We can't imagine 4-dimensional space, we can't see the color infrared, neither do we have the sense or sonar, but we will via technology, and with these gains in perceptions our emotions will change too...
To set the stage for what I'm going to propose I will first give 3 examples of perceptions humans currently can not experience.
1. Computers can think in 4-dimensional space, we can't. The image below is sequential 3D slices or shadows of a 4D cube, or hypercube. Since we can not perceive or display 4-dimensional space the best representation we can do is slice a 4-dimensional object into 3D plains, much like slicing a 3D potato into what appears to be 2D slivers. This is how a hypercube would appear if it were to slide through our 3-dimensional space.
hypercube
2. We only have 5 sensory imputs : touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight. While a 6th sense or "3rd eye" is commonly fabled, we are generally limited to the basic five. Some animals however do have a 6th sense. Dolphins and bats have mastered the sense of sonar. Sharks have electroreception and can detect even the weakest electromagnetic fields given off by all living things. Humans are starting to gain sensory inputs via technology. Crude body modifications such as magnetic implants allow for detection of strong electromagnetic fields.
the 5 human senses
3. Our eyes can only see in color. We only can see into the visible light spectrum which goes from violet to dark red. While ultra violet and infrared are just out of our spectrum many insects see into these spectrums of light; ultraviolet flowers attract certain insects, while other bugs see infrared as a night vision. Our technology can detect the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Infrared night goggles, radiographs, radio receivers, microwave radar, and radiation detectors are all rather old technologies. Some have peered beyond the visible light spectrum using just their biological eyes. During World War II the army conducted successful tests by altering soldiers' diets so they could see infrared, however this project was dumped because of technological advances. Seeing ultraviolet is just scratching the surface, see the chart below.
electromagnetic spectrum
As technology advances and we transcend biology our abilities to perceive the world directly will expand. New sensory inputs and intelligence levels will go far beyond that of biology. How will these changes shape us, as we are able to think in multiple dimensions and sense the universe in unimaginable ways? Just as reptiles are only capable of primitive emotions such as fear, humans are only capable of the emotions which we have evolved up to. New emotions will be discovered as we transcend biology. Some people today will fail to understand this possibility and say that the known emotions are all encompassing. Those critics should look at a color wheel and try to imagine the missing colors. We can't even imagine 4 spacial dimensions, the dimensions of emotions that are yet to be discovered are even more unimaginable. This is the essence of the singularity.
3 comments:
I couldn't agree with this post more. I find it extremely ignorant and short-sighted when people think that what we know of now is ALL there is. Yes, at this moment in time, it appears that we know of all of the given human emotions, but just because we haven't experienced it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's a very egocentrist point of view. I think the color wheel is a perfect example. If you were to tell people hundreds of years ago that there are infrared colors that the human eye can't see, they would have thought that was perposterous. There will come a time where man will yet again be proven wrong for being so close minded.
Since writing this article I have come to learn that we DO have more than the traditional 5 senses. Such as sense of time, and a sense of having to "go" (our bladder), and a few other ones. but still, the main concept of this article remains the same.
Wow, I found this really interesting, especially the hyper cube. Thanks for making my day!
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