1. Annihilation

    Annihilation Active Member

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    Let's talk about collective consciousness

    Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by Annihilation, Oct 4, 2015.

    Okay, first off what is collective consciousness? Is it some kind of unknown force or entity?

    Well let me explain to you.. Collective consciousness is the theory that we are all one combined mind living vicariously through each other's lives.

    The other day I wanted some fish, but that's a whole mother topic.

    Anyways, two years ago I started thinking progressively about intelligence, introversion and conceptual works of music. Now I look around and everyone I see is an introvert, thinks like I do and shows the same kind of patterns I do. What is this?

    Am I just one step ahead of everyone else on a subconscious level or are we all bound to come to the same conclusions?

    I don't actually believe this, but it's scary to think about.

    Also, I've been craving some good enchiladas lately. I might get some from my friend poolinurleg soon. He lives in justkitting.
     
  2. Annihilation

    Annihilation Active Member

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    Really, no takers?
     
  3. Chinspinner

    Chinspinner Contributor Contributor

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    Dunno, what to say. Do you mean in terms of people having similar responses to the same stimuli, which might give the false impression of collective consciousness; or some spiritual/ unexplained telepathic connection; or the borg?
     
  4. BrianIff

    BrianIff I'm so piano, a bad punctuator. Contributor

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    Some pop music is widely considered good since it can motivate while you work, make you feel good and want to dance when you drink, and hits personal notes when it comes to your love life. Collective consciousness really just means things humans of all classes or nationalities or whatever will likely face in life, those themes and experiences. I'd bounce ideas off your friends, though; I've felt like I was ahead the curve, but really, art will make people think they're the only one who "gets it."
     
  5. Inks

    Inks Senior Member

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    Reacting and behaving in a certain way can be a form of local collective consciousness - even to new stimuli, but this is not true and is typically limited. Given certain circumstances I can follow the thoughts of others and arrive to certain conclusions before they do. Why? Since I already know where it leads in that particular case.

    I have spent thousands of hours with my best friends - and we know each other better than most siblings. It was obvious that even certain private matters could be discerned from their pacing. Being able to read and get inside their head is not telepathy either - the slightest grin was often met with desperate denials. Also, boys are much easier to read than girls - boys are typically unobservant about their cues! So it is not that unusual when thoughts are shared or even silent mind games happen. Even at its best it is still not the collective consciousness you are looking for.
     
  6. Jack Asher

    Jack Asher Banned Contributor

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    At first I read collective unconscious and was on my way in here to tell you that you didn't know what you were talking about. Then I read your post, popped some things into google and...
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_consciousness

    You still don't know what you're talking about.
     
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  7. Annihilation

    Annihilation Active Member

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    I'm talking about my friend's very tasty fish. What do you think I'm talking about?
     
  8. Aire

    Aire Banned Sock-Puppet

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    Collective consciousness - the hive mind. It has little to do with living vicariously through each other's lives and more to do with an inability to think for yourself. That's why it is also referred to as the hive mind and was in a way made famous with the Borg of Star Trek. One mind, multiple bodies - a rather basic but accurate summary to what "collective consciousness" is.

    It's not some make believe alien concept either, one can see it every day of the week.

    People buying houses in hives, oops they're called subdivisions. People parking with the hive, people that'll park right side by side one another in a lot despite how 90% of the lot is vacant elsewhere. People following the same music despite the fact it is crap because everyone else does, got to belong to the hive can't be an "outsider'. People that go to great lengths to emulate celebs & other famous individuals, because they can't be "themselves". People in cults are a good example of the hive mind and some extremist religious folks [ISIS for example].

    I mean no insult with this but I have found a growing number of people are calling this aspect the "sheep mind" and such individuals sheeple [sheep people]. It's a tad crude but it is sort of accurate as like sheep these people just follow the flock.



    I mean Inks example isn't anywhere near collective consciousness - it is being very good friends and knowing the quirks of said friends. I have the same with a very close friend who I hadn't seen nor spoken to in nearly a decade that I found on FB two years ago... we started going back and forth as if those years hadn't come to pass. Not because we had the "same mind" but rather because we knew each other so well that like Inks we were more like siblings than just "mere friends".
     
  9. Jack Asher

    Jack Asher Banned Contributor

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    No, that is absolutely not what it is. The collective conscious is the morals and concepts that we agree upon as a society. We've all come together to agree that murder is bad, for instance.

    Talk about hive minds all you want, but find your own goddamn term.
     
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  10. outsider

    outsider Contributor Contributor

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    To quote Paul Weller, 'The public want what the public get.'
     
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  11. ADreamer

    ADreamer Banned Sock-Puppet

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    You know, you should try stand up comedy. You may make a very good living.

    "Talk about hive minds all you want, but find your own goddamn term"... sorry to say, but it's sort of hard to abort the term. Seeing as many sociologists not only call collective consciousness the "hive mind" but also the "herd factor". You say tomato, I say tomatoe - complain all you want, it's the same thing.

    Collective consciousness is not something so basic as what you use for your "definition". Hive mind, group mind, mass mind. All the same word for people that have to "belong to the herd" because they fear thinking or acting for themselves. One of the most acknowledged aspects of collective consciousness is that if forces conformism of individuals to "merge" to the masses.

    It is literally the old "birds of a feather flock together" mentality - it is the basic reason as to why you end up with little China Towns, little Indias, etc., etc., etc. in major cities rather than integration into main stream society because collective consciousness means they are more comfortable among groups with similar appearance, behavior, social interactions.

    With respect to morals and concepts - you don't agree on it. You're taught such from the day you start walking and as such you literally know no different because you are taught to conform to the established expectations of your society. Durkheim (who coined the term) maintained that such social constructs are imposed upon us to conform. The goals of the whole become the goals of the one. That is collective consciousness.

    If you don't conform, then you're an outcast / an outsider / an oddball. That conforming is collective consciousness.


    I could go on but there's no point if the most advanced article you've read on collective consciousness is Wikipedia, the miracle website anyone and their mother can edit with the click of a mouse.
     
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  12. outsider

    outsider Contributor Contributor

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    Over to you Asher. ;)
     
  13. Jack Asher

    Jack Asher Banned Contributor

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    I wish there was something to reply to. It's just a mess of italics and invective. It's like italic text spaghetti with bold sauce.

    My only real rebuttal to @ADreamer is, the definition you gave in the second post and the one you gave in the first don't agree with one another, but I'm glad in the interim you read the wikipedia article too.
     
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