Human Evolution in a Digital World
Small steps like these can help put the brakes on the downward spiral. However, if we’re serious about accelerating our human evolution, we need to start not only looking at enhancing our traditional five cranial senses, but also reawakening, activating, sharpening, and fully engaging our entire neurophysiology.
Back to the Future
In many ways, the future lies in bringing our forgotten past forward. In recent years, the revival of pwo has resulted in several instrument-free trips across the Pacific, drawing only upon the human neurophysiology for guidance (nationalgeographic.com/history/article/woman-navigated-3000-mile-pacific-voyage-without-maps-technology). Or consider the late Felix Baumgartner’s historic parachute jump from over 24 miles up (redbull.com/in-en/felix-baumgartner-stratos-10-years). At speeds reaching 76 mph faster than the speed of sound, half the experts he consulted warned him that he would spin out of control. At one rotation per second, he came perilously close. Luckily, his proprioceptive senses kicked in, and he was able to get the spin under control. Looking back, Baumgartner maintains that it was mostly instinct that saved him, calling it “controlling the devil.”
That’s fine for extreme sports, but how does it help today’s knowledge worker? The possibilities, as it turns out, are potentially limitless.
Human senses play a critical role in group interaction and collaboration, a key aspect of KM. One example is negotiation. Most are conducted in-person and for good reason. Several of the more subtle senses kick in, including that of the hypoglossal nerve, which transmits and receives emotional inflections in speech. At an even finer level, there’s a growing body of research on the electrical signals generated by the heart, a key center of emotion. At levels 100 times greater than those of the brain, these signals have been discerned by some people at distances of up to 8 or more without the aid of instruments.
The same can be said for other mostly human activities, especially in important business and geo-political situations. These include detecting weak signals during hiring, counseling, and even interrogation, a craft that has long relied upon human instinct and finely tuned sensory perception.
Companies such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink have made tremendous strides in brain-computer interfaces, giving hope to people with various disabilities. But these only address a few interface points. Imagine the possibilities if we were to look at the truly wondrous architecture of the human neurophysiology in greater depth and could find ways to have it interact with the more advanced computer architectures currently in development. If we play our cards right, when quantum computing finally goes mainstream, dramatic leaps in human evolution might be possible.
KM Now More Than Ever
Just as the most sophisticated AI and analytics platforms are only as good as their input data, the same goes for human cognition. Think of the many times you thought you saw or heard something that really wasn’t the case. If clean and accurate data is important in technology, it should be equally important on the human side.
We’ve known, at least intuitively, about these many other senses for a long time. Our increasingly digital world presents the perfect opportunity to scientifically build and grow a body of knowledge that supports and accelerates their development, refinement, and application.
With many legacy jobs hanging in the balance, we KM’ers once again find ourselves in the right place at the right time. For fun, think about your own work and which human analog capacities you might aim at refining. Not only to enhance your professional career, but also for the well-being of you and your fellow humans. Let’s shake loose the cobwebs, awaken all of our senses, and start taking on the digital world in an entirely new light.