Here on nationstates general, there is a dynamic and ceaseless interaction between people and ideas, both creche and habitat for intellects young and old. In this environment, the synaptic threads are formed and sundered, sending both meaningful signal and flaming friction until knowledge is gained and/or the mods pop a Midol of red text and put our threads to bed.
Some is regurgitation, some is pseudo-intellectual posturing, some is the vigor of youth stretching its legs into the forest philosophy, history, politics...but some is contemplative, even cogitative, sometimes someone even says something new. Like an accelerator circling the same subjects over and over again, seeking that critical collision of consideration that reveals something. Even the grinding of the same repeated arguments, the same weary fallacies (and wearier naming of fallacy) much surely leave some callous on these many minds, shaping, smoothing, even polishing those few who might shine in thought or deed.
So what comes from this engine, from its 24/7 surging, the fuel of frustration and friendships, the torque of our time and talents...is it merely play?
Might there be some psycho-social intelligence slowly forming, the glial cells of the gamers giving a structure to house the dendrites forming across continents, neural paths leading to General like roads to Rome...
...and what would it say?
If NSG became somehow self-aware, and sifted through the summation of debates, nourished by salty spam and even the tender masses of our tumorous trolls, what might it be thinking?
I think it might ask, "who am I? Why am I here? What should I do? What is important to me? From where did I come? If I haven't read 'Lexicon' yet, why not?"
And those are questions that, to me, bespeak of life.
Like a brilliant lunatic, torn asunder by cognitive dissonance and unsilented voices, NSG is a thousand-lobed beast.
Topic of discussion: If it could speak and not but howl, what would it say?
