Emerging technologies such as blockchain are ushering in a new era of human interaction with the digital world. It's an ever-evolving topic for thought leaders inside and outside the industry trying to predict how such technologies will enable changes in the human experience.
On April 25, the reState Foundation hosted a virtual conversation between Ethereum co-founder and inventor Vitalik Buterin and Indian mystic Sadhguru, founder of the Isha Foundation, to discuss the intersection of technology and human consciousness.
Buterin started the conversation by emphasizing that blockchain technology, at its core, is about “human coordination and interaction” with each other. He said: "[Blockchain] is about helping disparate groups of people come together to be able to trust each other more and collaborate across greater distances on many different types of projects."
The Conversation Quickly Continued, Pointing Out the Widening Gap Between The Speed of Technology Evolution and the Progress Merral and Conscious Develop PMENT, Which is Being Left Behind. According to Sadhguru, Much of This Handicap in Humans Comes from the Need to Identify with the group. This need for self-identification thus foregoes the wisdom of "protecting and defending the group's identity," the yogi said.
Buterin emphasized, however, that emerging technologies are actually making it easier for people to recognize complex identities and connect to each other on common ground. "Ultimately, every technology is in some way a social technology," he said.
"These are tools that help people get organized. There are tools that help people identify things that they value in common." He went on to say that while emerging technologies won't solve all problems for users, agreements and disagreements in the field have the potential to lead to "realized collaborations" and learning opportunities. “I think these are ideas that a lot of people I know in ethereum and related communities really care about,” he said. As these new technologies continue to dominate users' lives and systems around the world, Sadhguru encouraged his audience to note that humans are "technology at the highest level," and by doing so, we can improve the way we interact with technology.
"Technology isn't just something humans create; it's an extension of our consciousness. As we raise our consciousness, our technology will automatically follow." Both speakers noted that the proper use of technology such as blockchain is key to its implementation as a tool for better understanding and increasing human consciousness.
