Thread: October 14, First Contact

The whole idea of telepathy is actually a meaningless concept which reeks of dualism. What exactly do you mean by telepathy? Sending words to another person separated by space? We do that by speaking. So I guess you mean silently sending words to another person via the electromagnetic field? We do that by texting. Do you not want an external device involved? Well, what on Earth do you mean by external device? Our brain is a device just like any other. In the future perhaps we'll be able to wire up some kind of reciever directly to the neurons so that we don't have to look at anything, but really, what's the difference, and why would it be such an achievement?

Originally Posted by Xei

why would it be such an achievement?

Everyone wants to feel super...and ever since the beginning of intelligent people who had low knowledge stories have been sprung and lies have been spun. It would be an achievement because if you had telepathy you would feel like a super hero.

It's about as useful as a mobile phone.

Not sure about you but personally I don't feel like Superman when I get a phonecall.

Originally Posted by Xei

It's about as useful as a mobile phone.

Not sure about you but personally I don't feel like Superman when I get a phonecall.

...You might feel like superman if you could hear every conversation anyone ever had without them knowing...or hear every inner thought...or actually I would feel like a super hero if I didn't have to pay a phonebill...

But seriously that is why people want it so bad....but just like beauty or innate intelligence, it is only special if it isn't something everyone in the world has. This is why in most fictional stories about such feats(I don't necessarily know that I spelled that right at all) it is a "no body" who suddenly gains these "interesting" abilities and then becomes somebody because of them. I give you Matt from Heroes... Anyway, if everyone had it it would indeed be as dull as a phone call.

Mmmm I wouldn't be surprised if it was widely accessible in a decade or so. Neuroscience and computing are advancing pretty quick (that's where I'm headed btw), and the brain is remarkably plastic when it comes to just shoving an external device in your neural network.