information. Our body has evolved to shield us from many low-level processes, but we can take back control if we want. The important thing is that we always have the reins and that’s key to the vision of the Cognitive Revolution.
Jonathon Where we have the ability to project possible futures, we need to act on that knowledge. That is part of human evolution and to not act would be to abdicate something essential in a way that could be highly detrimental to us and even more detrimental to those who come after us. The Cognitive Revolution can be different from the Industrial Revolution by fostering a collective self-discovery of who and what we will and want to become. Entering Mental Work is a way to become more informed as a citizen and more prepared. You position yourself individually and collectively in relation to that future, without feeling that it is inevitable – because it isn’t. Brain-computer interfaces can be tools for reflection because of the feedback loops that are inherent in this kind of mental and physical interaction, but given the plasticity of the brain and the way in which the algorithms involved can adapt, they can also potentially result in change over evolutionary time. That is to say, these interfaces can be a means by which we affect how we evolve as a species.