Thought Forms

Ideas shape our world. From influential theories that transform entire fields of science to visions of future technologies that lead to groundbreaking innovations, ideas provide the very foundation for human progress. But what elevates a mere idea to what I term a 'thought form'? This distinction lies in the scale of its memetic influence, the breadth of its ideological lifecycle, and the nature of its communicative clarity and potential for misunderstanding. Together, these aspects form the aesthetic essence of a thought form, gauging its capacity to enrich humanity. Unlike intangible specters, thought forms are like ethereal engines, perpetually in motion, sculpting our intellectual and physical landscapes.

When we think about ideas, we tend to think of them as statues sculpted by their creator never to be altered again. This conventional view paints ideas as rigid constructs, similar to the way we might regard a fact or a figure. However, this perspective might be too narrow, failing to capture the true, dynamic nature of ideas. Let's consider, for example, the evolution of scientific theories. Take the concept of gravity. Isaac Newton's 17th-century ideas about gravity were groundbreaking, but they weren't the final word. Along came Albert Einstein in the 20th century, and his theory of general relativity expanded and transformed our understanding of gravitational forces. 

This progression shows that ideas are not static; they evolve and adapt as new information and perspectives emerge. Yuval Noah Harari has a concept known as “collective fiction” from his book called sapiens. A collective fiction is like modern day paper money; its value comes from the fact that we believe in it. Lets look at another example imagine almost any corporation if you get rid of someone in any position within the company is it still the same company? The answer is yes because it exists as a “legal fiction”. From now on I want you to think of the collective fiction as a board game and thought forms as the pieces that are played on that board.

 Language is the conduit of Thought forms but where does language come from? Exosomatic information is information that is stored outside of the body. First it was cave paintings and now our phones in our pockets have more computational power then the computers that took us to the moon. From the first time a prehistoric nomadic man ate a psychedelic mushroom causing him to see things and speak in tongues as stated in the hypothesis of Terreance mckenna in the seminal work of “Food of the Gods”. Language was born through this apple of knowledge that is Psyocblin mushrooms. Even internal thought relies on linguistic structures that parse seamless experience into symbolic abstractions. The shared semantic web of language provides indispensable scaffolding for formulating and exchanging ideas socially. However, words also constrain what concepts can take shape and spread based on available vocabulary. Translate a message enough times between languages and distortions compound what was once retained.  Like the mistranslations and editing that came from the bible being translated from Aramaic to greek and then to English. Yet all mediums filter meaning.

Oral traditions enabled core teachings to propagate for generations yet exposed mythos and ethics absorbed into collective memory to inevitable mutations (like a multi-generational game of telephone). I would consider the oral languages of Native Americans and other such tribal clans to be low bandwidth language meaning the units of meaning can be slow to propagate or have an inclination to be misunderstood. A medium bandwidth language, such as our modern-day languages, has the ability to carry units of meaning at a rate that minimizes loss or distortion. This doesn't mean it's impossible to misunderstand these languages, but they are less likely to be misinterpreted compared to lower bandwidth forms of communication. 

Theories exist of direct cognition-to-cognition transmission (universal language ) enabling idea-sharing devoid of symbolic intermediaries and their inherent translation losses. Futurists envision brain interface chips that someday may enable raw idea transfer via synchronized neural activity patterns. Removing linguistic go-betweens could heighten bandwidth by orders of magnitude compared to even our richest media formats today. However, notable ethical concerns give pause. The notion of technology-enabled telepathic communication, however alluring, poses profound risks regarding privacy and consent if mishandled. Not to mention physiological and identity disruptions from directly manipulating neuronal connections.

 The larger point endures - no medium holds absolute monopoly on pure truth shorn of biases. All idea conduits involve tradeoffs in semantic resolution. Even direct cognition interfaces would operate within technical systems shaped by economic interests and socio-cultural norms. Gains in efficiently transmitting information verbatim would not automatically elevate collective wisdom. For judging ideas solely by their internal logical consistency neglects fuller evaluation of their impacts on living beings. Beyond syntactic form, the fruits ideas bear once manifest in the world require equal scrutiny through an ethical lens. Today, exponentially widening circulation of concepts through digital networks is a mixed blessing. While enabling unprecedented access to ideas and democratizing knowledge flows beyond gatekeeping hierarchies, digital spaces also flood limited attention with overwhelming stimuli. Incessant signals overwhelming noise, acceleration overriding wisdom which is our greatest weakness of 'Homo digitalis'. Which is a concept laid out in the article Transformation of the Human Image in the Paradigm of Knowledge Evolution by  Kremen, V., & Ilin, V. (2021). In the opposite humankind has a super power and it is this exosomatic exponential potential otherwise our ability to build on and share our ideas.

Our current medium bandwidth of human languages have given us the scaffolding to build thought forms on top of one another. Leaving behind the obsolete in a requiem for the optimal. Although we have gained so much we still have thought forms that hold us back. Modern American public education systems designed to output the best factory workers in the world is in fact an inhibitor of progress although it did serve a desired utility function.

 Unlike the trivium of education in ancient times which consisted of General Grammar, Aristotelian Logic, and Classical Rhetoric comprise the first three rules-based subjects of the 7 Liberal Arts and Sciences. As these disciplines are learned and practiced together, they form the overarching, symbiotic system for establishing clarity and consistency of personal thought called the Trivium. Other examples on the opposite side of the spectrum there are thought forms that have a negative utility function like the flat earth theory or antinatalism.

 The second qualifier of a thought form has to due with its scale of memetic effect for example we will look at agriculture. What was it that first caused our nomadic ancestors to give pause to their wayward ways? Some sort of event that caused the nomads not to be able to travel wether it was a weather or health event is unknown. Whatever casued the nomads to have to stay in one place someone or a group sparked an idea. actively cultivating crops and livestock they discovered could be propagated under human management. Raising food rather than chasing it allowed settling in placed-based communities. So in order for a thought form to scale it first has to be understood and integrated in the culture which is dependent on the conduit of its bandwidth. Once understood it is dependent on its utility function which in this case it is increasing the rate of survival. 

The Third qualifier would be its lifespan or the thought forms ability to outlive its creator. The thought form would be carried on due to its use case and programing of society. After Iteration and scale would come down to how an idea can be stored via written and preserved. Consider ancient Greek gods. The Parthenon is a  temple honoring Athena on the Acropolis once bustled with philosopher acolytes and awed pilgrims channeling the divine embodiment of truth, crafts and strategic warfare. The Greek pantheon once central to explaining cosmic order. Their metaphorical visions commanded society-wide legitimacy regarding natural phenomena, human archetypes, and sources of meaning. Then over time slowly replaced with monotheism.

The example illustrates a cycle common among influential thought-forms – birth and spread of a compelling model > peak adoption sanctifying premises > gradual erosion of dominance as anomalies surface > paradigm subsumption within next-generation models. Within such nonlinear trajectories, both scale of adherents and longevity span civilizational timeframes. When our modern age is left in ruin will our new gods come with monthly subscriptions pushed by the evangelical influencers of the technocratic thought forms. Let's hope not.

Like the Benedictine monks who stealthily defied the order of the catholic church to burn all of the book found in buildings of its enemies we must also preserve knowledge. Maybe a temple of all human knowledge to date in various formats and ways to access them. Throw in a couple of automatons to keep the place nice but I digress. 

  Therein lies humanity's self-redeeming hope – by each round transcending models grown obsolete, paving in reminders for those to come similarly facing their mortality. Thought-forms are unique ideas with far-reaching influence. They stand out due to their widespread impact across civilizations, their historical resonance, and their capacity for both clarity and distortion. Just like tools and weapons Thought Forms can change the world around us, they're composable like music or computer code and without the composer they don't come to life. It is our duty to propagate the future with the thought forms that will carry our species onward to new heights redirecting our future to something nobel.