organisms to form higher order composite organisms, such as multicellular organisms like us.
Symbolic communication (e.g. language) has contributed to this trend toward collective unification because of the way it enables thoughts to be shared and cognition to be collaborative. Yet it is only possible if one is embedded in a cooperative social group that maintains this shared interpretive capacity. In this respect, humans have long been part of a collaborative mental process, a noosphere.
Learn more at www.humanenergy.io