ACAUSAL:Un principio o proceso que no est sujeto a causas y efectos.

Carl Jung cosider la sincronicidad

como un fenomeno acausal.
ADHOCRACIA: Una organizacin desburocratizada.esta forma ya es comn en organizaciones como firmas
legales, compaas consultoras e investigaciones universitarias.
ADHOCRACY: A non-bureaucratic networked organization. This form is already common in organizations such
as law firms, consulting companies and research universities. Such organizations and institutions must
continually readjust to a changing array of projects, each requiring somewhat different combinations of skills
and other resources. These organizations depend on many rapidly shifting project teams and much lateral
communication among these relatively autonomous, entrepreneurial groups. [Scientific American, Sept. 1991,
p.133. Alvin Toffler, Future Shock, 1970]
AKASHIC RECORDS: Sometimes called the Universal Memory. A hypothetical space that contains ALL that
has gone before, in this and other Universes. It is the storehouse of all information for every individual who has
ever lived upon the earth, containing every word, deed, feeling, thought and intent that has ever occurred.
Could be explained by Tiplers Omega Point Theory.
ALINGUAL: An experience which is intrinsically indescribable and can only be understood by having the
experience and observing the changes in the mind before and after.
ALPHA-POINT COMPUTING: Alpha Point computing is if you spawn off a new universe and perform an
infinite number of computations during the infinite energy densities of that universes Big Bang. Alpha Line
computing, is if you transfer your computing patterns to yet another universe as soon as the first one starts to
cool down, and so on. An Alpha Line could also refer to a larger set of universes spawned by an Alpha-Pointbased civilization that needed to reproduce exponentially rather than just hopping from one universe to another.
[Eliezer Yudkowski]
ALTERNTIY: Experiential quantum hyperspace where all choices are possible. A higher state of
consciousness where you can jump from one universe to another from this reality to an alternate reality, past,
present or future. Because our consensus reality programs us in certain destructive directions, we must
experience other realities in order to know we have choices. [John Lilly, 1974]
ANGEL PLASMA: The extremely hot state of the collapsing universe in the Omega Point Theory, where
superintelligences (Angels) exist as computational systems somehow encoded in the particle interactions. See
also Alpha Point Computing and Quark Matter. [Omega Point Theory List]
ARCH-ANARCHY: The view that we should seek to void all limits on our freedom, including those imposed by
the laws of nature. [T.O. Morrow, 1990]
ASSEMBLER: A molecular machine that can be programmed to build virtually any molecular structure or device
from simpler chemical building blocks. Analogous to a computer-driven machine shop. [K. Eric Drexler, Engines
of Creation, 1986]
APOTHEOSIS: The true Utopia, the best-of-all-possible-worlds not just freedom from pain and stress or a
sterile round of endless physical pleasures, but the prospect of endless growth for every human being growth
in consciousness, mind, in intelligence, in strength of personality; life without bound, without end; experiencing
everything weve dreamed of experiencing, becoming everything weve ever dreamed of being; not for a billion
years, or ten-to-the-billionth years, but forever or perhaps embarking together on some still greater adventure
of which we cannot even conceive. In theology, the term apotheosis refers to the idea that an individual has
been raised to godlike stature.
AUTOEVOLUTION: Evolution directed by intelligent beings instead of natural selection
AUTOPOIESIS: is a process whereby a system produces its own organization and maintains and constitutes
itself in a space. E.g., a biological cell, a living organism and to some extend a corporation and a society as a
whole.

AUTOPOTENT: A system having complete power and knowledge over itself. [Nicholas Bostrm
1996, Predictions from Philosophy?]
BASEMENT UNIVERSE: An artificially created universe linked to the old universe by a wormhole. This could
then be used for living space, computing or as an escape from a decaying universe. Baby Universes have
been postulated by some theories about black holes and inflation cosmology.
BELLS THEOREM: John S. Bells proof (1964) that any objective theory must include nonlocal effects: effects
outside the light cone (faster than light) Thus if we reject nonlocality with its suggestion of telepathy, we seem
driven to nonobjectivity, which suggests psychokinesis or the merging of of physics and parapsychology into
paraphysics. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
BEKENSTEIN BOUND: The Bekenstein Bound is an upper bound of the amount of information inside a
spherical region with a given energy. Information in this context is to be understood
as distinguishable (quantum) states. Due to the uncertainty relations it is possible to derive a bound of the form
I <= (2 Pi E R)/(hbar c ln2)
where I is the information, E is the energy, R is the radius, hbar Planks constant, c the speed of light. It can
also be written as
I <= k M R
Where M the mass in the region and k a constant having the value ~2.57686*1043/ bits/(m kg). This bound was
derived by J.D. Bekenstein in another but equivalent form, relating the entropy of black holes to their area (S =
A/(4 hbar G), where A is the area of the event horizon).
BIOSTASIS: Broader than cryonic suspension; suspension of all biological activity, by infusing the patient with
cryoprotective chemicals and freezing or vitrifying (cryonic suspension), or by chemically bonding cellular
components in place. [K. Eric Drexler, 1986]
BORGANISM: 1) An organization of formerly autonomous beings who have merged their individual wills to
create one, collectively conscious being; 2) The social and political theory that advocates the creation of
borganisms.
BREAKEVEN POINT: As medicine and life extension advances, the life expectancy of the population increases
somewhat each year, and this process may accelerate given new technologies or new knowledge. The longer
you live, the more medical advances will occur during your lifetime which extend your life expectancy. During
this extra time more medical advances can occur, and so on. If the increase of life expectancy becomes larger
than one year longer life/year lived the breakeven point is reached (after the fusion physics term for the point
where more energy is produced than is used to drive the reactor) and individuals have a finite chance of living
indefinitely. Quite naturally the breakeven point presupposes that medical advances never run into any firm
barriers, and that they can be developed fast enough, which is of course very speculative. [Anders Sandberg
1997]
BREMERMANNS LIMIT: Named after Hans-Joachim Bremermann, is the maximum computational speed of a
self-contained system in the material universe. It is derived from Einsteins mass-energy equivalency and the
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and is approximately 2 1047 bits per second per gram. For example, a
computer the size of the entire Earth, operating at the Bremermanns limit could perform approximately
1075 operations per second, and super-dense object like a quark star could perform 1085 operations per
second.
CALORIE RESTRICTION: A reduction in caloric-intake for the purposes of slowing ones rate of aging as well
as preventing disease or the morbidity/mortality associated with disease. So far this is the most promising (if

somewhat cumbersome) life extension method; animal experiments have shown definite positive results with a
low-calorie diet.
CHRONONAUTS:: those who travel through time, either by biostasis or through possible loopholes in physical
laws as currently understood.
COMPUTRONIUM: Matter supporting computation, especially artificial substances suitable for high efficiency
computation. [Eugene Leitl].
CONCENTRATED INTELLIGENCE: An intelligent entity (esp. a Jupiter-Brain) which is spatially concentrated
into a single volume, as dense as possible, to reduce communications lag. This arrangement is not as flexible
as a distributed intelligence, but probably more efficient.
CONSENSUS REALITY: The arbitrary socially accepted ontology of what is believed to be real, accepted by
the majority of individuals in a given place or at a given time.
COPENHAGEN INTERPRETATION: The theory formulated by Niels Bohr, according to which the state vector
(see below) should be regarded as a mathematical formalism. In other wordswhich some physicists will
dispute the equations of quantum mechanics do not describe what is happening in the subatomic world but
what mathematical systems we need to create to think of that world. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
COSMIC GLUE: A metaphor to describe the quantum interconnectedness that must exist if Bells Theorem be
valid. Coined by Dr. Nick Herbert. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
COSMIC HEDONISM: From this perspective the goal for the post-singularity universe should be to maximize
the total amount of happiness in the cosmos. Of course, the definition of happiness poses a serious problem,
but if one agrees that Cosmic Hedonism is the right approach, one can impose the understanding of happiness
as part of the goal for the post-Singularity period. The goal becomes to understand what happiness is, and then
maximize it. However, even if one had a crisp and final definition of happiness, there would be a problem with
Cosmic Hedonism a problem that Ive come to informally refer to as the problem of the universal orgasm.
The question is whether we really want a universe that consists of a single massive wave of universal orgasmic
joy. Perhaps we do all want this, in a sense but what if this means that mind, intelligence, life, humanity and
everything else we know becomes utterly nonexistent? The ethical maxim that I call the Principle of Joyous
Growth attempts to circumvent this problem, by adding an additional criterion:
Maximize happiness but also maximize growth.
A very general interpretation of growth is increase in the amount and complexity of patterns in the universe. The
Principle of Joyous Growth rules out the universal orgasm outcome unless it involves a continually increasing
amount of pattern in the universe. [Ben Goertzel]
CRYPTOCOSMOLOGY: The study of possible reasons we havent found any evidence for other intelligent life
in the universe (the Fermi paradox), especially looking at reasons why advanced intelligence would blend in
with their environment. An adoption of the word cryptozoology, the search for unknown or imaginary animals.
See Ontological Trancendence.
DEEP ANARCHY: The view that the State has no real existence; states can be abolished only by changing
beliefs and behavior. [Max More, 1989]
DEGENERATE MATTER: is matter that has such extraordinarily high density that the dominant contribution to
its pressure is attributable to the Pauli exclusion principle.
DISASTERBATION: Idly fantasizing about possible catastrophes (ecological collapse, full-blown totalitarianism)
without considering their likelihood or considering their possible solutions and preventions. [David Krieger,
1993]
DISTRIBUTED INTELLIGENCE: An intelligent entity which is distributed over a large volume (or inside another
system, like a computer network) with no distinct center. This is the opposite to the strategy of Concentrated
intelligences. Distributed intelligences have much longer communications lags, but are more flexible in their

structure and can survive damage to their parts.

DIVERGENT TRACK HYPOTHESIS: Cultures tend to converge towards a few attractor states (for
example borganisms), while the attractor states diverge from each other. A rival to the strong convergence
hypothesis [Nicholas Bostrm 1996, Predictions from Philosophy?]
DIVIDUALS: A copy of a personality surviving in more than one body. Example: Keith Henson wishes to
become a collection of such dividuals so that he-plural can explore the galaxy in parallel. (See the Far Edge
Party) [Mark Plus, 1992]
DMT: Dimetyltryptamine an extremely powerful, short-acting hallucinogenic molecule found in the South
American shamanic brew Ayahuasca.
DYSON SCENARIO: Life expands into the universe, which is open. As the universe cools, life stores energy to
survive (do information processing). It waits until the universe is cool enough, performs some processing with
part of its energy stores, then waits until the universe has cooled so much that the remaining energy can be
used to do an equal amount of computation, and so on. [Omega Point Theory List]
DYSON SPHERE: A shell built around a star to collect as much energy as possible, originally proposed by
Freeman Dyson (although he admits to have borrowed the concept from Olaf Stapledons novel Star
Maker (1937)). In the original proposal the shell consists of many independent solar collectors and habitats in
separate orbits (also known as a Type I Dyson Sphere), but later people have discussed rigid shells consisting
of only one piece (called a Type II Dyson Sphere). The latter construction is unfortunately both unstable (since it
will experience no net attraction of the star), requires super-strong materials and have no internal gravity. The
Dyson Sphere is a classic example of megascale engineering and common in Science Fiction. See also The
Dyson Sphere FAQ.
ECCO: John Lillys acronym for the Earth Coincidence Control Office. A hypothetical hierarchy of entities who
manage synchronicities in a fashion intended to accelerate the motion of human beings along their psychespiritual evolutionary pathways. For more details, see E.C.C.O.
EIGENSTATE: One of a finite number of states that a quantum system can be in. The Superposition Principle
says that, before measurement, a system must be considered to be in all of its eigenstates; measurement
selects one eigenstate. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
EIGHT CIRCUIT MODEL: Timothy Learys synthesis of modern psychology, esoteric concepts of altered states
of consciousness, and the 20th-c. scientific outlook in general. The circuits referred to are channels for the
reception, integration and transmission of information within the nervous system. In brief they are: C-I
Biosurvival; C- II Emotional/Territorial; C-III Semantic; C-IV Socio-Sexual (the terrestrial or mechanical
circuits); C-V Neurosomatic; C-VI Neuroelectric; C-VII Neurogenetic; C-VIII Neuroatomic,
Metaphysiological (the cyber/quantum or post-terrestrial circuits). The most complete discussion of what
these different circuits do, how they relate to evolutionary theory etc, is in Learys Exo-Psychology. For details
see Learys Eight Circuit Model of Consciousness.
EINSTEIN-ROSEN BRIDGE: See Wormhole.
EINSTEIN-ROSEN-PODOLSKY EFFECT: The quantum interconnectedness as described in a paper by
Einstein, Rosen, and Podolsky. The purpose of said paper was to prove that quantum mechanics cannot be
valid, since it leads to such an outlandish conclusion. Since Bells Theorem, some physicist have chosen to
accept the interconnectedness, however outlandish it may seem. See QUIP. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
EMULATION: An absolutely precise simulation of something, so exact that it is equivalent to the original (for
example, many computers emulate obsolete computers to run their programs).
ENTACTOGEN: Any chemical agent that induces feelings of empathy and connectedness in the user. Ex:
MDMA, MDA, MDEA and MBDB. [David E. Nichols, 1986]
THE ETERNAL LIFE POSTULATE: The assumption that life, once it arises in the universe, lasts forever
(primarily made by Frank J. Tipler in his Omega Point Theory).

EVERETT-WHEELER-GRAHAM MODEL: An alternative to Bells Theorem and the Copenhagen Interpretation,

Which states that everything that can happen to the state vector (see below) does happen to it. [Illuminati
Papers, 1980]
EXOSELF: Systems linked to the self in a cooperative way, extending the mind and the body. Especially used
about the systems supporting an uploaded personality, providing information, virtual reality and monitoring.
[Greg Egan, Permutation City]
EXTROPIAN: One who affirms the values and attitudes codified and expressed in the Extropian Principles. See
also the Extropy Institute website.
EXTROPY: A measure of intelligence, information, energy, life, experience, diversity, opportunity, and growth.
The collection of forces which oppose entropy. (see the Extropy Home Page) [T.O. Morrow, 1988]
FAR EDGE PARTY: One of the main problems of exploring the stellar systems of the galaxy even for very
advanced civilizations is that a serial journey even at the speed of light would take so long time that most of the
stars would have died during the journey. One solution is to parallelize the problem: the explorer travels to a
new system, creates a number of copies (xoxes) of himself and sends them to other systems, while he remains
behind exploring the system (this is a variant of exploring the galaxy using von Neumann machines). After
around 10 million years, when all of the galaxy has been explored, the explorers gather together at a
prearranged place, and exchange or merge their memories (The Far Edge Party). This was proposed by Keith
Henson as a possible method for a single individual to visit all of the galaxy within a reasonable time.
FEMTOTECHNOLOGY: Technology using objects on the femto-scale (10-15 meters, or a million times smaller
than the nanometer scale of nanotechnology). This would involve nucleons and other elementary particles
doing useful work, involving quantum effects. An advanced form of femtotechnology might involve the use of
ultra-dense degenerate matter in neutron or quark stars for computation. At this time femtotechnology has no
feasibility proofs and remains pure speculation.
FERMI PARADOX: If there are other intelligent beings in the Universe, why arent they here?. Since it appears
to be quite possible for a technological species to spread across the galaxy in less than 10 million years
(using von Neumann machines) or otherwise change things on such a large scale that it would be very visible
(see Kardaschev types), the lack of such evidence is puzzling or implies that other technological civilizations
doesnt exist. There have been many attempts to explain this, for example the Wildlife Preserve idea (the
aliens doesnt want to interfere with younger civilizations), that they transcend and become incomprehensible,
that they hide or that they are actually here, hidden on the nanoscale, but the problem with these attempts is
that most of them just explain why some aliens would not be apparent. [E. Fermi]
FLUIDENTITY: pun on fluid identity and/or fluid entity. A state in which traditional boundaries of identity are
completely in flux while immersed in a superliquid economy, cyberspace anarchy and/or distributed SuperIntelligence matrix (see functional soup). [Paul Hughes, May 1998]
FORM: In the sense of G. Spencer Brown, a mathematical or logical system necessary to systematic thought
but having the inevitable consequences of imposing its own deep structures upon the experiences packed and
indexed by the form. See Copenhagen Interpretation [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
FUNCTIONAL SOUP: A possible posthuman state where knowledge, mental modules and access to physical
bodies can be shared between distributed infomorphs largely independent of the physical substrate of their
world. Terms such as individuality become diffuse, and are replaced with teleological threads. [Alexander
Chislenko, Technology as extension of human functional architecture]
GAIA HYPOTHESIS: is a class of scientific models of the biosphere in which life fosters and maintains suitable
conditions for itself by affecting Earths environment. The first such theory was created by the English
atmospheric scientist James Lovelock in 1969. He hypothesized that the living matter of the planet functioned
like a single organism (or mind) and named this self-regulating living system after the Greek goddess Gaia.
GDELS THEOREM: (Gdels incompleteness theorem) Any proposed axiom set for arithmetic is either

consistent (no contradictions can be derived) or complete (it will say yes or no to every arithmetic proposition).
In other words, any axiom set strong enough to include arithmetic which is complete will be inconsistent (it will
say yes and no to at least one question).
GOD GAMES: Activities worthy of post-humans who are free to create their own realities, one on one with the
universe determining their own unique evolutionary trajectory. [Neil Freer, God Games, What Do You Do
Forever]
GOD SPOT: A tiny locus of nerve cells in the frontal lobe of the brain that appears to be activated during
religious experiences. Neuroscientists from the University of California discovered the God spot while studying
epileptic patients who have had intense mystical experiences during seizures.
GREAT FILTER, THE:The Great Filter refers to the hypothetical mechanism(s) or principle(s) by which the great
number of potentially life-bearing planets get filtered out before they have produced intelligent life forms that
expand into cosmos. See also the Fermi paradox.
HEDONIC ENGINEERING: The art and science of re-imrpinting ones own nervous system for more ecstatic or
intelligent functioning. Serial re-incarnation in one body. See The Hedonistic Imperative. [Illuminati Papers,
1980]
HIDDEN VARIABLE: An alternative to Bell, Copenhagen, and Everett-Wheeler-Graham. As developed by Dr.
David Bohm, the Hidden Variable theory assumes that quantum events are determined by a subquantum
system acting outside or before the universe of space-time known to us. Dr. Evan Harris Walker and Dr. Nick
Herbert have suggested that the hidden variable is consciousness; Dr. Jack Sarfatti suggest that it is
information. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
HPLD: Highest Possible Level of Development, as opposed to the Sans Ceiling Hypothesis. This is a concept
(and abbreviation) from a Stanslaw Lem story. The idea is that there is an end-state of technological evolution,
when it is possible to carry out everything consistent with physical law, and that this end-state is essentially
unique. Because of the uniqueness of this state, it is possible to theorize usefully about it, while the paths
between here and there are shrouded by mind-boggling complexity (AKA the Singularity). [definition by Carl
Feynman. The original story is "Altruizine, or A True Account of How Bonhomius the Hermetic Hermit Tried to
Bring About Universal Happiness, and What Came of It", in The Cyberiad]
HYPNOGOGIC: The twilight state of awareness, characterized by vivid dream-like imagery, that occurs as one
is falling asleep.
IMPRINTS: Electrochemically bonded neural circuits defining and limiting the capacity to receive, decode, and
transmit information. According to Timothy Leary, there are at least eight imprint circuits in humans, of which
only four are used by most people. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
INFOMORPH: An uploaded intelligence, or information entity, which resides in a computer. See Charles Platt,
The Silicon Man, p.109. [1991]
INFORMATION: A measure of the unpredictability of a message; that is, the more unpredictable a message is,
the more information it contains. Since systems tend to disorder (according to the second law of
thermodynamics), we can think of the degree of order in a system as the amount of information in it. Ordinarily
information is transmitted as an ordering of energy (a signal), in which the energy and its ordering (the
message) is transmitted from one place to another. Dr. Sarfatti has suggested that the nonlocality of the ERP
effect and Bells Theorem may entail the instantaneous transfer of order from one place to another without any
energy transfer. Thus we can have both Bells Theorem and Special Relativity, since Special Relativity only
prohibits the instantaneous transfer of energy and does not say anything about instantaneous transfer of
information. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
JUPITER-BRAIN: A posthuman being of extremely high computational power and size. This is the
archetypal concentrated intelligence. The term originated due to an idea by Keith Henson that nanomachines
could be used to turn the mass of Jupiter into computers running an upgraded version of himself.

See Matrioshka Brains.

KARDASCHEV TYPES: A classification of possible civilizations after energy usage. Type I civilizations control
all available energy on a single planet. Type II civilizations control all available energy in a solar system (for
example, using Dyson spheres). Type III civilizations control use all available energy in an entire galaxy. (Mitch
Porter suggested that a Type IV civilization controls all available energy in the entire universe) We are currently
moving towards a Type I civilization. [Nikolai Kardaschev, 1964]. See Exotic Civilizations.
KETAMINE: Vitamin K or Special K. A dissociative anesthetic agent with profound psychedelic properties,
first pioneered by John Lilly.
LAW OF ACCELERATING RETURNS: As order exponentially increases, time exponentially speeds up (i.e. the
time interval between salient events grows shorter as time passes.) [Raymond Kurzweil, 1999, Age of Spiritual
Machines]
LINDE SCENARIO: A scenario for indefinite survival of intelligent life. It assumes it is possible to either
create basement universes connected to the original universe with a wormhole or the existence of other
cosmological domains. Intelligent life continually migrates to the new domains as the old grow too entropic to
sustain life. [Mitch Porter, 1997. The name refers to Linde's chaotic inflation cosmology, where new universes
are continually spawned.]
LUCID DREAM::Lucid dreaming means that you are aware that you are dreaming. While lucid you can do a
anything your imagination desires, such as talk to a relative/friend that has passed away, live your wildest
fantasies or just fly to the heavens and marvel in the beauty of the environments you create.
MEGASCALE ENGINEERING: Technology using energies, scales or methods far beyond the current levels
(but still bound by physical law). Typical examples are terraforming, Dyson spheres, and stellar husbandry.
METAPROGRAMMING: The ability to reprogram your own self-limiting neurological programming. Consciously
changing ones models, maps, and beliefs of the world; changing reality-tunnels. [John Lilly,
1968, Programming & Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer]
METASTABILITY: a long lived but not truly indefinite stability. The metastability persists in its existing
equilibrium when undisturbed (or only slightly disturbed) but able to pass to a more stable equilibrium when
sufficiently disturbed.
MODEL AGNOSTICISM: The view that philosophical and metaphysical questions are not ultimately verifiable,
but that a model of malleable assumption should be built upon rational thought. An as if true, rather than is
true. According to this viewpoint, we should never believe in our models or maps of Universe the way most
people believe in their religion or ideology. Created mostly by Niels Bohr. A similar model agnosticism appears
in the general semantics of Korzybski and the ethno-methodology of Garfinkle. [Robert Anton Wilson, Cosmic
Trigger, 1977]
MONISTIC IDEALISM: The view that consciousness, not matter, is the ground of all being. It is monist because
it holds that there is only one type of thing in the universe and idealist because it holds that one thing to be
consciousness.
MORPHIC FIELD: A field within and around a self-organizing system that organizes its characteristic structure
and pattern of activity. According to the hypothesis of formative causation, morphic fields contain an inherent
memory transmitted by previous similar systems by morphic resonance and tend to become increasingly
habitual. Morphic fields include morphogenetic, behavioral, social, cultural, and mental fields. The greater the
degree of similarity, the greater the influence of morphic resonance. In general, systems most closely resemble
themselves in the past and are subject to self-resonance from their own past states.[Rupert Sheldrake]
MORPHIC RESONANCE: The influence of previous structures on subsequent similar structures of activity
organized by morphic fields. According to the hypothesis of formative causation, morphic resonance involves
the transmission of formative influences through or across time and space without a decrease due to distance
or lapse of time.

MORPHOGENETIC FIELDS: Fields that play a causal role in morphogenesis. This term, first proposed in the
1920s, is now widely used by developmental biologists. According to the hypothesis of formative causation,
these fields contain an inherent memory, transmitted from similar past organisms by the process of morphic
resonance.
MORPHOLOGICAL FREEDOM: The ability to alter bodily form at will through technologies such as surgery,
genetic engineering, nanotechnology, uploading. [Max More, April 1992]
(MOLECULAR) NANOTECHNOLOGY: The technology of precisely- constructed molecular-scale machines;
from nanometer: a billionth of a meter. For a good introduction, see What is Nanotechnology? or Ralph C.
Merkles nanotechnology page, or [K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, 1986]
NEOPHILIA: (From the Jargon File, with a slight hacker bias): The trait of being excited and pleased by novelty.
Common among most hackers, SF fans, and members of several other connected leading-edge subcultures,
including the pro-technology `Whole Earth wing of the ecology movement, space activists, many members of
Mensa, and the Discordian/neo-pagan underground. All these groups overlap heavily and (where evidence is
available) seem to share characteristic hacker tropisms for science fiction, music, and oriental food. The
opposite tendency is `neophobia.
NEURO-: A prefix denoting known or mediated by the nervous system . Since all human knowledge is
neurological in this sense, every science may be considered a neuro-science; e.g., we have no physics but
neurophysics, no psychology but neuropsychology and ultimately, no neurology but neuroneurology. But
neuroneurology would itself be known by the nervous system, leading to neuroneuroneurology etc., in an
infinate regress. See Von Neumanns Catastrophe [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
NEUROLOGIC: The logic of the nervous system; how the imprint circuits process information. [Illuminati
Papers, 1980]
NEURONAUT: A person who explores their own neural functioning and internal mentational processes by
various means, including deep introspection and meditation, metaprogramming, psychoactive drugs, mind
machines, and neuroscientific understanding.
NEUTRON STAR: is a type of stellar remnant that can result from the gravitational collapse of a massive
star during a supernova event. Such stars are composed almost entirely of densely packed neutrons (because
they are missing their electron shells). Neutron stars are very hot and are supported against further collapse by
quantum degeneracy pressure due to the Pauli exclusion principle. Neutron star density is
around 51017 kg/m3. This density is equivalent to the Earth being squeezed into a ball less than 250 meters
in diameter.
NONLOCAL: Not depending upon space and time. A nonlocal effect occurs instantaneously and with no
attenuation due to distance. Special Relativity seems to forbid all such non-local effects, but Bells Theorem
seems to show that quantum mechanics demands them. The only solution thus far offered to this contradiction
are that nonlocal effects involve consciousness rather than energy (Walker, Herbert) or that they involve
information rather than energy (Sarfatti). [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
NONOBJECTIVITY: One of the two alternatives to Bells Theorem (the other being Everett-Wheeler-Graham
Model). In order to avoid non locality, some physicists such as Dr. Wheeler prefer this option, which holds that
the universe has no reality aside from observation. The extreme form of this view says Esse est percepito
be is to be perceived. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
NOOTROPIC: A cognition-enhancing, or smart drug that has no significant side-effects. [C. Giurgea]
OBE: OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE: Also called astral projection; a fully conscious experience in which a
persons consciousness seems to travel outside of the physical body.
OMEGA POINT: A possible future state when intelligence controls the Universe totally, and the amount of
information processed and stored goes asymptotically towards infinity. [Origin: Teilhard de Chardin, The
Phenomenon of Man. See also Barrow and Tipler, The Cosmological Anthropic Principle or Tipler's The Physics

of Immortality for a more modern definition.]

ONEILL COLONY: A rotating space colony, especially large ones with internal ecosystems, such as ONeill
cylinders or Bernal spheres. [Named after Gerard K. O'Neill]
ONEILL CYLINDERS: A pair of cylindrical space colonies that rotate around their respective axis to produce
simulated gravity (one rotates clockwise and the other counterclockwise to minimize torques). See ONeill
cylinders in Island Onefor discussion and some good pictures. [Named after Gerard O'Neill who described
them.]
ONTOLOGICAL CONSERVATIVES: Basement reality dwellers, people who regard physical reality as
fundamentally important and simulated/emulated realities as bad, due to fear of the unknown elements or the
effects of such simulated realities. They regard solid state civilizations as a bad idea. [Natasha Vita More,
November 1997]
ONTOLOGICAL TRANSCENDENCE: Transcending to a higher ontological domain by a sufficiently advanced
intelligence, rendering them both invisible and incomprehensible to any intelligence still in the previous domain.
Human civilization is incomprehensible to insects for example. Possible Explanation to Fermis Paradox.
See Exotic Civilizations. [Paul Hughes, 1997]
ORGASMATRON: A conceptual device or pod where the user can go to immerse themselves in various
pleasureful and orgasmic states. See pleasure dome [Sleeper, 1973]
QUIP: Quantum Inseparability Principle That through quantum entanglement, there is no way to seperate the
observer and the thing being observered. And that once entangled, always entangled, implying that every single
point in space-time is instantaneously connected to every other point. [Nick Herbet, 1975]
PANPSYCHISM: Is the belief that mind, or consciousness, is omnipresent throughout the universe and is a
fundamental aspect of the universe. Examples of panpsychic beliefs are that atoms have atom
consciousness, rocks have rock consciousness, trees have tree consciousness, planets have planet
consciousness (see Gaia Hypothesis), and the universe has universe consciousness, and so on.
Panpsychism is sometimes called panexperientialism or panprotopsychism in contemporary Philosophy of
mind.
P.A.Z.: Permanent Autonomous Zone. As far as I know there are no PAZs on the planet yet, and will probably
require the end of hierarchical power structures or the formation of distant space colonies before they become a
reality. See T.A.Z. [Hakim Bey]
PLANCK-WHEELER LENGTH: The length at which quantum uncertainty in the structure of space-time causes
classical General Relativity to cease to apply, eqaul to about 10-35 meters, which is twenty orders of magnitude
smaller than the size of atomic nuclei.
PLEASURE DOME: A conceptual hedonisitic dome or ambient environment in which the user has complete
control over the Entirety of their sensory experience. See orgasmatron, Pleasure Domes Decree.
PLEASURE TOLERANCE: Pleasure tolerance means being able to accept life as pleasurable only up to some
limit. If life becomes pleasurable beyond that limit, subconscious mechanisms are activated that bring the level
of pleasure back down to the acceptable level. The goal of any genuine personal growth methodology is to
increase this level of tolerance to the highest possible levels. [Jim Leonard, Pleasure Tolerance]
PLEXURE: The ability to see knowledge as through different lenses, that is, through different epistemological
systems, to enter and hold different worldviews. [David Zindell, The Broken God]
POSTHUMAN: Persons of unprecedented physical, intellectual, and psychological capacity, self-programming,
self-constituting, potentially immortal, unlimited individuals. See also the Extropian FAQ for their definition
of Posthuman. [Term: FM-2030 Def.: Max More]
POTENTIA: The name given to the presumed subquantum world by Dr.Heisenberg. Space and time do not
exist in potentia; but all the phenomena of the space time manifold emerge from potentia. See hidden

variable and information. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]

PREON: postulated point-like particles, conceived to be subcomponents of quarks and leptons.
PREON STAR: is a proposed type of compact star made of preons. Preon stars would be expected to have
huge densities, exceeding 1023 kilogram per cubic meter. This is equivalent to the entire mass of the Earth
being compacted into a ball less than 2 meters radius. They may have greater densities than quark stars and
neutron stars although they are smaller and lighter than white dwarfs and neutron stars.
QUALIA: the substance of conscious experience. Qualia is the technical term that describes the redness of
red, the mysterious, indescribable, apparently irreducible quality of redness that exists above and beyond a
particular frequency of light.
QUANTUM: An entity whose energies occur in discrete lumpse.g., photons are the quanta of the
electromagnetic field. Quanta have both wave and particle aspects, the wave aspect being the probability of
detecting the particle at a certain place and time. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
QUANTUM COMPUTING: A method of computing, based on quantum physics, that uses the ability of particles
such as electrons to exist in more than one state at the same time. See Qubit.
QUANTUM LOGIC: A system of symbolic logic not restricted to the either its A or its not-A choices of
Aristotelian logic. Chiefly due to Dr.Von Neumann and Dr. Finkelstein, this approach evades the paradoxes of
other interpretations of quantum mechanics by assuming that the universe is multivalued, not two-valued; Dr.
Finkelstein expresses this by saying In addition to a yes and a no, the universe contains a maybe.
See eigenstate [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
QUANTUM MECHANICS: The mathematical system for describing the atomic and subatomic realm. There is
no dispute about how to do quantum mechanics1.e., calculate the probabilities within this realm. All the
controversy is about what the quantum mechanics equations imply about reality, which is known as the
interpretation of quantum mechanics. The principal lines of interpretation are the Copenhagen Interpretation
and/or Nonobjectivity and/or Bells Theorem and/or Nonlocality and/or the Everett-Wheeler-Graham multi
worlds model. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
QUARK: is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite
particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei.
QUARK MATTER: Also known as Quark-Gluon Plasma, QCD matter, or simply Quark Soup, is the highest
known energy phase of matter (beyond plasma) where quarks and gluons are the basic degrees of freedom.
This phase does not appear until temperatures exceed several trillion degrees Kelvin.
QUARK NOVA: A quark-nova is a hypothetical type of supernova that could occur if a neutron
star spontaneously collapsed to become a quark star. When a neutron star spins down, it could convert to a
quark star through a process known as quark confinement. The resultant star would have quark matter in its
interior. The process would release immense amounts of energy, perhaps explaining the most energetic
explosions in the universe; rough calculations have estimated that as much as 1047 J could be released from
the phase transition inside a neutron star. Neutron star collisions, quark- novae and hyper-novae (which release
up to 1048J) are the only known causes of gamma ray bursts, the most powerful energy explosions in the
universe.
QUARK STAR: Denser than a neutron star, quark stars (or strange stars) are hypothetical types of exotic stars
composed of quark matter, or strange matter. These are ultra-dense phases of degenerate matter theorized to
form inside particularly massive neutron stars. Theoretically, computers running on the super-dense quark
matter inside quark stars could perform an astonishing 1085 operations per second.
QUBIT: A quantum bit, used in quantum computing, that is both zero and one simultaneously, until quantum
decoherence (direct or indirect by a conscious observer) causes each each quantum bit to disambiguate into a
state of either zero or one. One qubit stores two possible numbers (zero and one) at the same time. N qubits
stores 2N possible numbers at the same time. Thus an N qubit computer would try 2N possible solutions to a

problem simultaneously, which gives the quantum computer its enormous potential power.
SAMADHI LEVELS: States of higher consciousness, each level providing greater degrees of bliss,
perspectives, realites and nuances of being; both while in the body on our planetside trip and outside of space,
time and body altogether. See Samadhi Levels [John Lilly, 1971]
SANS CEILING HYPOTHESIS: There are no upper limits to what sufficiently advanced intelligent life can do
(as opposed to the view that there are fundamental limits set by physical law). See Arch-anarchy. [Paul
Hughes, May 1998]
SENTIENCE QUOTIENT: In the article Xenopsychology by Robert Freitas in Analog of April 1984 there is an
interesting index called Sentience quotient. It is based on: The sentience of an intelligence is roughly directly
related to the amount of data it can process per unit time and inversely to the overall mass needed to do that
processing. This would be something like baud/kilograms. And since that would rapidly turn into a real big
number, base 10 logs are used. The least sentient would be one bit over the lifetime of the universe massing
the entire known universe, or about -70. The most sentient is claimed to be +50. Homo sapiens are around
+13, a Cray I is +9, a venus flytrap is a peak of +1 with plants generally -2.
SINGULARITARIAN: One who advocates the idea that technological progress will cause a singularity in human
history. (cf. Singularity in Extropy #7.) [Mark Plus, August 1991]
SINGULARITY: The postulated point or short period in our future when our self-guided evolutionary
development accelerates enormously (powered by nanotechnology, neuroscience, AI, and perhaps uploading)
so that nothing beyond that time can reliably be conceived. a future time when societal, scientific and
economic change is so fast we cannot even imagine what will happen from our present perspective, and when
humanity will become posthumanity. Another definition is the singular time when technological development will
be at its fastest. A grand evolutionary leap. [Vernor Vinge, 1986]
S.M.I.L.E: Space Migration, Intelligence Increase, Life Extension [Timothy Leary, 1974]
SOLID STATE CIVILIZATION: A posthuman or alien civilization where most people have no physical bodies
and exist as information inside computers.
STAR LIFTING: To remove material from a star for industrial use or for stellar husbandry. Possible methods
would involve increasing its rotation until material began to drift off the equator or squeezing it using intense
magnetic fields from particle accelerators. [Dave Criswell]
STATE VECTOR: the mathematical expression describing one or two states that a quantum system can be in:
for instance, an electron can be in either of two spin states, called spin up and spin down. The amusing thing
about quantum mechanics is that each state vector can be regarded as the superposition of other state vectors.
[Illuminati Papers, 1980]
STELLAR HUSBANDRY: To control the evolution and properties of stars, especially to stabilize them, prolong
their lifetimes (from billions to trillions of years), manipulate the stellar wind, lift off useful material or create new
stars. Typical methods would be star lifting or mixing the stellar core with envelope material to make hydrogen
burning last longer. [Dave Criswell]
STRONG CONVERGENCE HYPOTHESIS: All sufficiently advanced cultures converge towards the same state.
A rival hypothesis is the divergent track hypothesis. See also HPLD. [Nicholas Bostrm 1996, Predictions from
Philosophy?]
STRONG AI POSTULATE: The assumption that an intelligent machine can be built, at least in principle. Some
versions of the postulate are more narrow, and say that intelligence is computable on Turing machines (i.e. the
mind is a program). This essentially means that intelligence is only dependent on pattern, not its material basis.
SUPERDETERMINISM: An interpretation of quantum theory (as opposed to super free will) that rejects
contrafactual definiteness; that is, it assumes any statements about what could have happened are
meaningless. A consequence of this view is that all distinction between observer and observed, or self and
universe, also becomes meaningless; I had no choice about writing this book, Dell Books had no choice about

publishing it, and you had no choice about reading it, since there is only one thing happening and we are all
seamlessly welded into it. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
SUPER FREE WILL: An approach to quantum theory where the self-recursive nature of the conscious observer
yields free-will as the ultimate operator in the universe. See monistic idealism. [Paul Hughes, 2004]. For an indepth explanation see Super Free Will: Metaprogramming and the Quantum Observer.
SYNAESTHESIA: a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the
hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color.
SINCRONICIDAD: A term introduced by psychologist Dr. Jung and physicist Dr. Pauli to describe connections,
or meaningful coincidences, that do not make sense in terms of cause-and-effect. It is thought by some that
such connections may indicate the Hidden Variable at work or some sort of nonlocal Information System.
[Illuminati Papers, 1980]
T.A.Z.: Temporary Autonomous Zone. Ex: Burning Man. See P.A.Z. [Hakim Bey]
TELEOLOGICAL THREAD: A sequence of goals following each other. Refers to the possibility of
strong morphological freedom, where individuals can change all their properties and their configuration; only the
general goals may stay the same, and they may drift forming a teleological thread. [Alexander
Chislenko, Technology as extension of human functional architecture]
TERRAFORM: To change the properties of a planet to make it more earthlike, making it possible for humans or
other terrestrial organisms to live unaided on it, for example by changing atmospheric composition, pressure,
temperature or the climate and introducing a sel f-sustaining ecosystem. This will most probably be a very longterm project, probably requiring self-replicating technology and megascale engineering. So far Venus and
especially Mars looks as the most promising candidates for terraforming in the solar system. See also
the Terraforming and Ecopoesis page and topical words: terraforming. [Jack Williamson 1938]
TIPLER SCENARIO: Life expands to fill the universe, which is closed. As it begins to contract, life uses its
shear energy to survive and manipulate its evolution. As the universe collapses, the speed of information
processing increases without bound and life evolves into an Omega Point.
TRANSCEND: v. To become vastly superhuman and incomprehensible for unaugmented beings. [Vernor
Vinge, A Fire Upon the Deep]
TRANSHUMAN: Someone actively preparing for becoming posthuman. Someone who is informed enough to
see radical future possibilities and plans ahead for them, and who takes every current option for selfenhancement. [Term: FM-2030 Def.: Max More]
TRANSHUMANISM: Philosophies of life (such as Extropianism) that seek the continuation and acceleration of
the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and
technology, guided by life-promoting values. [Max More 1990]
UNIVERSAL ASSEMBLER: Uses raw atoms and molecules to construct consumer goods, and is pollution free.
Can be programmed to build anything that is composed of atoms and consistent with the rules of chemical
stability. Eric Drexler talks about these assemblers as nanorobots with telescoping manipulator arms that are
capable of picking up individual atoms, and combining them however they are programmed.
UNIVERSAL CONSTRUCTOR: A machine capable of constructing anything that can be constructed. The
physical analog of a universal computer, which can perform any computation.
UNIVERSAL IMMORTALISM: The view that the problem of death can be solved in its entirety (including
bringing back those dead who were not placed into biostasis) through a rational, scientific approach. [R.
Michael Perry, 1990]
UPLOAD: (a) To transfer the consciousness and mental structure of a person from a biological matrix to an
electronic or informational matrix (this assumes that the strong AI postulate holds). (b) The
resulting infomorph person.
VON NEUMANNS CATASTROPHE:: More fully, Von Neumanns catastrophe of the infinite regress. A

demonstration by Dr.Von Neumann that quantum mechanics entails an infinite regress of measurements before
the quantum uncertainty can be removed. That is, any measuring device is itself a quantum system containing
uncertainty; a second measuring device, used to monitor the first, contains its own quantum uncertainty; and so
on, to infinity. Wigner and others have pointed out that this uncertainty is only terminated by the decision of the
experimenter. Compare NEURO-. [Illuminati Papers, 1980]
VON NEUMANN MACHINE: A machine which is able to build a working copy of itself using materials in its
environment. This is often proposed as a cheap way to mine or colonize the entire solar system or galaxy. An
early fictional treatment was the short story Autofac by Philip K. Dick, published in 1955, which actually seems
to precede John von Neumanns original paper about self-reproducing machines.
VON NEUMANN PROBE: A von Neumann Machine able to move over interstellar or interplanetary distances
and to utilize local materials to build new copies of itself. Such probes could be used to set up new colonies,
perform megascale engineering or explore the universe (see the Far Edge Party).
WARP DRIVE: Originally coined on Star Trek, but now a growing number of physicist say it is theoretically
possible to warp space to achieve arbitrary speeds faster than light using exotic matter (Dr. Miguel Alcubierre),
minimal energy (Dr. Eric Baird), and zero-point energy (Dr. Hal Puthoff). For more information visit thewarp
drive section.
WORMHOLE: A postulated topological structure in general relativity, where a space-time tunnel links two
distant points with a shortcut. Whether they can be physically realized is not known, and they seem to require
exotic matter to be stable. If they can exist, and can be built, they could provide a possible way to travel faster
than light (in a global sense, since locally the travellers would move slower than light). For more information,
see Traversable Wormholes by Michael Clive Price.
XENOPSYCHOLOGY: The study of the possible space of all psychology, of all minds, especially alien
psychology and the possibilities thereof. [Xenopsychology, Analog, 1984, Dr. Robert A. Freitas Jr. - see
also Xenology]
XOX: (from Xerox) An (atomically) identical copy of a person. A kind of dividual. [Tihamer Toth-Fejel December
1995]
ZERO POINT ENERGY: Quantum physics predicts the existence of an underlying sea of zero-point energy at
every point in the universe. This is different from the cosmic microwave background and is also referred to as
the electromagnetic quantum vacuum since it is the lowest state of otherwise empty space. This energy which
we cannot directly sense since is the same everywhere, even inside our bodies and measuring devices. From
this perspective, the ordinary world of matter and energy is like a foam atop the quantum vacuum sea. If the
zero-point energy is real, there is the possibility that it can be tapped as a tremendous source of power or be
harnessed to generate a propulsive force for space travel. Quantum theory predicts the minimum density of this
energy is 1035 ergs/cubic centimeter of empty space enough energy to power the earth at its present rate of
consumption for over one trillion years.
ZOO HYPOTHESIS: States that superintelligent extraterrestrial life exists and does not contact life on Earth to
allow for its natural evolution and development. This might explain the apparent absence of extraterrestrial life
despite the mounting evidence for its existence (See Fermi Paradox).