Collective consciousness
From CasGroup
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| - | In the [[Society_of_Mind|society of mind]], what happens when agents become aware of themselves ? What we call self aware exists in some form in a society, too. | + | In the [[Society_of_Mind|society of mind]], what happens when agents become aware of something? Can the become aware of themselves ? What we call self aware exists in some form in a society, too. |
| - | == The spirit of China == | + | == Collective consciousness == |
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| + | === Sociology === | ||
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| + | According to the french sociologist Émile Durkheim, | ||
| + | the term [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_consciousness collective consciousness] | ||
| + | in societies refers to the shared beliefs and moral attitudes which operate | ||
| + | as a unifying force within society. In former times, | ||
| + | Religion played an important role in uniting members through | ||
| + | the creation of a common consciousness, just as the belief in the | ||
| + | own self plays an important role in building a consistent | ||
| + | single personality. The belief in a god is not that | ||
| + | different from a belief in an own [[Self|self]]. | ||
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| + | === Media === | ||
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| + | In a normal society, the media play an important role | ||
| + | in shaping the collective consciousness. The content | ||
| + | of the major newspapers, journals and TV stations determine | ||
| + | what the majority of people is aware of. In a sense, | ||
| + | they produce and construct the common collective | ||
| + | consciousness of the society. The shared consumption | ||
| + | leads to shared beliefs and attitudes. If there are | ||
| + | continuously reports in the media that someone is evil | ||
| + | or that the society is in a crisis, then the members of | ||
| + | the society will eventually believe that the person is | ||
| + | evil and that they are in a crisis. | ||
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| + | === Twitter, Facebookand and Zeitgeist === | ||
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| + | Today, Twitter is like a global stream of consciousness. | ||
| + | Twitter and Facebook capture what people are doing (and | ||
| + | thinking) right now. Taken collectively, the stream of messages | ||
| + | in both platforms provides insights into the digital mood, | ||
| + | the collective consciousness, and the zeitgeist | ||
| + | ("the spirit of the age"). | ||
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| + | == Collective self-awareness == | ||
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| + | === The spirit of China === | ||
If the population of a society is large and complex enough, it should be possible to represent and recognize itself. How? Steven Pinker asks in 'How the Mind Works' (p.146): | If the population of a society is large and complex enough, it should be possible to represent and recognize itself. How? Steven Pinker asks in 'How the Mind Works' (p.146): | ||
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How would a recognition or representation of itself look like? May you can describe it like this: when agents become aware of themselves, suddenly a small group of agents (which represent the self) becomes very famous, and make connections to nearly everyone else. In the above situation, these agents may be comparable to the team on the field, or the leaders of the religious group. A huge confusion arises in the population which agents should be activated: everyone since the agents represent everyone, and nobody since they are just one team among many others. | How would a recognition or representation of itself look like? May you can describe it like this: when agents become aware of themselves, suddenly a small group of agents (which represent the self) becomes very famous, and make connections to nearly everyone else. In the above situation, these agents may be comparable to the team on the field, or the leaders of the religious group. A huge confusion arises in the population which agents should be activated: everyone since the agents represent everyone, and nobody since they are just one team among many others. | ||
| - | == Collective self-awareness == | + | === Collective self-awareness === |
In general, everything which represents the society can lead to some form of self-awareness in the society, for example a sports team in a world cup or an army in a war which shows certain positive or desired attitudes. A kind of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_consciousness|collective consciousness]. | In general, everything which represents the society can lead to some form of self-awareness in the society, for example a sports team in a world cup or an army in a war which shows certain positive or desired attitudes. A kind of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_consciousness|collective consciousness]. | ||
A team, whether a sports team, an organization, or an army, can have a "team spirit" (in German "Teamgeist"). If the person which seems to embody this team spirit acts for the whole group in some form of competition or election, this can lead to some kind of self-awareness, if the actions are discussed or celebrated afterwards. If the people of a country start to discuss their own president (see Egypt), the society becomes aware of itself to a certain degree. | A team, whether a sports team, an organization, or an army, can have a "team spirit" (in German "Teamgeist"). If the person which seems to embody this team spirit acts for the whole group in some form of competition or election, this can lead to some kind of self-awareness, if the actions are discussed or celebrated afterwards. If the people of a country start to discuss their own president (see Egypt), the society becomes aware of itself to a certain degree. | ||
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| + | === Insight in Confusion === | ||
Self-awareness is a bit like a controversial election after a revolution: an elation accompanied by obfuscation, a kind of entrancement which causes puzzlement. Or is it? | Self-awareness is a bit like a controversial election after a revolution: an elation accompanied by obfuscation, a kind of entrancement which causes puzzlement. Or is it? | ||
| + | Consciousness of the self or self-awareness is like a whirl or turbulence | ||
| + | in the neural information flow: it is characterized by heavy discussions | ||
| + | with few results among *all* agents. [[Self-Consciousness|Self-consciousness]] | ||
| + | is like the feeling of being strong because you have climbed a huge | ||
| + | mountain, but it also like watching yourself from a distance | ||
| + | standing on this mountain peak at the same time. It is to | ||
| + | recognize yourself (that means every agent is affected) as a | ||
| + | small part of the environment (that means only a few special | ||
| + | agents are affected). | ||
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| + | Moreover, the results of the "discussions" which characterize | ||
| + | consciousness on the agent level often interfere with the | ||
| + | emotion agents which act through reinforcement. The capacity | ||
| + | to act is constrained. The agents are confused and the system | ||
| + | eventually shows chaotic behavior. Consciousness is complex. | ||
| + | It is the recognition of the familiar in the unfamiliar. | ||
| + | Although it is based on the insight of the own existence, | ||
| + | it leads to the recognition of the own death. Insight | ||
| + | causes pleasure, death the strongest displeasure. So | ||
| + | consciousness is related to pleasure in displeasure. | ||
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| + | Because the topic concerns the whole system, all agents | ||
| + | think it is important. But the insight of consciousness | ||
| + | says in turn the system as a whole is only a part | ||
| + | of a much larger system. Consciousness is a reconciliation | ||
| + | of the whole with the part, similar to eternity in a | ||
| + | moment (Goethe's Faust), or a lifetime in a day | ||
| + | (James Joyce' Ullysses). A continuous merging (agreement) | ||
| + | and splitting (disagreement) of agents. A self-conscious | ||
| + | agent is able to see eternity in a moment and a lifetime | ||
| + | in a day. | ||
