Some call it science, while others say science fiction. At Princeton, it's called the Global Consciousness Project (GCP).
The University-based project explores the theory that highly-publicized global events — such as terrorist attacks or international sporting events — have a measurable impact on collective human consciousness.
Researchers with GCP maintain a network of 60 Random Event Generators (REGs) worldwide, each of which produces a random number each second over a period of months and years.
"We examine the resulting matrix of synchronized, parallel data sequences to see if there is any nonrandom structure corresponding to major events such as natural or man-made disasters, terrible accidents or grand celebrations," said mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Roger Nelson, who founded GCP in 1998. "Statistical analysis shows that there are such correlations, and they cannot be attributed to ordinary electromagnetic fields, bad data or mistakes," he said.
The GCP system has been designed to test the hypothesis that special states of human consciousness on a global scale may influence the data. "Perhaps we can see the first glimmerings of a noosphere — a shell of intelligence for the earth," Nelson said.
Interested in how the subtleties of human consciousness manifest themselves directly in certain events, Nelson was part of the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) group from 1980 to 2002. At PEAR, he conducted laboratory experiments that studied the effects of intention and interactions between mind and matter.
"I applied the same technologies and analytical tools in field experiments looking at coherence and resonance in groups of people," Nelson said. A natural progression led to the creation of a network of REGs around the world to ask the same questions but with a global perspective.
The GCP was established when Nelson asked his friends around the world to compile the data from their REG equipment during "global" events, such as Princess Diana's funeral. "The combined results of a dozen independent datasets showed significant departures from expectation," he said. "This was a prototype for the permanent system we call the Global Consciousness Project."
The GCP is a multidisciplinary group involving experts in psychology, sociology, physics, statistics and specialized areas like seismology. Approximately 100 people are involved in the project.
The collaborators include scientists, artists, programmers and business people working at universities, research facilities and industrial labs. While Nelson collaborates with several alumni and members of PEAR, no other faculty or students are involved at this time.
PEAR has suggested that human consciousness does not play an entirely passive role in physical reality. While the GCP is independent from PEAR, it employs some of the same technologies and relies on the support and technical consultation of PEAR researchers.
Nelson and his colleagues' data indicate structure where none is expected. While they do not attribute such results to a global consciousness, they do suggest that it is an "attractive model."
"There are scientific and philosophical implications of the results, suggesting a direct participation of consciousness, attention, engagement in what happens in the world," Nelson said.
Nelson added that humans are both capable of and responsible for "conscious evolution," and that consciousness acts as a creative force in the world. "The results suggest that what we wish for or envision becomes more likely," he said.
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