A Technoetic Journey

At the Intersection of Technology and Consciousness

Recently, a decades-long bet between neuroscientist Christof Koch and philosopher David Chalmers came to a close. Koch bet that we would comprehend how the brain creates consciousness by now; Chalmers begged to differ. As it turns out, Chalmers was right. Despite our advances in neuroscience, consciousness remains elusive, further highlighting the need for an interdisciplinary approach.

Paradoxically, the one thing we can be most sure of, is also the thing science understands the least. This is the most important uncharted territory of human knowledge, the final frontier waiting to be explored.

“Technoetics”, the intersection of technology and consciousness research, will be our chosen vehicle for this exploration. A term originally coined by Roy Ascott, perfectly capturing that which has fascinated me for years: merging my passion as a software engineer, with my (pseudo)philosophical and spiritual inclination to explore consciousness, i.e. what it is to be. Left and right hemispheres interlinked. This can take on many forms, and has resulted in a number of esoteric side-projects I’d like to elaborate on in future writings.

In “borrowing” professor Ascott’s neologism as a title for this project, I certainly hope not to do his work a disservice, but rather, bring more attention to the subject.

That being said, the road less traveled is often riddled with challenges, and I anticipate this becoming no exception. Many have preconceived notions about the subject, and it's a niche that often falls between the cracks of mainstream academia and popular science. I will not shy away from covering controversial subjects and exploring unorthodox experiments, with an open but sceptic mind. “Sceptic” in the original meaning, not the perverted form of “skepticism” of today, which is materialist dogma in disguise.

With your support, I also aim to build software products within this niche and foster a dedicated community around this work. I am inspired by Kevin Kelly's "1000 True Fans" concept - believing that even a small community, if passionately engaged, can enable one to maintain independence while pursuing their passion full-time.

As part of this journey, I will also try to adhere to the "build in public" philosophy. I’ll share the highs, the lows, the questions, and the discoveries along the way. By making the journey transparent, I hope to bring more light to this domain and encourage conversations around it.

So, here is my open invitation to you: join me on this journey. Participate in the conversation, question, learn, and let’s navigate this complex landscape together.

Best,

Lawrence