Global Brain's Hemispheres

Global Brain – Hemishperes

I am playing with this idea of likening humanity on Earth to human cortex. Since metaphors are a great way to advance understanding, here we go.

Cortex is the part of human brain associated with thinking and action. It is divided into 2 hemispheres. Cortex is divided in several zones associated with processing of different information. Cortex is a hierarchical network structure. Each neuron has hundreds of thousands of connections to the other neurons. These connections connect neurons in different levels of , but also on the same level. Some connections report to the higher levels in hierarchy, but even more provide feedback to the lower levels. Neocortex is a thin layer on top of cortex. 

And now to Earth. We divide Earth to Northern and Southern hemisphere. 7 continents may be analogous to cortex lobes - I am not sure yet whether this analogy is helpful; there's certainly uniqueness to each continent, but I have very little knowledge of geography to actually grasp if there's distinct function to each continent. People can be seen as brain neurons. Indeed, we have connections within our own level, whom we call friends, relatives, classmates, and in some cases colleagues. We have connections to the higher levels – reporting to our schools, companies, institutions, governments; providing company reports on regional and national level and then governments report to cross national organisations like UN. These are not that numerous, however just like in brain, up-level reporting carries already pre-processed information. But pre-processed information also goes to the lower levels in hierarchy – to children, students, junior colleagues. These links are most numerous – the trend also repeated by the feedback functionality of the brain.

Neocortex is associated with sensory processing, language and consciousness. Human neocortex may be likened to the long distance communication systems developed by people: telegraph, radio, telephone, television and now internet. It is that thin layer that covers everything that happens on Earth. It can also be termed “self-conscious” as the information in our communication level is about us. It is not anymore functional connection like the road system, where goods are transferred. It is purely informational.

These ideas are certainly not new – many thinkers, scholars and writers have made these connections before me. What I am going to say next has occurred to me while reading about meditation. Of course, it does not mean that nobody has made this connection before, but to me it was, non-the-less, an original thought.

Meditation is a way to increase self-awareness. I am not claiming it to be the complete definition, but for the purposes of this post, this is a good start. Meditation brings higher state of consciousness, which increases interconnectedness between left and right hemispheres of the brain. Now back to Earth – Northern and Southern hemispheres are certainly connected, but there's a long-going problems of conflicts and differences between the so-called Global North and Global South. If we liken communication networks and most prominently Internet to neocortex – our Earth's consciousness is concentrated exactly there. Indeed, were there any global concern about Global North and Global South before that consciousness (radio, television, internet) appeared? Not that we know (conscious) about. 

Internet consciousness brings the problems of the world to us almost immediately – Earth's neocortex is functioning and advancing Earth's self-consciousness.  This self-consciousness has started the drive to bridge the gap between Global North and South - and, indeed, large progress has been made. Many of Global South countries, like India, China, South Korea, are closing or have already closed the development gap.  

I am wondering - what is the driving force behind all the positive changes? Of course, information is a requirement. Information is our Earth's knowledge and conscious memory. But ultimately people are making decisions. Can we say that our collective consciousness is developing? Can we liken it to the human stages of moral development (see Kohlberg's theory)?  I see signs of Level 3 - Post conventional morality with orientation of social contract and universal ethics. We start to think as citizens of Earth and inseparable parts of it. This is also manifested in the environmental movements - care of Earth's "health". 

Another bridging happens between Western and Eastern philosophies. Western science starts to recognize the wisdom of Eastern holistic medicine, mind-body connection and meditation. I believe it is largely attributed to the Western development of the Theory of Relativity - the observer is not separable from the observation, the wisdom that was present in Eastern philosophies since the time of Upanishads (at least). And East is also looking to the West: for the technical knowledge, precise sciences and lifestyles. We are getting so much more integrated, whoever it does not happen easily.

And bringing it back to meditation. Meditation is a very curious phenomenon. East claims it to lead to reaching spiritual awakening and enlightenment. And of course West is trying to measure it. And West finds some answers. Meditation causes a change in the electromagnetic waves emitted by brain, adds more order to it. And knowing electromagnetism, we can expect resonance, which indeed happens when a group of people meditate together. Further it creates electromagnetic field and from the theory of the field - it causes further alignment of brain waves for people close by, even if they are not meditating. 

What will happen if a huge amount of people around the world meditate together in the same time? Can we hope to increase interconnectedness of our Earth's brain hemispheres - whether it's North and South or East and West? Reach higher level of Earth's consciousness?

P.S. People with better knowledge on anything that I mention here – please correct me! I love to find out when I am wrong ;)