The End of Cyberspace

Some of you may recall my earlier blogpost on Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, historian and futurologist.

Yes, historian and futurologist.

A job like that entails keeping one eye on the past, the other on the future (which can make a fellow either cross-eyed or wall-eyed, I guess).

Anyway, Pang has a new blog -- he seems to bud them off of his existing blogs like quantum fluctuations bud off new universes from our own. Pang's new universe of discourse is The End of Cyberspace. His basic argument can be read here:

My argument as a FAQ

In short, Pang argues that cyberspace is coming to an end because it will soon no longer be a separate realm that we enter through 'portals' but a fully integrated part of the real world. In his own words:

We'll no longer have to choose between cyberspace and the world; we'll constantly access the first while being fully part of the second.

Rather than the death of cyberspace, this might be viewed as its expansion in an inflation so huge that it encompasses our entire world. Not only will all books online end up online but everything else will too, including us.

Incidentally, Pang notes the metaphor of cyberspace as transcendence (imminently to become immanent, I guess) in this post:

Cyberspace, Web 2.0 and religion: Withdrawl vs. engagement

Pang might want to look at a piece that a friend of mine, David Ulansey, wrote a few years ago:

"Cultural Transition and Spiritual Transformation: From Alexander the Great to Cyberspace"

In fact, this piece, along with Pang's blog(s) and other places linked to above are well worth visiting.

Note: These recommendations are a public service of Gypsy Scholar and do not necessarily imply Gypsy Scholar's agreement with the views of the authors recommended.

But you knew that . . .