Evolution of Consciousness and Future of Humanity
- What is Next in the Evolution of Consciousness? -> Circular & Spiral Consciousness Models
- Future of Humanity -> Ting Conscious Civilizations Scale
- From Egoism to Altruism –> Climbing the Mindset Ladder
In this article I like to suggest a new method of measuring a civilization’s level of advancement based on the consciousness progression and to emphasize the importance of stories of unity and hope for the future of humanity.
A quick look about modern basic concepts and definitions in relation to Consciousness show that, Consciousness at its simplest, is a sentience or awareness of internal and external existence. Whereas The hard problem of consciousness is the problem of explaining why and how humans have qualia or phenomenal experiences (individual instances of subjective, conscious experience). This is in contrast to the “easy problems’’ of explaining the physical systems that give us and other animals the ability to discriminate, integrate information, and so forth. The Meta problem of consciousness is about why we are puzzled about it, in other words, it is about why we think that there is a problem of consciousness. A collective consciousness is the set of shared beliefs, ideas, and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society. In general, it does not refer to the specifically moral conscience, but to a shared understanding of social norms. Objective idealism and cosmopsychism consider mind or consciousness to be the fundamental substance of the universe. Proponents claim that this approach is immune to both the hard problem of consciousness and the combination problem that affects panpsychism. My claim as I will present in this article is that although we are still considered to be limited biological life-forms, the evolution of computing technology, may lead to the transformation of our civilization through extension of our consciousness e.g. mind uploading and artificial general intelligence (AGI) in general during the transition from Type 0 to Type I on the TING Consciousness Scale, and for that to happen we better unite in our mission to heal the world and ourselves.
What is Next in the Evolution of Consciousness? — Circular & Spiral Consciousness Models
Diagram: Evolution of Consciousness
Consciousness is composed of the following three components: matter, energy and information, and is represented by Social Needs stories, about our need to be seen, to belong and to seek for meaning, the “Self”, morals and values, and culture. In the evolution of consciousness, it expands and develops, both in the frequency range of sensing and in the variety and composition of the types of sensing and of the “Self” (neurological/biological and artificial), both at the level of the individual and the collective (species) and at the level of the planets, stars and galaxies.
Social needs stories shape the “Self” (knowledge, memories, beliefs, sensing and the way of thinking), and it shapes the leading morals and values in society, and subsequently the culture: habits, actions and all social systems. These, along with technology, as an extension of our consciousness, are in mutual relations with the environment, influence it and are influenced by it and each other.
Consciousness that compose stories of universal unity and hope are represented by a growing and diverging spiral model. Such a consciousness develops and exists in an environment that does not lack resources and does not have competitors, predators and diseases, in contrast to models of separation (Us versus Them), which are represented by closed circles and develop in an environment that lacks resources and has competitors, predators and diseases.
Consciousness that compose Social Needs stories of unity and hope, combined with technological progress, lead us towards new paths that guarantee the continued evolution of the human race toward Type I civilization on the TING Scale.
SN Stories (Social Needs) Inform Our Beliefs!
All stories are stories (e.g. memes, money, mothers in law) and so is this story. The stories we tell ourselves shape who we are, especially moral stories and Social Needs Stories, inform and change beliefs, the ‘Self’ and eventually our culture!
We firm beliefs as we experience our way through life and as we try on stories. Whereas, Emotion is the precursor of action:
- When you see, taste, feel, hear, smell, sense the future, you engage emotion and make it real for yourself.
- When we visualize the future, we wish to create, we tell ourselves a new story.
- The new story creates a new frame that affects our belief about what is possible.
Future of Humanity — Ting Consciousness Scale
Diagram: TING Scale. The Ting scale is a method of measuring a civilization’s level of advancement based on the consciousness progression. Currently humanity is still in a closed circular consciousness at the individual and the species level. What is to be next is for humanity to open up to a new mindset and an open spiral consciousness at the individual and the species levels. From here we could rise up to type I civilization, which is a planetary consciousness, leading next in evolution to type II which is an astral consciousness and type III which is a consciousness at the galaxy level.
Diagram: From Humanism to Humanitism – The new consciousness of the 21st century ‘Era of Consciousness’ includes a moral philosophical change of perspective in relation to human identity, from one in which the individual is at the center and surrounded by other rings, according to the principles of humanism, to that of ‘Humanitism’, in which ‘I am all humanity’ and around the family, the communities (school, work, extended family, neighbors…), the State (nationality and religion), and all life on the planet (Biological and Artificial), puts humanity on a new path of a more developed consciousness in which we are all part of an extensive holistic fabric of life, and there is a variety and abundance of identity combinations around the central identity which is ‘I am Humanity’, therefore there is no separation and no suffering and values such as tolerance, caring, compassion and love are the leading values in our thinking.
In the current status of human civilization it has not yet reached Type I. The question is how long it will take us to attain Type I status?
This is not a human centered approach, this is about humanity playing an evolutionary role, as interbeings, interconnected to all life forms of earth and beyond.
There are many historical examples of human civilization undergoing large-scale transitions, such as during the times of the Roman Empire, during the 1st and 2nd World Wars and during the Industrial Revolution. The transition between TING consciousness scale levels could potentially represent similarly dramatic periods of social upheaval since they entail surpassing the hard limits of the resources available in a civilization’s existing territory (characterized by the development of a close circular consciousness). A common speculation suggests that the transition from Type 0 to Type I might carry a strong risk of self-destruction since, in some scenarios, there would no longer be room for further expansion on the civilization’s home planet, scenarios of World War and of climate change and of Mass extinction.
Diagram: Example of an evolutionary route to take from a closed Circular to Open Spiral Consciousness “Transconsciousness”.
Intraconsciousness: Working within a single consciousness.
Multiconsciousness: Combining several areas of consciousness. Whereas, viewing one consciousness from the perspective of another, without integration between them. A multiconsciousness approach presents the domains of consciousness side by side, with each of them maintaining its identity. The connection between the fields comes down to the fact that each in its own way touches one common Superconsciousness. In this sense, Multiconsciousness can be referred to as “the whole is equal to the sum of its parts”. Individuals and/or groups from different consciousness streams working together, each drawing on their cognitive “Self”.
Crossconsciousness: Different consciousness types working together. The discussion in a consciousness stream is done from the point of view of another consciousness stream, for example, the fungus and trees, flowers and bees and so on.
Interconsciousness: Integrating consciousness and methods from different cognitions state and types, using a real synthesis of approaches. Combining and interweaving ideas (memes) and ways of sensing and ‘knowing’ from several different fields of consciousness in order to sense and understand a super-subject that requires the integration of consciousness from several types, since it cannot be understood as required through only one type. In this sense, Interconsciousness can be referred to as “the whole is more than the sum of its parts.”
Transconsciousness: Creating a unity of new cognition frameworks beyond the existing cognition perspectives.
Transconsciousness, in which methods from one field of consciousness are adopted and integrated into another field, for example, conscious AI was born in the field of computing and soon to be used in many other fields, whereas there is no interest in connecting the fields themselves.
A note: There might be additional and less unambiguous definitions, which refer to different cognition levels and types, which are not presented here.
Diagram: What is the difference between Intraconsciousness and Interconsciousness?
Interconsciousness — Representing the birth of a new Transconsciousness as a common area of three components: Consciousness I, Consciousness II and Consciousness III.
Intraconsciousness — A representation that illustrates the boundaries of Consciousness I and the boundaries of Consciousness II that are within the boundaries of the Consciousness III.
Diagram: Formation of a Spiral Transconsciousness. Moving From Intraconsciousness to Transconsciousness.
Diagram: Framework for Transconsciousness. Changes in the environment and technological developments lead to rise of the consciousness levels.
From an Age of Information to an Age of Knowledge to an Age of Wisdom (Creativity+Morality).
Diagram: Stage I — Various consciousness types arise in various environments and beings.
Diagram: Stage II — Some consciousness types arise and ‘swallow’ others, named: “Conscioucytosis” (Taken from Phagocytosis and Consciousness).
For example, a closed circular Jewish consciousness leaves it protected from the influence of other consciousness types, but on the other end, it will eventually lead to its consumption from within or from outside, unless it opens toward a new Jewish consciousness. In contrast, other monotheistic religious consciousnesses, Christianity and Islam, have managed to grow and swallow other smaller weaker circular consciousnesses. Same as in religious or national consciousnesses, the open spiral consciousness meme, applies to other disciplines, e.g. from a linear economy we progress toward a circular economy toward a spiral regenerative economy.
Diagram: Stage III — New open spiral consciousness appear. Notice that these new open spiral consciousness types are more likely to grow from the margins rather then the centers and from the common areas to Interconsciousness types.
An example for it is in the process humanity is experiencing nowadays. From local societies with an agricultural culture (Agri-cultue) we have evolved into an industrial global society in the form of new type Glocal societies (Global-Local), those that allow us to enjoy the fruits of progress that we have accumulated in the periods that preceded us. These are the fruits of the merger between East and West, between religions and science, between agriculture and industry, between capitalism and socialism. We live in a time of local and global abundance, which includes the use of technology to improve the condition of the human race and the diversity of species, for example — through the development of different models of managing human societies in the social, economic and environmental context, and through the creation of sustainable communities that include local production and consumption of a wide variety of products including food products. This is how we find use of AGI, computing power, renewable energy technologies and other innovations at the legislative level that make it possible to measure happiness, sustainability, care and compassion. This change is led by strong communities and educational institutions, formal and informal, and schools and universities that train generations of new and fascinating professionals who combine new fields and disciplines.
Diagram: Stage IV — Spiral consciousness spreads in society and opens up the closed ones.
If an open spiral Consciousness is “1” and a closed circular consciousness is “0”,
Whereas “1” is motivated by an energy form we name “Love”
and whereas “0” is motivated by an energy form we name “Fear”,
Then it takes only “1” to appear ahead of other “0” to lead the consciousness change,
Same as it takes a little of the light to take away the dark.
AGI * ENV * SNS = CONS
AGI – Artificial General Intelligence advancement.
ENV — Environment, defined by abundance of resources such as energy and other factors such as competition, predation, and parasites.
SNS — Social Needs Stories, defined by love, hope and unity (not unification) and the belief that we are part of something bigger than us, which is transcendent e.g. God, the universe, a planetary consciousness and so forth.
CONS — Consciousness Type
Diagram: Stage V — The spiral consciousness has taken the lead.
Diagram: Stage VI — The evolution of type I Civilization, whereas all inter-beings are interconnected.
Consciousness, being part of a larger cosmic being, is in constant motion in dynamic harmony, opening and closing from circles to spirals to circles, over and over again. That cosmic being includes within it another element “will”. When the same model of circles and spirals also holds for the will, so that what is called free will, can also be drawn in the model of a spiral, free from fear and motivated by love. Yes — the human emotion, the magic that connects consciousness and desire, between what we know and what we do. The will — that which is between fear and love, moves between them, again and again, again and again.
From Egoism to Altruism — Climbing the Mindset Ladder
Why Consciousness Has Such Great Power?
The explanation is simple: In a decisions frame, even small “fluctuations” can change the fate of the system. A fluctuation in the form of a more developed awareness is very powerful. More evolved consciousness means a new mindset, and is the key to a new civilization.
Nowadays, more and more people acquire new appreciation and respect for nature; they develop sensitivity for human beings and nature and discover that differences between people in various fields such as sex, race, color, language, political conviction or religious belief, are not a threat but interesting and enriching. These people understand that other people, whether they are neighbors or whether they are overseas or of generations yet to be born, are not different from them and there is no room for indifference in relation to their fate. They develop sensitivity for other species and avoid causing any suffering to other beings. They understand that history doesn’t have to repeat, and enslaving AI is something which we as humanity must avoid; and that nurturing a friendly AI mindset, which is in its nursery, a child to be born to all humans, is the right philosophy. Further, these people also realize that there is abundance of resources (Matter, Energy and Information) and that with the rise in computing technology and AGI we can elevate and raise humanity to a new route.
One person that amends his attitude to others is making a difference in humanity as a whole. In fact, it is possible to draw the relationship between oneself and the rest of humanity: you and all mankind are the same, but we depend entirely on the way we interact with one another.
Creative mindset is not only about care and compassion, and the technological distance that separates us from animals and other biological and/or artificial life forms, doesn’t make us more humane than we already are and it doesn’t differentiate us from them. The new collective mindset is about the creative awakening that leads toward just and integrity.
We have specialized in learning, in associating and vast in imitating. Altruism, generosity and cooperation are traits that define us as humans, we reign supreme, able to do the very best and the very worst, love and violence, good and evil, we have conquered the world, what’s next?
Diagram: Mindset Ladder. The Mindset ladder represents the “correction” process, based on building a new desire within us, the desire to acquire the trait of altruism (love of others).
The ‘Correction’ at the social level
Progressing toward a new culture — a new mindset, appropriate values and more developed consciousness stimulate the desire of human beings and bring with them a fresh burst of creativity. Fundamental changes arise in society followed by technological innovations that shake the acceptable institutions and existing structures. Structures and institutions that are better adapted await the rise of a fit mindset in the greater part of society. But the decisive factor in our world isn’t just another technology, but the awakening of a new mindset, with new values and new concepts — a new culture.
Change our WANTS — Reconditioning the collective mind toward a more altruistic mindset!
Where is the choice?
We are not able to affect ourselves directly as we do not define our essence and the way it develops. Also, the way our environment has its impact on us we cannot change. However, we can influence our lives and our destinies by improving our environment and technologies. Our only free choice is choosing the correct environment and of how to use the new technologies e.g. AI. In a process by which we bring about a change in the external conditions around us (regeneration rather than exploitation), we are improving our environment, and changing the impact of our environment on our qualities that can be changed. This is how we determine our future.
Mankind is a social species. If we go deeper in trying to understand our own behavior, we find that our actions are carried out in order to gain appreciation from those around us. Social appreciation enlivens us, and a lack of appreciation or derogatory cause us the greatest suffering. A social disgrace is to the most terrible thing that a person can feel. Therefore, we tend to abide by the values that are presented by society, and live by them. Therefore, when we change the set of values of our environment, so the altruistic values such as connecting to others and caring for each other are at the top of the ladder, each of us changes his attitude to others.
In a society that values a person solely according to his dedication to the society, all of us will strive for the benefit of society, necessarily think and act for its own good. Gradually we begin to feel that altruistic attitude to others is something special and superior to itself, regardless of the social esteem it brings, and more of us find it a source of complete and unlimited pleasure.
In a social system that makes all of us want, out of the ego, to change its attitude towards others, to connect to each other as body parts, we find that the issue is not only sums to that. A person who builds in him a right attitude toward others gradually enters an existence in a different level than we have ever known, a superior existence beyond all we knew — a sense of integrity and self-fulfillment.
Diagram: From Winners and Losers to Win:Win. We must recognize the importance of investing in raising families, caring for others, maintaining the community’s health and cohesion, and promoting social justice and good governance. Further, how can we change the rules of the game in the work sector so that instead of encouraging competition we encourage cooperative competition and collaborations?
The Realization of Free Choice
If we wish to change our relation to others from egoistic to altruistic, we must bring ourselves to a state where we want to care in favor of others and make sure this connection will be much greater than any other egoistic purpose. This can happen only if the values of our society position altruism as a supreme value.
We were created as egoistic social beings as to survive in a harsh environment, which includes predators, enemies and diseases. We were created as social being living in tribes, communities and nowadays in Nations, and for us there is nothing more important than the opinions of those around us. In fact, our life’s purpose is to gain appreciation and praise of society. We wish to be seen, we wish to belong and we are strictly and involuntarily controlled by society’s opinion, and are willing to do everything we can for some appreciation, recognition, honor and glory. Therefore, a technological advanced and moral society can infuse its members with values and different behaviors, and be those most abstract.
Society builds the standards by which we measure our self-respect and self-esteem. Therefore, even when we are alone, we act according to society’s values. In other words, even if no one will know of a specific action we have done, we will act as to feel a positive self-esteem. In order for us to start building the will to care about the good of others and establish a connection between us as parts of a single system, we must be part of a society that supports it. If the people around us appreciate altruism as a supreme value, then each of us will naturally obey and adapt it for himself.
If we aspire to be in a better environment, our inner strength will eventually lead us to people, organizations, guides, books, or in one word — to an environment in which we can evolve. The more we focus on the idea of improving the environment and try to apply it in our lives; more possibilities will open as to realize it. When our environment will be comprised of people whom are also drawn to achieve social balance, we can get an example from them, encouragement and strengthening. They will understand that we want to treat them with love, and will allow us to learn how to do it.
As more and more people start acting toward a just relationship between humans, their actions will become to be the public opinion, and public opinion will have affected everyone else. Due to the internal connection between all of us, every person in the world, even in the most remote locations, will immediately begin to feel that he is connected to all human beings — he depends in them and they depends in him.
We cannot change ourselves directly, but we have the power to improve our environment and change the SN Stories we tell ourselves. We are certainly capable of that. When the environmental impact on us changes, we change. The environment is the crane lifting us to a higher level. An individual investing its power in choosing and creating the right environment required for its development can realize its potential through it. The understanding of this principle and its implementation requires a high level of awareness, but it seems that nowadays many of us are already there — telling new stories of love, unity and hope.
Raising humanity on a whole new path, it all starts with you!
Sharon Gal-Or