Mind Reading - A Reality?

[Ecurb Noselrub]

The wonderful thing about science is that it knows so much.  The scary thing about science is that it knows so much.  Here's an article on advancements in mind reading by neuroscientists:

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/12/my-take-keep-government-out-of-mind-reading-business/?hpt=hp_c1

Now we need to develop some sort of protective headgear to keep people from peering into our brains from without.

[The Magic Pudding]

I don't know what this guy is concerned about.
If his thoughts are acceptable he has nothing to worry about.  

[Ecurb Noselrub]

I don't know what this guy is concerned about.
If his thought are acceptable he has nothing to worry about. 

Yeah, acceptable to whom?  That's the problem.

[xSilverPhinx]

The other day I was told by a guy that he was reading my mind, except he didn't have a clue about what I was thinking.

The whole mind reading buisness does pose a huge problem, because then the idea of thoughtcrime will become a reality, and lile you said, which kinds of thoughts will constitue a crime and which won't might be sort of arbitary. 

[Sandra Craft]

Now we need to develop some sort of protective headgear to keep people from peering into our brains from without.

I don't see this actually being a problem, even if an easy way of mindreading can be invented, something without a lot of obvious hook ups and machinery.  I think our thoughts will fall under the same safeguards as our speech, and criminality will remain with actions.

[Ecurb Noselrub]

I don't see this actually being a problem, even if an easy way of mindreading can be invented, something without a lot of obvious hook ups and machinery.  I think our thoughts will fall under the same safeguards as our speech, and criminality will remain with actions.

But if some agency of the government starts to do this in the name of national security, information about your thoughts will be out there, and there will be little one can do about it.  I'm really not that concerned, however.  Most of my thoughts would be pretty boring to government bureaucrats, I think.

[OldGit]

It would have a positive side: no more lawyers, judges and trials.  Indeed, crime would become unprofitable.
Downside - before a pretty little morsel would hop into bed with you, she'd insist on a mind-reading to check if you really meant all that stuff.

[not your typical...]

Just basing this off of my thoughts alone, that would be a BIG issue..... I don't like the thought of mind reading. It makes me feel violated.

[Tank]

Just basing this off of my thoughts alone, that would be a BIG issue..... I don't like the thought of mind reading. It makes me feel violated.

Then it's down to you and your generation to do something about it as you will almost definitley have to live with it.

[not your typical...]

Then it's down to you and your generation to do something about it as you will almost definitley have to live with it.

Yeah, *shudders* trying not to think about it...

[Tank]

Then it's down to you and your generation to do something about it as you will almost definitley have to live with it.

Yeah, *shudders* trying not to think about it...

Grow up first, then save the world 

[Ecurb Noselrub]

This TED presentation on spotting lying is actually a bright side to the evolving science of understanding the mind.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c1#/video/us/2011/11/12/ted-pamela-meyer.ted

[The Magic Pudding]

The irritatingly advanced and civilized lifestyle common on this planet, combined with the infuriating and inconsiderate silence which is one of the defining characteristics of the Belcerebon people, had predictably driven its surrounding planets completely mad with indignation.

This was obviously something which they would not stand for.

As a result, the people of Kakrafoon were sentence by Galactic tribunal to a curse of telepathy. Any thought, if not articulated and verbalized immediately, would thenceforward be broadcast for everyone to hear across Kakrafoon's smug neighbouring planets.

The cure for telepathy was very very loud music.

[xSilverPhinx]

The irritatingly advanced and civilized lifestyle common on this planet, combined with the infuriating and inconsiderate silence which is one of the defining characteristics of the Belcerebon people, had predictably driven its surrounding planets completely mad with indignation.

This was obviously something which they would not stand for.

As a result, the people of Kakrafoon were sentence by Galactic tribunal to a curse of telepathy. Any thought, if not articulated and verbalized immediately, would thenceforward be broadcast for everyone to hear across Kakrafoon's smug neighbouring planets.

The cure for telepathy was very very loud music.

Noise, not music

[Sandra Craft]

I don't see this actually being a problem, even if an easy way of mindreading can be invented, something without a lot of obvious hook ups and machinery.  I think our thoughts will fall under the same safeguards as our speech, and criminality will remain with actions.

But if some agency of the government starts to do this in the name of national security, information about your thoughts will be out there, and there will be little one can do about it.  I'm really not that concerned, however.  Most of my thoughts would be pretty boring to government bureaucrats, I think.

Honestly, this sort of thing just seems to me like people enjoying scaring themselves, the way they did with Y2K, various end of the world predictions, planets aligning.  Outlandish, make-believe stuff makes for a great diversion.