Hacking the Religious Mind

How Transhumanists Are Turning Religion into a Plug-and-Play Activity

What is Religion and How Does It Work- cultural postulation of supernatural agents- religion is what the mind does when it

activates these representations- it encompasses both the implied cognitive

consequences and the behavioral outputs- it runs on quite normal brain machinery

Religion is a cultural soup

Religion consists of many ingredients, no one of which makes or breaks its status as a soup.

Some core cognitive devices

Theory of Mind (ToM)(from which we derive our social intelligence)Memory Systems (long-term and working memory, episodic and procedural types of memories)Emotional Systems (anxiety and reward systems for determining salience, etc.)

Recruits other systems

Perception and action systems are recruited for ritualized behaviors. (attentional displays, auditory and visual drivers for ASCs, choreographed movements for participant synchronization and emotional entrainment, and so on)

Theory of Mind is the key

Without ToM, we could not project supernatural agencies onto the world. We could not otherwise make sense of culturally mediated stories of a special class of minds - spirits, ancestors, gods. This process we call mentalizing.

Mentalizing is natural to us but it is not evenly distributed

All normal brains mentalize. We see faces in clouds, we attribute mental states to natural processes, we hear voices on the wind. But some humans display either hyperactive or hypertrophied mentalizing.- the case of schizophrenics- the case of autistics

Religion co-opts mental systems evolved for other purposes

In the presence of culturally postulated supernatural agents, each of these systems can be harnessed for purposes other than their original function in the vast “pre-religious stage” of hominid evolution. (Religion appears in the fossil record at about 50,000 years ago.)

Can we turn on, turn off, or modulate the devices on which religion runs?

The answer is yes. Interventions are possible on many different levels.- cognitive (cognitive behavioral therapy)- neurochemical (e.g.hallucinogens, ADD

drugs, MDMA, oxytocin levels)- technological interventions (see below)- surgical interventions (e.g. chronic implants)

What if intervention is not necessary but preferential, even recreational?

- Can religion become a hobby that we voluntarily dial up or down as we wish?

- Transhumanists are strongly encouraging the “gamification of neuroscience” using existing neurochemical, technological. and surgical interventions.

Example 1: Recreational EEG Systems

The Melon Headbandhttp://www.thinkmelon.com/

The Emotiv Headsethttp://emotiv.com/

Example 2: Augmented Reality

Microsoft’s Hololens

http://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us

Example 3: Virtual Reality

Oculus Rift and Samsung VR

https://www.oculus.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z44mKwHav3w

Consequences: Example 4

Transcranial Electrical and Magnetic Stimulation

http://m.livescience.com/49755-electric-thinking-cap-helps-people-learn-quicker-video.html

Advantages

a.) closer to what many people are already doing as spiritual-but-not-religious personsb.) better suited to pluralistic contexts where many religious options are availablec.) unlikely to eventuate into religious extremism

Disadvantages

a.) open to the charge of not being “real religion” because of “artificial” inducementb.) likely to be criticized for superficiality (dilettantism)c.) likely to be criticized for decadence as the last way station to religion’s demise

Consequences: Question 1

Can religious life be a hobby rather than an all-consuming worldview and ideology?

Consequences: Question 2

Are people who claim to be spiritual but not religious and “nones” (the fastest growing religious group) who are still curious about religion likely consumers of these opportunities as hobbyists?

Consequences: Question 3

Can religious play be as emotionally gratifying as religion as a total life calling?