Society of Mind
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== What happens when agents become aware of themselves ? == | == What happens when agents become aware of themselves ? == | ||
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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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| + | 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. If there are continuously | ||
| + | reports in the media that the society is in a crisis, | ||
| + | then the members of the society will believe that they | ||
| + | are in a crisis. | ||
If the population is large and complex enough, can it | If the population is large and complex enough, can it | ||
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to predict what someone will do (the stronger the free will | to predict what someone will do (the stronger the free will | ||
we attribute to him, the more difficult it will be). | we attribute to him, the more difficult it will be). | ||
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== Links == | == Links == | ||
