 Originally Posted by gigaschatten
There will be no recording technology like a brain scanner that can record and replay dreams. That is because technology is made of physical matter within the physical world. Dreams are no part of that world. The brain may reflect some aspects of dreaming, but that is merely a feedback, not the source.
But surely,
A brain is physical matter in the physical world.
Everything we are is physical matter in the physical world.
A thought, is a kind of waveform in physical matter (to put it in a very simple analogy).
Its a mistake to think that just because something isn't a solid physical item you can hold in your hand, that it isn't of the physical world.
The internet or software, for example, exists, but it is not something you can physically hold. To say it is non-physical is incorrect.
However, to record and replay dreams, I think would be very tricky.
Although, perhaps that would depend on the mode of playback as to the level of difficulty.
A dream, a thought, is data, is information. The information exists as a pattern, or waveform (which when it comes down to the basics is just an arrangement of physical matter), it wouldn't be particually hard to record the data, but the intepretation of the data is the problem. If however you could simply play the data back on the original hardware (your brain) you could record dreams, but perhaps never share them.
The main obstacle is that the data in a brain, is in a closed system, its not designed to be shared. It is interpreted and stored by its own set of rules. Rules that may not be universal to each brain.
Very interesting concept though.
I personally hope i don't live to see the day. Mental privacy is something that I do not wish to give up, regardless of the benifits it may provide.
Sure it would allow new realms of knowing others, it would probably destroy lonliness forever. But it would probably come at the cost of the human race eventually becoming one giant hive mind.
If minds can be decoded and information shared, then it is only a matter of time before an "internet of minds" is created, and at that point the indivdual ceases to exist.
On a more mundane perspective. Thought crimes would probably come into existence. And as lovelly as we all think we are, we all know that there are some dark and twisted thougths that pass through even the most sane and caring minds.
I hope it stays sci-fi for my lifespan.
EDIT: having thought about the idea more. I think you'd need the following:
Very high resolution brain scanning.
Very high powered computers able to run neural network modeling to the same quality as a human mind.
Once both were available, you'd be able to create a duplicate copy of your brain, allowing for scientists to learn a great deal more about how the mind functions. This would open up research in all areas of the mind. Dream reproduction would be probably low on the list of prioritys. Of course, it would be the birth of Artificial Intelligence to the level of human intelligence too if such devices existed.
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