Francis Heylighen

Conceptions of a Global Brain

Imagine a giant, intelligent brain made of humanity and its computers—the Global Brain. This idea blends views of society as a living organism, a universal encyclopedia, and an emerging higher consciousness. Global networks like the Internet not only share information but also learn and adapt together. By combining insights from evolution and cybernetics, we can overcome conflicts and build a collective intelligence that makes solving world problems more efficient and creative.

Jennifer Cobb

CyberGrace

Jennifer Cobb bridges the gap between spirituality and technology, arguing that digital systems can inspire divine emergence. Drawing on ideas from Teilhard de Chardin, she suggests that as computers and AI evolve, simple processes combine into intricate, awe-inspiring patterns that hint at a higher purpose. In an era of rapid scientific and digital advances, her theory invites us to see machines not as cold tools but as potential gateways to a deeper, more meaningful spirituality.

Francis Heylighen and David Sloan Wilson

Glimpsing the Global Brain

Complex systems theorist Heylighen and evolutionary biologist Wilson discuss a possible phase transition of humanity in which the members of our species become neurons in a planetary brain, utilizing the Internet as a shared exocortex.

Shima Beigi and Francis Heylighen

Noospheric Consciousness

The world-wide web has been conceptualized as a global brain for humanity due to its neural network-like organization. To determine whether this global brain could exhibit features associated with consciousness, we review three neuroscientific theories of consciousness: information integration, adaptive resonance and global workspace. These theories propose that conscious states are characterized by a globally circulating, resonant pattern of activity that is sufficiently coherent to be examined and reflected upon. We then propose a correspondence between this notion and Teilhard de Chardin’s concept of the noosphere as a forum for collective thinking, and explore some implications of this self-organizing dynamics for the evolution of shared, global understanding.

Harry Halpin

The Co-Evolution of the Extended Mind and the Internet

We don’t need brain implants to become cyborgs—we already are. Halpin argues that technology and humans have co-evolved, extending our minds beyond biology. Using the Extended Mind Hypothesis, he shows how everyday tools like smartphones integrate with cognition, shaping thought and memory. Rather than a futuristic AI takeover, we’re already merging with machines in a subtler, more profound way.

Francis Heylighen and Marta Lenartowicz

The Global Brain as a Model of the Future Information Society

The Global Brain paradigm views the emerging global information network connecting humans and technology as a nervous system for Earth's social superorganism. This special issue surveys opportunities and challenges in developing this potentially more intelligent, synergetic system. Contributions explore political, economic, and philosophical aspects, aiming to guide the transition towards a sustainable society empowering diversity.