Part 3/15:
Ben Goertzel: Tracing the Roots of the Global Brain
Ben Goertzel situates the idea of the global brain within a historical context, noting its conceptual origins that stretch back centuries—highlighting thinkers like T. Hard de Shardan and concepts like the Omega point. The rise of the internet in the late 20th century propelled these ideas into scientific and philosophical discourse, fostering efforts to formalize the self-organizing, decentralized networks that resemble neural systems. Goertzel describes ongoing collaborations with academic institutions in Brussels and Russia, reflecting a broad international effort to understand and harness collective intelligence—both natural and artificial.