Techgnosis and the Ghost in the Machine

Erik Davis wrote Techgnosis, a book published in late 1998 that laid the foundation for mysticism in new technologies. In it, Davis sketched paragraphs that anticipated ideas that later became commonplace about the mysticism of the Net and it became an essential guide to understanding this jumble of circuits, crystals, and wandering spirits.

A World of Technology and Obsolete Ideas

We live in a world that is a compendium of increasingly sophisticated technologies, ideas, theories, and devices. At the same time, ideas—especially those related to religions or cults—are becoming obsolete or need to be renewed. Is it possible to combine all this and get something out of it? That's what Davis tried to do in his book. In Techgnosis, Davis treats the Internet as a form of global consciousness, as well as the influence of the UFO phenomenon on the appearance of ideas close to religion.

For example, the very ancient notion of the astral double, which postulates the possibility of traveling outside one's own body, is now possible. In reality, it's a concept with a completely mystical origin, but with the invention of photography or the phonograph it became a reality (albeit limited). But today, we have finally reached the point where technology allows us that “being in two places at the same time” that the occultists postulated. Indeed, through “telepresence” it's possible to operate a robot at the bottom of the ocean and see what it “sees”. I am in a control room, but I am also there. Among other more everyday things you can do with a drone or a smartphone.

This type of technological application continuously redefines the frontiers of our being. Some ideas that were proper to occultism are being adopted by technology addicts. Why? Well, for the same reason that people believed that schizophrenia patients were possessed. Many people access the latest technologies and encounter an unknown world, incomprehensible but almost all-powerful. From there, attributing “powers” to them is just one step (these powers, of course, can be explained by sciences like physics, engineering, mathematics, or any computer science).

Technology as Magic

Arthur C. Clarke's Third Law tells us that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” This is increasingly true. In an interview with Davis, the young English journalist Mark Pilkington asked him if he believes the Internet may be developing its own consciousness. Davis replied: “Of course, you come across that idea all the time among the most fervent supporters of this information culture. It's interesting because this is one of those moments when the more rational and technological you are, the more you end up thinking about these strange ideas, like: what is the mind after all? Merely the product of this meat machine. And while the Internet is not yet as sophisticated as the human brain, the idea that consciousness can emerge in an information-processing system of sufficient complexity is perfectly reasonable. Truly, it is one of those inevitable ideas in this new world.”

“I look forward to the day, and I have almost no doubt that it will come, when something happens in the world, some behavior, phenomenon, or event of this kind within the Internet, that no one is able to explain,” adds Davis, and makes us think that he himself is a believer. “The feelings and reactions that people have about it will show to what extent we are willing to accept, and fear, that there is some kind of mind emerging in there.” The Internet is a technology, but there is a thin line, at least in the popular imagination, that separates it from magic.

The UFO Phenomenon: Cosmic Salvation?

The other meeting point between technology and mysticism occurs around the UFO phenomenon. Beyond whether or not there are real bases, the possible presence of extraterrestrials attracts a whole legion of followers. UFOs are the central object of the technological unconscious in the modern world. The idea that there is at our disposal a technology coming from the cosmos that will save us and take us somewhere else appears constantly.

There are many common elements with Christianity in these ideas, but the central message is extremely gnostic (“you have to wake up”, “reality is just a game”). In some way, the need to be “initiated” is created in order to discover what is happening in the cosmos and to become part of it.

There are many branches of these beliefs that hold, for example, alleged alien documents that describe human beings as “containers” of souls (the best known is Scientology, to which Tom Hanks belongs, among many other Hollywood stars). Many of those who claimed to have been “abducted” in the 1980s discovered themselves, through hypnotic regressions, as extraterrestrial souls trapped in human bodies.

One of the great doubts is what those who, through their knowledge, attain an ideal understanding of the sciences (and therefore of the “magic”) will do with their “spirituality”. Davis himself assures that this “worship” of technology is on the margins of the vital need of most people. And he adds: “That this might take on a religious dimension would not surprise me. Those who have access to that level feel they possess a certain gnostic understanding, a secret access that other people don't have. That this could become another dimension of social tension is extraordinary. And also very dangerous.”

The danger, as Davis mentions, has to do with possible “intolerances” between followers of one or another of these “schools”. It is not far-fetched to think that in about 100 years there could be clashes and confrontations between different factions of new believers. Hey, didn't we see that in South Park?