There is a marvelous pop-sci book out now by Rudy Rucker, entitled
"The Lifebox, the Seashell, and the Soul". It explores a
scientific basis for spirituality - devoid of dogma and myth. You
might think of it as quirky at first, but by next week , if you
stick with it, you might think of it as modern-day prophecy.
http://www.rudyrucker.com/lifebox/index.html
even if you don't cotton-to the theme of the book, or Rucker's
clinical writing style (regrettable in light of his great ideas),
there are some way-cool software downloads here:
http://www.rudyrucker.com/lifebox/downloads.htm
OK. What is this key concept of this book: which the "lifebox" ?
Well to put is succinctly, the lifebox is (or will become) the
"soul" of future lifeforms on planet earth - in the long-awaited
"rational" future of our disincarnated evolution (away from the
flesh), so to speak.
This is a book that should be required reading in Seminary, as it
may become a future "gospel" for the next generation. The "good
news," however, definitely takes a period of "adjustment" or
attitude-re-engineering, shall we say. I had to put the book down
for a week, after an initial speed-read, just to let the ideas
sink-in before a further study.
Basically and IMHO, at some point in the evolution of mankind -
around the year 2012 <g> if earth does not self-immolate, we will
have affordable (terabyte, terahertz, son-of-Xbox) computers
advanced enough to capture an individual's total though-process,
personality, educational slant, day-by-day biography,
like-and-dislike, quirks, and insight ... a machine which will
grow and mature with every individual from childhood to (going
offline physically) IOW - a soul but different from anything
imaginable in ancient scripture, yet surprisingly comforting -
after you live with the concept for several days.
I would love to have access to the "lifebox" of not only my
father, departed now for 40 years or grandparents and so on - but
also to non-relatives. Imagine going online and spending time with
long departed great thinkers or personal heroes.
In the not-too-distant future, this will be an attainable (and
probably universal)kind of immortality - and in keeping with
Moore's Law, it will probably cost less than the average marble
tombstone (but like the neoBeetle, it may have a built-in stem
vase.)
Shalom,
Jones
