Introduction to the Noosphere is the first of 49 episodes from Brian Thomas Swimme exploring the evolving Universe and Earth, the emergence of the noosphere, and humanity’s relationship with it.  This project has been produced with Human Energy.

As a word, “noosphere” is a loose synonym for three different meanings: the history and destiny of Homo sapiens; an emerging planetary nervous system, an emerging superorganism.

Throughout this series, we explore the conditions that gave rise to the noosphere:

  1. Heredity
  2. Tools
  3. Self-Consciousness
  4. Communication
  5. Population
  6. Trade
  7. Cerebralization
  8. Convergence

Across four different stages of humanity:

  • Paleolithic (300,000 – 11,000 years ago)
  • Neolithic (11,000 years ago – 3,000 BCE)
  • Classical (3,000 BCE – 1400 CE)
  • Modern (1,400 CE – present)

This series of short films explores the ways humanity is building the nervous system of a superorganism, called the noosphere. As we deepen our understanding of this noosphere we begin to discover a collective sense of meaning and purpose that will help us address our global challenges.

Our series is narrated and hosted by Brian Thomas Swimme (https://storyoftheuniverse.org/) and produced by Human Energy (http://humanenergy.io/).

Human Energy was founded to share a new scientific and cosmic story introducing the Noosphere as a source of meaning for future generations in our globalizing world. The project addresses the challenges of unprecedented technological and social change which, together with the scientific picture of an aimless universe, have created a crisis of orientation.

The Third Story of the Universe (https://humanenergy.io/the-three-stor…) offers a meaningful way to understand this moment in the history of our species. This new cosmic story contrasts with rigid interpretations of religions and myths (the First Story) as well as current versions of science that eliminate meaning and purpose from the universe (the Second Story).

Humankind is experiencing a cosmic transition as we continue to interconnect technologically and cross-culturally. Together we are forming the Noosphere, a shared sphere of culture, technology, and thought weaving human beings into a mindful global envelope, even a new form of life as a superorganism. This process has existential and world-historical significance for all of us.

The Human Energy organization is composed of scientists, scholars, engineers, artists, and storytellers working to highlight the Noosphere by telling the Third Story.  They are beginning to visualize the Noosphere’s formation and history; study its potential future scenarios as humanity takes more and more control of its future course; and explore how human beings connecting across the world may realize themselves socially and individually in its development. Learn more here: https://humanenergy.io/our-mission/