Mageth

Language is like any other tool that humans use. It can, when used correctly, be used to great effect, and be quite efficient. On the other hand, and far too often, it can be used unconsciously or on purpose to lead another to incorrect conclusions.

Good points.

However, I don't think that developing some form of "telepathy" would be an instant cure for the human proclivity for deception.

Mageth

The Messiah:

I like your comments on "visual thought communication." You're right; movies and other media are used to communicate "thoughts" to large numbers of people. However, like written and spoken languages, two people might "hear" a different message, the creator might use the medium to deceive, etc. One could argue that movies and other media are subject to many if not all the limitations as the written and spoken languages. Maybe more so.

As far as sci-fi goes, not all sci-fi puts telepathy, etc. in a bad light. I think it's typically favorably portrayted, at least it has been in many movies/books I've experienced.

So I didn't get my negative comments from sci-fi; they're mostly reservations I thought up when I was writing the post (though I'm not claiming any of them are unique)!

emphryio

I agree with Liquidrage.

Also I think Ishalon was simply saying our ability to communicate, although probably much better than animals (I guess), still isn't really so great. A decent example would right here on this discussion board.

I personally find a ridiculous amount of miscommunication or lack of any communication to run rampant throughout the scientific community.

Mageth

What the hell are you talking about?

The Messiah

Quote Mageth

As far as sci-fi goes, not all sci-fi puts telepathy, etc. in a bad light. I think it's typically favorably portrayted, at least it has been in many movies/books I've experienced.

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Mageth,

Which movies/books have you seen/read in which telepathy is portrayed in a positive light? The one's that spring to mind are Scanners, Carrie, First Contact. I'm sure if I thought about it I could come up with a few more. In all of these telepathy is portrayed as a curse leaving the individual with the 'gift' isolated and oppressed leading them into some kind of mental corruption and/or destruction. I can think of one positive one called Slan by A.E. Vogt but this involved a new species of human leaving the less evolved ones behind.

In fact I wasn't really picking telepathy I was trying to suggest that all technology movies tend to involve some scaremongering. Whether or not this is beneficial in itself is debatable. I am sure it is important to portray nightmare scenarios in which the techology could spiral out of control to temper our ambition with wisdom. However, I think really positive movies are few and far between and this shows a lack of amibition.

This, I think, leads to a more serious point. The story lines themselves tend to based on some sort of human experience and as you mentioned before human do have a proclivity for deception as well as many of behaviours that are equally repellent. There doesn't seem to be anything out there that presents the possibility of redesign of human nature. The reasons for our non-virtuous behaviour are becoming more apparent, certainly in the light of what we know about the process of evolution. I think this leads onto what should become a popular debate. We should be debating about a nature that is in itself virtuous. Our current stategy seems to be selfish and this is a correct behaviour because it ultimate ties in with our natural behaviour and although many are promoting the idea that we should transcend our natures and throw off our genetically programmed chains, how can we hope to achieve this if fundamentally even these protestations can be interpreted as a stategy of promting selflessness whilst practicing selfishness.

This I think, and there probably is good movie in this one, that we will very soon be able to change what we are. Not only in a physical sense but also in terms of our instinctive behaviour. On the current track the only people that will be able to afford these changes will be the super rich. Their lives will at first simply be extended but as genes therapy improves we may be able to actively control exactly what we are. If we make no attempt to define an alternative nature our current nature will lead the super rich becoming a new species and leaving the rest of us mere mortals behind. Worse, they could eliminate us as we once eliminated the Neanderthals. Having written that I think I've just talk myself into the benefits of tecnology nightmare movie. It looks like all of those that are involved in science, particulary biological sciences, are paving the way for elimation of the human race. Maybe this is a necessary step for us to evolve but beware those without the cash because you'll be exterminated and ground up for fertilizer. I guess that's the commie in me coming out.

Why are Americans so opposed to communism? After all its never really been practiced anywhere, including Russia (that was a dictatorship) and the capitalist system in the States seems to me to be disenfranchising the vast majority of the population.

[ June 23, 2002: Message edited by: The Messiah ]</p>