Letters to the Editor

This letter is associated with the following article:
Is the Web helping us evolve? The truth lies somewhere between "Google is making us stupid" and "the Internet will liberate humanity."
  • What the Internet really is

    Read de Chardin's Phenomenon of Man.

    It seems clear to me that the Internet, the World Wide Web, and Google, are an evolving brain covering the surface of the earth.

    One question is whether one or more governments will appropriate a controlling function over Internet content and accessibility, similar to the various control functions of the human brain.

    Another question is whether, if this "brain" is allowed to evolve (which will require millions/billions more programming hours and high-capacity computer chips), anything resembling an identifiable "consciousness" will emerge. If so, the ultimate mystery may be solved: the emergence of consciousness in the midst of matter.

Most Active Stories

Read More

Letters Help

Daily Delivery

Salon headlines in your mailbox