Reading Robert Wright's Nonzero, I find this passage on page 51 of the paperback edition--
"The fitful but relentless tendency of invisible social brains to hook up with each other, and eventually submerge themselves into a larger brain, is a central theme of history. The culmination of that process--the construction of a single, planetary brain--is what we are witnessing today, with all its disruptive yet ultimately integrative effects."
Note--"...fitful but relentless...." I agree that integrative effects are relentless.
Robert Wright is an aspect of these effects. So is Pascal Boyer. And Susan Blackmore. Personable individuals who establish friendly relationships in place of ideology. Neil Cavuto, the financial guru at FOX News displays that integrative effect. They acknowledge the fact that we're not going anywhere.
And something that always nudges me towards integrative effects is the fact that the solar system, the galaxy and the cosmos-itself all appear to be temporary phenomenon. There is simple no excuse not to comfort the person next to you.
I am going to strike out on my own and try to establish a congenial territory for mutual comforting between self-conscious individuals. I'm thinking of calling it "Honesty International." Or "Simply Friends." Like that.
Maybe I'll see you there...
Best regards,
Les Stacey
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