In the early 2000s I was struck by the idea that the most eagerly taken up technological developments are those that facilitate new ways for people to share experiences (e.g. the printing press, the telegraph, the radio, TV, the internet etc.). Discerning a trajectory, it seemed to me that humans have an deep seated urge to achieve shared consciousness, and that perhaps future technological developments might enable this in a more radical way.
Around 2002, I attempted to write a novel about the invention of a technological way to share consciousness. However, I had to abandon that project both because I wasn't very good at writing yet, and because I wanted to properly understand how shared consciousness might be possible. Thus, I decided to embark on a PhD, combining my interest in group mindedness with my interest in music by researching whether music affords collective emotional states (see music & emotion, and particularly my article Group Flow).
My PhD launched my career in philosophy and my research into both emotions and aesthetic value, including my work on the mood organ project. But eventually, I came across a case of shared consciousness that made the musical case pale in comparison.
A case of shared consciousness (Synthese, 2020)
In this article I examine the case of the Tatiana and Krista Hogan, conjoined twins whose brains are connected by a unique neural structure known as a 'thalamic bridge'. I argue that for some conscious states (e.g. pains) it is most probable that the twins experience a single token state while remaining two distinct persons.
The 2014 documentary about the Hogan twins 'Twin Life: Sharing Mind and Body' (dir. Judith Pyke 2014) can be found on Youtube, but the more recent documentary- Inseparable (2017), is only available in Canada. In the 2017 documentary the twins explicitly say that they can hear each others' thoughts and also discuss some of their shared sensations. I have put together some clips from this but it may be blocked in some countries.
In Shared Minds
Once I wrote about the Hogan twins (and also gained a permanent academic position) I felt ready to try my novel again. The resulting book 'In Shared Minds' is complete at 80,000 words. As far as I'm aware, it's the only really detailed examination of how shared consciousness could be technologically realised and its various philosophical implications, including the individual escape of death. I am currently seeking an agent that will allow me to approach publishers. In the meantime, if you are particularly interested in reading the novel, and you ask me nicely, I may be willing to email it to you.
blurb:
More than anything else, neuroscientist Hebe Hernandez wants to get out of her own head. She asks her colleague Dok Mendelssohn to help her develop a brain to brain interface, and because Dok is besotted with Hebe, he agrees. Step by step, the two scientists figure out how to share their bodily sensations, their pleasures, and their pains.