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> The name? Noosphere means planetary consciousness, a hypothetical new evolutionary phenomena arising from the biosphere. It’s a lighthearted joke, but also an
by lioeters 4y ago
> The name? Noosphere means planetary consciousness, a hypothetical new evolutionary phenomena arising from the biosphere. It’s a lighthearted joke, but also an aspiration.
Originally, the term "noosphere" appeared in the work of the Russian-Ukrainian Soviet scientist Vladimir Vernadsky, The Biosphere, first published in 1926. The word "biosphere" was invented by Austrian geologist Eduard Suess, whom Vernadsky met in 1911.
> In Vernadsky's theory of the Earth's development, the noosphere is the third stage in the earth's development, after the geosphere (inanimate matter) and the biosphere (biological life). Just as the emergence of life fundamentally transformed the geosphere, the emergence of human cognition will fundamentally transform the biosphere. In this theory, the principles of both life and cognition are essential features of the Earth's evolution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Vernadsky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Vernadsky
Another thinker who developed the concept of the "noosphere" is a French Jesuit priest and scientist, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. In his book The Phenomenon of Man, written in the 1930s, he:
> set forth a sweeping account of the unfolding of the cosmos and the evolution of matter to humanity.
> The unfolding of the material cosmos is described from primordial particles to the development of life, human beings and the noosphere, and finally to his vision of the Omega Point in the future, which is "pulling" all creation towards it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin
This "Omega point" is a precursor to the concept of the technological "Singularity" - but with a more explicit religious/spiritual connotation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Point#Technological_singularity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Point#Technological_sing...
- bodge5000 4y agoHad no idea Noosphere was a "real" thing, I just assumed it was a reference to 40k
- WJW 4y ago40k takes a lot of inspiration from older scifi works, generally making it more grimdark and turning it up to 11. Especially older 40k lore has this a lot, when budgets were a lot smaller and the lore was a lot less developed. Generally, if it was cool and/or grimdark it could get a place somewhere in the vast 40k galaxy. Space marines have been a staple of the genre since forever, titans come straight out of anime, starch cubes are quite literally soylent green (it's even given a wink in Necromunda, being called "Soylent Viridian") and of course the God Emperor was there first in the Dune series.
- CrypticShift 4y agoEvery time de Chardin name pops up, I always remember this filmed discussion with Richard Dawkins : https://youtu.be/_J_WtktTzEI?t=3386 https://youtu.be/_J_WtktTzEI?t=3386 As a student, I was very persuaded by that old French theologian, teilhard de chardin, who wrote a book called the phenomenon of man, which is...Pretentious gibberish,, but it fooled me when I was a student. Not that I agree with him. It just makes me smile.
- lo_zamoyski 4y agoMy understanding is that Catholic theologians generally don't hold old Teilhard in high esteem either, to put it nicely. Not that Dawkins is some grand intellect himself, especially when he weighs in on theological and philosophical matters. Painful, painful high school caliber ignorance.
- CrypticShift 4y agoAs one of the progenitors of "New Age" currents [0], you bet Catholic theologians don't like him. [1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin#Influence_on_the_New_Age_movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin#Inf... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age#Christian_perspectives https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age#Christian_perspectives
- googlryas 4y agoAre you religious/believe in God or god's?
- andrepd 4y ago
- frozencell 4y agoDawkins. A typical English rodomontade?
- nahuel0x 4y agoChardin took the concept directly from Vernadsky, I think he meet him in a french conference. See also Olaf Stapledon "Star Maker" for a fictional treatment. Is also interesting his influence on Bogdanov.
- lioeters 4y agoThanks for the reference to Olaf Stapledon's "Star Maker". Published in 1937, it's in public domain (in Canada at least), and can be downloaded in various formats here: https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20200108 https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20200108 > Star Maker tackles philosophical themes such as the essence of life, of birth, decay and death, and the relationship between creation and creator. A pervading theme is that of progressive unity within and between different civilizations. > Some of the elements and themes briefly discussed prefigure later fiction concerning genetic engineering and alien life forms. Sir Arthur C. Clarke considered Star Maker to be "probably the most powerful work of imagination ever written", and Brian W. Aldiss called it "the one great grey holy book of science fiction". That's high praise coming from these classic authors of the sci-fi genre. --- Would you mind elaborating on Bogdanov? It's apparently a common family name, and I couldn't find anyone in relation to Teilhard de Chardin. Maybe you mean Alexander Bogdanov, who was a philosopher and science fiction writer? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Bogdanov https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Bogdanov
- nahuel0x 4y agoYes, I was talking about that Bogdanov as influenced by Vernadsky, not by Chardin.