On the first day of the Brain Forum (www.brainforum.it), held in Milan on the 4th and the 5th of April 2011, one of the discussion topics was “which are the new horizons in the comprehension and boosting of human brain capacities”. The new century may finally bring human civilization to abandon its obsession with the body and focus on the brain. It shows that we are engaged in research regarding the longevity of the mind and the extension of its faculty. But not only. Scientists estimate that the real challenge of the century is to expand the capacity of the mind and in the future integrate it with robotic intelligence: parallel to the study of the brain and its infinite potential, science is also making great strides on the issue of artificial intelligence. At the same time, we cannot ignore phenomena such as the techno-anthropological “clouding” to redefine the way of gathering and distributing data over the Internet and the other nets.

As you can see, human beings are decisively moving towards a future in which the individual mind can benefit from scientific progress not only in relation to the capacity of its cerebral organ, but also in relation to a shared knowledge that will be available to all. In short: we will have a more powerful brain, we will make use of artificial means to increase further this power, then we will have an easy, accessible, free share of knowledge, information and data of all human brains. Are we heading towards a superior intelligence that can be enjoyed by all? And what are the rules to access this opportunity? There are a million questions but these are not relevant at the moment. The question that comes to me now is more urgent. 
Faced with the prospect of the "Century of the Brain" after the "Century of the Body", I wonder what forces will oppose this change. In addition to the ethical and the religious elements, as we know they are just arguments used to maintain the status quo for the interest of the establishment (status quo), I'm sure there will another hard obstacle.

I think it is a psychological obstacle. How much do we fear our brain? How much do we trust our mind? How ready are we to break free from all alibis and fears that are ingrained in our brains by the power of neuroscience and technology? 
In any case, before dealing with the potential of my mind, I should continue to go to my analyst.

Giuliano Federico

(Editor in chief Swide.com)

Photo credit: Fornasetti interpreted by Deborah Leigh