Journal of International Pharmaceutical Research, ISSN: 1674-0440

Available at http://ijprjournals.com/abstractt.php?id=306

Cognitive Expansion and Silent Communication in Evolving Conditions

G.S. Agalyasri1 and Dr.G. Bhuvaneswari2
1. Research Scholar, SSL, English Division, VIT, Chennai, India. 2. Assistant Professor, SSL, English Division, VIT,
Chennai, India.
2
bhuvaneswari.sb@gmail.com
Correspondence author: G.S. Agalyasri, e-mail: agalyasrig.s2016@vitstudent.ac.in
Received: 27-12-2018, Revised: 24-01-2019, Accepted: 12-02-2019, Published online: 23-03-2019

How to cite this article: G.S. Agalyasri and Dr.G. Bhuvaneswari (2019) Cognitive Expansion and Silent
Communication in Evolving Conditions, Journal of International Pharmaceutical Research 46(1): 151-157

Abstract
Machines play a vital role in day to day life. Experts in the field of evolutionary science/biology state that evolution is the
process that fabricates diversities on earth. People believe that human being is the higher order evolution with super powers
than all other species on earth so far. Predicted evolution next to human being is post-human which says that, when
machines take control over human there wouldn’t be difference between the invention and birth, blood and wire, flesh and
metal and finally death and repairment. All that considered as valued possessions for humans will start losing its
importance. Silence would prevail everywhere, which takes one to the state of serenity and leads to cognitive expansion
and vice versa. The concept of this article took its support from Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot series to have the better
understanding. State of silence is divine and that divine state of individual gives thoughtful and innovative ideas for the
betterment of world. This paper focuses on the conceptual framework of post-humanism, the advancements in both
technological evolution and human evolution and it also provides the clear idea about the state of silence and how it leads
to cognitive expansion and where it leads to.
Key Words: Post-humans; robot; evolution, silence; cognition.

Introduction
increase in population, which made millions of
species. The great advantage of that evolutionary
Everyone rushes to go beyond innovative process lead to the larger brain with well-developed
inventions with the sense of appreciation, as those neo cortex, prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes that
inventions give much sophistication. People find no lead to great levels of abstract reasoning, language
time even to think why such innovations came into learning, problem solving, sociability and culture
existence and what led to the birth of such artificial through social learning. As soon as they took their
support as a strength factor for the natural humans. origin, they started using tools. It is the fact that
Such artificial support hands is about to turn into the human beings used the tools to a greater extent than
next stage of evolution. Evolution is a gradual process animals which includes building fires to cook their
that takes even millions of years to happen. It is the food, clothing themselves and inventing a number of
fact that such inventions came into existence not out technologies as well as arts.
of simple thinking but out of over thinking. When
thinking becomes over thinking, it is obvious that When human beings started inventing new things
several findings would happen and human brain they adapt themselves for utilization of those
achieves development. Neuronal changes are inventions. Communication, in its various forms such
inevitable in such cases and human brain starts as language and art of expressing themselves, came
adopting itself for all the transition that evolves into existence. With the families and kinship, social
around them. This research deals with a particular interactions became a wide variety of values of the
argument that when such intellectual advancements human society, which were later said to be social
happen, what factors makes human beings to go norms and rituals. Gradually, the world witnessed the
beyond the state that they experience at the present, birth of science, philosophy, mythology and religion.
with reference to Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot (The Robot Human beings then realized their responsibility in the
series). society and started domesticating plants and animals
which allowed the growth of civilization. The more
Conceptual Framework of Post-Humanism the humans became civilized, the more realization
happened and they grouped themselves by forming
Origin of the world
religions, empires, states and provinces. After the
Evolution plays a major role in the advancements birth of grouping, people began to rule which took the
of the world. Advancements take place in every stage people to a systematic life in the world. Though there
of evolution. When human beings (Homo sapiens) were various kinds of illness, with the technological
evolved, they spread everywhere and there was
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advancements, the health conditions of the people got Humanism to Modernism

increased, causing the human population to rise It is the view of the researcher that modernism
higher. would have come out of humanism, as humanists
loved freedom. Humanists loved the changes by re-
Humanism
examining everything experimentally. By re-
Every aspect of human life has been reshaped by examining, there were replacements. People who
technology – in the way of getting around, seeking accepted the changes were called modernists. There
information and communicating. It is easy to think were a few people who opposed those changes, as
that any technological advancement finally satisfy the they were deeply rooted in their own values, culture
humans. The fact is that humans remain shackled by and religions and they were known as anti-modernists.
the Darwinian brains.
Modernism is a philosophical movement that
Humanity is unguided by long experiments of expects and makes the changes. Modernists always
chemistry. Evolution is the process that made human look for redoing every aspects of the past. Modernism
beings what they really are. But it does not consider helped people to be individual. They thought that
the future. It only thinks about where they have to go classic literature, art, music, culture and customs were
and how they have to move ahead and ought to be. unfit to the developed industrial world.
Passing on genes is the only objective of evolution.
Human beings have the consciousness, through which Modernism to Postmodernism
they understand and experience the world. This Developments and changes never stop at a
experience reflects upon the evolution and helps in particular point of time.
shaping it. Humanism is their most sympathetic
understanding and treatment of human nature. The next stage after modernism is postmodernism.
Postmodernism is a late twentieth century movement.
Self-expression, thinking for the self, begins with Postmodernism is closely associated with
humanism. Humanism is the philosophy that focuses deconstruction and post-structuralism. Modernism
on human beings to get the better understanding of the opposes the old culture and customs and
reality. Arbitrary faith, authority, revelation and postmodernism opposes the views of modernism.
altered states of consciousness are rejected by Postmodernists made modern architectures not
humanists. It is the fact that philosophy of imagination worthier and there came the postmodern architecture.
is humanism. Humanists understand that intuitive Modernism believes in reality but in postmodernism,
feelings, emotions, changes in the states of interpretation is everything.
consciousness and some other inner experiences are
not just the means of acquiring knowledge but Hence, it was argued that the reality comes only
humanism helps in solving problems and helping after the interpretation. Postmodernism always
themselves. depends upon concrete experience which is very
subjective and not highly universal. Postmodernism is
Humanism is a philosophy which concentrates highly individualistic than modernism.
only on the life while living and not about the life
after death. In other words, it is a philosophy of Postmodernism leads to self-awareness that helps
compassion. to be very independent and there will not be any
anxiety for postmodernists.
It also tunes with social thoughts. Humanists are
completely committed not only to liberty and human It is not that each and every stage of development
rights in government but also in workplace and in the opposes the culture and tradition of their ancestors but
education. Humanism is also satisfied with people need changes and advancements that make
technological advancements and humanists are eager them independent and sophisticated. Freedom is their
to participate in the emerging technological main ‘mantra’ and that freedom plays a major role in
discoveries and involved highly in protecting the making the western culture to come into practice.
environment. Colonialism also plays a vital role in modernism
As a whole, humanism is the philosophy for loving and postmodernism. Cultural hybridization occurs
the life and humanists completely devote themselves when people long for freedom and develop hatred for
for their happiness and live their life to the fullest as following or obeying something that is said by others.
they are part of the innovative discoveries and That hybridization leads to modernism and then to
inventions, attaining new knowledge and enjoy the post modernism, which in turn leads to ‘post-
open-endedness of quest. Those who enjoy humanism postmodernism’ and it is a continuous process that
will obviously be the lovers of freedom and the self, never ends.
which is the initiative of modernism.
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Introduction to Trans Humanism humans has decreased and birth rate of humans and
Postmodernism welcomes the technological and technologies increased and it is hence said that
scientific advantages and people love to live with humans are already in a symbiotic relationship with
machines and almost they have started interacting technology. For humans, it becomes very easy to
with machines, which results in making the humans deliver the message from one planet to another with
attain the transition as ‘trans humans’. Change in the the device they always carry with them, which is even
human nature might be the most dangerous thing in unthinkable before a few years. Such advancements
the human history. Perhaps, it is also the most support humans to make their work done faster
celebrated one. In general, Tran’s humanism does a irrespective of distance. Artificial intelligence came
few things. It looks for the current trends to see how into existence and that made several changes in the
future technologies will develop and how they may human brain. It would quickly become capable of
defect humans. Secondly, it will look for upcoming thought in precession, speed and intelligence that is
technology to bring about beneficial changes. Tran’s presently inconceivable for the human mind. Humans
humanism generally has three super powers which privately get into relationship with artificial
explain the states of Tran’s humanists and elaborately intelligence. Super intelligence and super longevity
discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the entry are welcomed only if they are good.
of Transhuman condition. Tran’s humanism is the Another super power of transhumanism is super
stage just before attaining post-humanism, with the wellbeing, which reduces the levels of depression,
state of dilemma whether to be human or post-human. anxiety, jealousy, anger and even the threshold pain.
Transhumanism generally has some super powers Hence, all sufferings are completely destroyed.
which explain the elevated states of humans. They Conscious states of feelings, moods and emotions
are: come under control. This is due to the precautions for
survival and hence, there is degradation to dwell in.
• Super longevity Recently, many changes are made by technological
• Super intelligence advancements but still humans are with aggression,
jealousy and anxious. Minimizing human sufferings is
• Super wellbeing the crucial part of transhumanism. As such, every
These three super powers bring the extraordinary child to be born is lucky enough and blessed with a
changes in human nature and lead to transformations. happier, healthier and longer life. But another notable
Super longevity is that when humans got diseased, notion is that humans should have some sufferings to
they got more facilities to recover themselves and due experience the life fully. On the contrary, humans are
to such medical advancements, the death rate not interested in sufferings because they have become
decreased. It is not at all a fault, because it is human almost transhumanists already.
nature to search for solutions when there is a problem. Super longevity, super intelligence and super
Ageing becomes a very big problem in the human wellbeing are already there in the present world and it
society. But today, humans have minds and equipment is sure that humans are already transformed into
to begin developing technology to come back again transhumans. It is the fact that every stage of human
from ageing. Unfortunately, they lack the will and has the next stage of evolution and transhumanism
financial support to do so. People try to come out of affirms the possibility of the next stage of evolution as
that problem and they go for modern medicine that ‘post-humanism’. ‘Post-humanism’ is truly an
keeps them alive and healthy as long as possible and evolutionary term, which includes the process of
there prevails anti-ageing which gives physiological evolution.
completion. A world, without ageing, has higher
population and it leads to unemployment, poverty and Trans humanism to Post-Humanism
other problems. Survival becomes very difficult and
hence, everyone runs their own race without finding As discussed, humans, at present, are already
time for thinking about others. transhumans. When people accept this, they are ready
for attaining the next stage ‘post-humanism’. They are
The next area of transhumanistic thinking is super also called as over humans. Beyond something natural
intelligence. Every year computers and technical is generally denoted by the word ‘post’.
devices are getting more powerful and the Transhumanism is the previous stage of post-
advancements have come into human pockets as humanism. When humans started inventing
mobiles. As a result, the entire world is in the pockets technologies higher and became fond of enhancing all
of humans in the name of mobiles. Technology is the facilities using such technologies, there is less
playing a very major role in human life as possibility of being human. Because of those
technological inventions advance. Death rate of technologies, there were intellectual changes and

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these intellectual changes lead to physical changes another evolution. It is a chain process that may end
and then to psychological changes. Finally, there will or may not end. But in the next chapter, the researcher
not be the traces of humans but it is obvious that the argues that there will not be another evolution and the
humans may be in different forms. process of evolution will be ending with post-humans.
In the post-human state, ‘organisms are
The state of Silence
mechanized and machines are organized’. Such
situations lead to self-degradation. If there are any Silence is the very word which has multiple
humans, they will have fear towards the post-human. interpretational meanings. It is arduous to make
Transhumanism itself is the recent stage that someone to comprehend the meaning of silence but it
happened just before two decades. Hence, it is is effortless to make one feel the silence. Silence is a
obvious that when post-humanism happens, there are passive medium that has already given massive
several developments intellectually, psychologically enhancements. Power of silence can only be felt.
and physically. Intellectual and psychological changes Silence can bring revolution and those revolutions can
are subjective and are not identified until one be controlled. Silence is the state in which one can
approaches. But physical changes can be seen feel elevated because most of the inventions and
externally and that cause fear in humans. Post-humans discoveries happened only in the state of silence.
never have emotions. But researcher feels that post- Right from the origin of the world, there is utmost
humans may just escape from emotions but cannot be silence.
completely detached from emotions. Silence is not only the lack of audible voice or
It is assumed that the post-humans will have noise but also the lack or absence of communication.
completely had steel or other metals instead of flesh Problems are born because of communication and at
and blood. Hence, they will be stronger than humans. the same time, problems are solved by the process of
Superiority will automatically happen in that situation. communication. Problems are born when there is a
Post-humanists accept that transhumanism is with quarrel due to some argument and problems are
super longevity, super intelligence and super solved when the solutions are given by
wellbeing. But, unlike transhumanism, fear will be communicating with each other, in a right way
superior to humans which might even overrule them. politely.
Domestication for plants and animals will never Spirituality and silence has a lot of associations as
happen. As a result, biodiversity and ecosystem will a silent mind is completely free from any thought
collapse completely. pattern that disturbs and creates noise inside the
Humans are very sensitive and for post-humans, it human mind. Often silence is the state that denotes the
will not be the same. Hence, there is no fear for future absentmindedness, unwillingness for something and
or suffering for post-humans. Hence, when post- attaining divinity. In this research, the researcher
human enters into existence, the death rate of humans interprets in a different way that the cognitive
will increase and one fine day, humans will be expansion happens in the state of silence because
completely destroyed and post-humans will start people realize a few qualities when they attain the
enjoying the entire world without emotions, feelings, state of silence. Those possible qualities are:
sense and feeling of thinking of others. When post- • Creativity
humans enter into the world completely, it will result
in the disappearance of humans: • Imagination
• There will not be any organisms to survive. • Potentiality
• Frustration, jealousy, fear, anger, anxiety and • Self actualization
other human emotions will never be there and • Self esteem
hence, they will be more conscious in what
they are doing without any disturbances. • Self management
• Intellectual growth will be higher which will Happening of impossible possibilities
lead to developing themselves ahead (the next Hence, it is sure that beneficial intellectual changes
stage of post-humanism). and cognitive expansion are connected with each
Creativity and imagination will be at its peak and other.
the world may look more advanced and The paradox is, though communication plays a
extraordinarily beautiful in the sophisticated state. vital role for sharing ideas and thoughts, ‘silence’ is
Post-humans are more independent and that leads to highly necessary for revolution to happen and come
further development. This development leads to into existence.

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Cognitive Expansion in Silence machines were substituted instead of humans but at

When cognitive expansion happens, the negative present, machines overrule humans. Machines are
aspects of humans will be at the top of the roof which made without integrating any sense and hence, there is
would lead to destruction. At the same time, when no element of tiredness, fear, anger and other
such expansion happens in the state of silence, instead emotions. Humans practice yoga and meditation to be
of destruction, there will be flourishment everywhere. away from unwanted thought processes and horrible
Steady growth can happen only in the silent state. As emotional states but machines never face such trauma.
such, the researcher has identified that when humans Hence, it can be claimed that technological
long for silence and peace of mind, they decide to advancements are higher than humanistic
make robots. From this, it is evident that cognitive developments.
expansion is somehow related to silence. Silence itself Machines can be tuned up easily as they are
is a powerful language, through which humans cannot flexible and they do not produce much noise. On the
communicate but machines can. contrary, humans can never be tuned up easily as they
It is believed that Adam and Eve are the first are not instructed or integrated with certain qualities
parents and when they groomed the Garden of Eden, to be followed. Hence, humans are still in the same
there was utmost silence. It is definite that there was state of evolution but the technological evolution has
cognitive expansion, as silence spread all over the achieved its greater heights. Though humanistic
places around them. They were experiencing the developments are achieved at its best, the growth rates
silence of the entire world and they even had the of different technological advancements are higher
power of attaining divinity. Attaining divinity needs than the human evolution. Machines are invented to
more cognitive expansion than doing any other assist humans but as they grow further, those admiring
difficult tasks that exceeds one’s potentiality. But, factors influenced humans. Such changes have made
when the serpent came with the ‘power to speak’, them even to change themselves as machines. It
which is meant to be communication or it may also resulted in the interactions between machines and
said as noise, the great human’s cognitive expansion humans.
was diminished and the birth of all senses came. Right The interaction between machines and humans
from the day when senses started overruling humans, always has the three elements viz. speed, automaticity
there were evidences of destructions and evil powers and high perceiving capacities. These elements are
everywhere. Similarly, it can also be said that Adam attained when something is taught in the state of
and Eve were calm and composed, and they were silence. It leads in the development of the following
enjoying the beauty of nature. There was silent qualities:
communication between them. But when they were
• Creativity
separated, they experienced severe silence and that
tempted her to disobey God. Cognitive expansion • Capability of thinking beyond
happened there. Expansion may be negative or • Imagination
positive. In this researcher, the researcher focuses
only on the growth, irrespective of positive or Generally, humans have the qualities that are
negative. stated above but in the state of silence, these qualities
will be higher than any other state of thinking. As
such, cognitive expansion strongly happens in the
silent state.

Silence in Cognitive Expansion

Silence to Cognitive Expansion When people accept that cognitive expansion leads
Invention of technologies is the symbol of to silence, they must also accept that only in silence,
cognitive expansion. Humans could not be in the state cognitive expansion can be achieved. Spirituality is
of silence for a long period of time. They aimed to highly divine and attaining spirituality needs much
produce alternates for themselves with the similar intellectual maturity and practice. Silence has the
qualities of humans. In addition, they look for ways to power to attain the elevated state of spirituality.
overrule them with the quality of silence. In brief, When more machines are invented,
they want their work to be done perfectly in advanced communication happens mostly in silent mode,
and in an innovative way without much noise. through text messages, e-mail, social networking
Humans invented machines without the five websites and other facilities to transfer information
important senses for which the humans are known for. from one planet to another. Such things were
In the beginning, machines assisted humans and then, considered as only fantasies and magic a few years
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before. In the course of time, people became highly cannot speak, it does not mean that it does not have
intellectual and started communicating less. If this any language within it. In such a situation, the silent
condition prevails, no human will communicate with communication that happens between Robbie and
each other in the near future. People of their own Gloria leads to cognitive expansion. It is to be noted
family find no time to talk with each other, running that Gloria is a small girl who gets emotionally
behind the mechanized world forgetting that they are attached with the robot Robbie, which does not have
organized humans. any human qualities. There is a cognitive expansion,
When there is no communication between humans, where the child accepts the robot as human and
‘silence’ gets its origin, which can be regarded the refuses to consider it as a machine, which is the initial
stage of utmost development. Silence that comes out stage of post-human development.
of serene communication will definitely take one to In the short story, “Run around”, there is a robot
the highly intellectual state with unimaginable named Speedy, who is sent for Selenium, but it never
sophistication. returns.
It goes away from Powell and team a few days
back but it never returns. As it goes away, there is a
state of silence between Speedy and Powell. There is
Cognitive Expansion to Silence an absence of communication and everyone observes
Our first parents, Adam and Eve attained divinity Speedy from the robot station, who is running around
very easily as they are born with super intelligence. In the Selenium pool. This state of silence makes them
addition, they can be considered as the masters of think, break their brain into pieces and finally find the
silence, as they could achieve divinity without reason for that running around. If that particular
learning and without any hard efforts. The state of silence was not there, they would not have struggled
silence can never be learnt but should be felt and much. After that incident, thinking became
realized. overthinking. Cognition is a process where humans
acquire knowledge whereas; cognitive expansion is
Hence, it is evident that cognitive expansion something that happens in excess.
happens in silence and at the same time, silence
happens through cognitive expansion. In “Liar!, there is a robot named Herbie. It is a
mind-reading robot, which again denotes the state of
silence.
It is not designed intentionally to read minds but as
something goes wrong while programming it, it
The Reversal Process of Silence and Cognitive begins to read human minds which can only happen in
Expansion the state of silence.
Herbie makes Susan Calvin, a robot psychologist,
Cognitive Expansion in Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot
and Bogert, a technician in the robot station, happier
In Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, the writer presents a but it is a lie. When Calvin and Bogert come to know
series of robots to portray the lives of robots with that Herbie has lied intentionally in order to avoid
humans. In the “Robbie”, a short story, Robbie is a hurting them, it is evident that cognitive expansion
robot that cannot speak. Mr. Weston and Mrs. Weston occurs.
wanted Robbie to take care of their daughter Gloria. In this story, the machine gets organized as it is
Robbie and Gloria had excellent understanding with able to sense the human emotions and have the feeling
each other. Gloria enjoyed the company of Robbie. of sympathy and empathy, which is again a post-
But a few days later, Mrs. Weston said Mr. George human aspect.
Weston, “I won’t have my daughter entrusted a
machine –– and I don’t care how clever it is. It has no Similarly, silence happens when there is a
soul, and no one knows what it may be thinking. A cognitive expansion, as in the case of Robbie when it
child just isn’t made to be guarded by a thing of is substituted instead of Gloria’s parents; when
metal”(9). Speedy runs around the pool, its cognitive expansion
made it to think and act according to the law of
Mr. Weston showed his frowning face, when Mrs. Robotics said by Isaac Asimov.
Weston said those words to him, and tried to explain
the advantages of having Robbie with them. There is a
language for machine, but the machine itself is not
aware of the existence of that language within it, as
there is only silent communication. Though Robbie
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References
1. Asimov, I. (2004). Foundation and empire ,Spectra.
2. Robot, I.(2011).To Protect. USA: New American Library.
3. Fukuyama, F. (2003). Our posthuman future:
Consequences of the biotechnology revolution. Farrar,
Straus and Giroux..
4. Gordijn, B. and Chadwick, R.(2008). Medical
enhancement and posthumanity ,Springer Science &
Business Media.
5. Hayles, N.K. (2008). How we became posthuman: Virtual
bodies in cybernetics, literature, and informatics.
University of Chicago Press.
6. Ingraham, C. (2010). What Is Posthumanism?. Future
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7. Pepperell, R. (2003). The Posthuman Condition:
Consciousness Beyond the Brain.
8. Peter, W.S.(2009) Isaac Asimov’s Law of Robotics are
Wrong. Brookings. Brookings.edu.
9. Weisman, A. (2008). Gaviotas: A village to reinvent the
world. Chelsea Green Publishing.
10. Wolfe, C. (2010). What is posthumanism. U of Minnesota
Characteristics of Post-humans Press..
There are digital poems which can be the best
examples for post-human cognitive expansion. Digital
poems are without words but with pictures. By those
pictures, the readers could interpret in all ways
possible. When humans are not restricted there will
not be much thinking and birth of new ideas.
It is proved that inventions and discoveries
evolved after post colonialism, which means only
when people got freedom. When poems are explored
through words, there will be limited thinking and
limited interpretations.
Restricted imaginations happen automatically
when poems are written and perceived through words.
But the birth of digital poetry gave way for other
dimensions of creativity and silent observations.
It increased the level of thinking and it is again the
cognitive expansion in the state of silence. Hence, it is
analyzed by the researcher that silence happens in
cognitive expansion and cognitive expansion happens
in silence.
The researcher has also derived to a fact that
humans are not moving towards an advanced stage
but towards the ancestral stage in the other form
called post-human condition. It is also argued that
post-human condition is not something to be arrived
but it is an already existing state of humans.

Conclusion

It is concluded that humans longed to attain the

state of silence and hence, many technological
advancements happened but they were never satisfied
with that. As a result, they decided to change
themselves as machines, controlling all emotions and
feelings, the condition which existed when world
originated.

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