Can software accelerate consciousness? I think it can. But first we need to define consciousness, not merely in folk psychology terms, but with a powerful theory of mind. Then we need to explain how software might make your consciousness work faster than it otherwise would, using the terms of this theory. That’s what I’ve tried to do in a paper recently, and in this blog post on Medium: How Hookmark Extends Its Users’ Consciousness: Based on Merlin Donald’s Multiple Component Convergence [MCC] Theory of Consciousness. The MCC theory is described in detail in Professor Donald’s book, A Mind So Rare: The Evolution of Human Consciousness.

Hookmark is contextual information retrieval software that can help you quickly access information that you need for your current task —whether it is writing a document, taking notes about something you’re reading, or other knowledge-intense work. You can load your working memory with this information without draining it with tedious search operations.

Professor Merlin Donald will be my first guest on the new Productive Consciousness podcast, hosted by yours truly! I will interview Professor Donald on Dec. 5. Stay tuned for more information about this new podcast and its “first” episode. “First” in quotes because my first podcast interview was in 2013: David Francey: Productive Singer and Songwriter (Cognitive Productivity Podcast #1)

I invite you to read the sources and let me know what you think.