As large as the capacities of our brains are, as large as the genetic strands are, as individuals we can only hold so many bits of information. In order to insure the continued expansion of our knowledge and the universe itself, we need to communicate on a larger scale. When human consciousness first appeared, it resided in the woman and her dirty mate. It spread quickly to all people who came in contact with them. The technology, or tools of each subsequent civilization of humans increases the reach of our consciousness.
Tools are the physical manifestation of our consciousness.
Today human consciousness is expanding at an increasing rate. The Hubble telescope is a tool that extends our eyesight. By mimicking the brain s biological and electrical functions, and placing these processes outside our bodies in the form of computers, humankind is extending its consciousness and the cosmos. Probes that circle Saturn, and return data concerning the possibility of water oceans beneath the surface of Europa, are extensions of our consciousness. Web sites that deliver information about the aborigines of Australia to our desktops extend our individual minds, and consolidate our species consciousness.