Human Evolution in a Digital World
We’ve been taught that, as humans, we have five senses. There’s also a presumed “sixth sense,” that uncanny ability of some who seem to know what’s coming next. Closely associated with “gut” intuition, it’s attributable in part to a cranial nerve called the vagus nerve, along with three of the five pairs of sacral nerves.
We have six other cranial senses, each associated with one or more of our 12 cranial nerves. Individual nerves, such as the trigeminal nerve, are responsible for various aspects of proprioception, including our ability for positioning, movement and balance, motor skills, postural stability, and application of force. For many thousands of years Indigenous Alaskans have used these additional senses to steer their canoes while hunting and fishing in extremely dense fog. The same goes for the ancient instrument-free navigation practice of pwo. Used by Indigenous South Sea Islanders to cross thousands of miles of open seas, it’s an amazing example of tacit knowledge transfer spanning countless generations.
Then we have additional nerves comprising the thoracic sympathetic chain that are responsible for those “sinking gut” feelings associated with “fight or flight” responses in high-stress situations. In total, we’re looking at 50 nerves connected to some 500 million neurons comprising the enteric nervous system in the gut, along with the roughly 86 billion neurons in the cranial brain. These nerves act as both affectors and effectors, sensing and responding consciously, subconsciously, and unconsciously.
As our formerly analog world becomes increasingly digital, we face the very real prospects of AI taking over many tasks and jobs traditionally performed by humans. Now would be a good time to pause, look inward, and see how we might tap into and make greater use of our own innate natural abilities. But first, let’s examine how these capacities have degraded along the way and how we might not only halt but reverse that degradation. Then, we’ll look at how we might gain even greater synergies by using our reawakened senses in conjunction with AI and other technologies. Hopefully, you’re already thinking about the many possible ways in which KM could play a role.
Stopping and Reversing the Degradation
The negative impact of chemical, biological, and radiological toxicity; GMOs; and even light and noise pollution continues to grow. All have contributed to the steady degradation of our senses, along with our ability to perceive the more subtle aspects of our surroundings. Examples include how long COVID affects taste and smell and how intensive farming’s overuse of pesticides and herbicides, mass production, and genetic engineering has reduced the flavor of our fruits and vegetables and their nutrient content.
A more recent concern involves the adverse effects of digital technologies such as AI/augmented reality/virtual reality on cognition. In other words, the processing side of our already-degraded sensory inputs. The distraction and reduced focus from digital multitasking. The untold hours wasted in the social media memesphere. Or the slow, steady abdication to AI of our critical thinking and decision making. The list keeps growing.
The question then becomes: How can we reverse these trends? As we’ve learned from the early days of KM, behavioral change is often at the core. Such changes need not be complicated. In today’s digital world, many have discovered the reduced stress that comes from going completely analog. Spending a little time every day taking a walk in nature. Reading a print edition of a book. Taking pen and paper in hand and writing, journaling, sketching, or mind mapping.