Pluribus, An Apple+ Show: The Science and Metaphysics

In the TV series Pluribus, scientists receive a coded message from space that ends up being a formula for a virus like substance that infects people upon contact. Within a short time nearly all of mankind is infected with a weird hive mind that both keeps people in constant telepathic contact with one another and suppresses individuality. The infected people talk as one voice and appear to be happy and considerate, not willing to harm any living things or the immune individuals who resisted the infection.

As a parapsychology journalist, I couldn’t help but compare that to the actual science. How does this scenario of all of mankind merging its consciousness into a single mind and how does it stack up against what we know of psychic ability and biology? Is it even possible to do something like this?

Let’s get into it:

The scenario given to us in this show necessitates a universe where consciousness is fundamental to reality because telepathy doesn’t exist in a material universe. While the show suggests that EM fields are responsible for the connection, this is a physical impossibility. The human body doesn’t emit waves strong enough to be received over many miles; only telepathy can serve this function because of its non local nature. A conscious universe also adds some dimensions to the telepathy that the show doesn’t and probably never will cover. This also requires the brain to operate as a filter of consciousness, not as a generator of it.

The Brain is Wired for Telepathy

It’s entirely conceivable that the brain could be wired for this kind of massive increase in telepathy. Counterintuitively, you don’t enhance parts of the brain to do this, you suppress them. Psychedelics do this, there are studies of people with specific brain damage and researchers have also induced temporary suppression of the left medial middle frontal lobe and that has been shown to increase psychic ability. But all this comes with serious caveats, which I will address later.

Since the series describes the conversion as reversible, we know that the virus thingy is suppressing, not destroying, that part of the brain. Since psychedelics already do something like this, it’s not entirely out of the question for some sci fi engineering feat to pull this off. The virus thingy also leaves the infected unable to cope with strong emotions. This is a realistic effect of increasing psychic ability. The virus thingy is massively reducing some filtering that the mind normally does, and it could conceivably have a side effect of removing the filtering (aka shielding) that we do with other people when they have strong unpleasant emotions, which could explain the hive’s strong reaction to Carol’s anger and pain.

Pluribus Veers Off into Sci Fi

When it comes to completely suppressing the personalities of all these people and disconnecting their consciousness from their bodies while also enhancing their psychic ability, that’s where things veer off into Sci Fi magic. Humans aren’t designed to operate with a hive mind like termites or bees. (In termites this is called Swarm Cognition. Some informal experiments suggest a psychic connection.) There are very few different types of hive minds in nature and all of those species survive by having a lot of different hives. Most insects, reptiles, birds, fish and mammals are hard wired to have individual agency which means that it’s a fundamental part of the wiring of the minds of most creatures. Hives are a different evolutionary track entirely. The Pluribus virus thingy would have no ancient part of the mind to alter. There’s never been anything there to tinker with.

​In the show, the Hive members act like people with individual agency while not actually having it. They retain the memories and abilities of people who are disconnected from their bodies. According to theories where consciousness is fundamental to reality, the brain acts as a filter which means that the hive mind is using billions of consciousness filters, all with quite a bit of variety, as its input and somehow channeling this into a single overarching mind that processes all of it into a single thought pattern. This bit of sci fi magic reminds me of a quote from Time Magazine when Michael Okuda was asked how Heisenberg Compensators worked on Star Trek. He replied, “Very well, thank you.” It’s the same sort of thing on Pluribus.

This is a TV show though, and these things are absolutely allowed because the objective isn’t perfect scientific accuracy, it’s entertainment. What the show accomplishes is that it allows us to see science from a different angle by asking the question, “What if?” And then follow it up with the question, “Is this even possible?” And we can then have a look at what would happen in real life if something like the virus in Pluribus actually did exist and this is where it gets interesting.

Enhanced Connectedness and Telepathy

Does giving people extreme telepathy greatly enhance their feelings of connectedness? Are those things related? Is it joyful? There are people who have had near death experiences and others who have had intense psychedelic experiences who report back these types of experiences and feelings. There are also scientific theories such as Morphic Resonance that explore collective consciousness and experiments that show effects of collective consciousness. The show is not pulling this stuff out of thin air. But people also come back from these experiences with their individual agency completely intact.

The reality of kludging a hive mind onto a human brain is that it would never work as flawlessly as it does on the show if it could be done at all. As I mentioned earlier, humans have no built-in biological mechanism to support that kind of suppression of self within a greater consciousness, and we would therefore expect all sorts of weird reactions to it because a substantial number of people would never completely disassociate from their bodies.

Our consciousness and our bodies are arguably fine tuned for each other and some of the individuals that make up the collective would almost certainly resist the suppression of their agency. This would probably occur without outside assistance.

The show does a good job of showing the downsides of the entire human race acting with one (very passive aggressive) mind. The fate of the entire human race in Pluribus depends on a mind with 100% intelligence and 0% wisdom. ​(An interesting choice by the showrunners. The Hive cannot harm any living thing. As all creatures require the consumption of things that live or lived to survive, this poses the problem of starvation in the show.)

The Wisdom Problem in Pluribus

It is a problem that people with agency would easily solve, but the Hive mind does not seem to be able to manage it. Wisdom is a holistic, right-brained type of intelligence; it requires the ability to take a step back and see the big picture, weigh priorities and make hard decisions. The Hive mind however, can’t refuse any request from the uninfected no matter how destructive, leading to the conclusion that it can’t use the collective wisdom of the entire human race to perform basic reasoning tasks.

Perhaps the show is deliberately demonstrating a serious drawback of removing consciousness from it’s tether to individual bodies. Or perhaps this collection of individual minds cannot cope with hearing everyone and feeling everything all at once. That is a known problem of connectedness. While a lot of people seek out feelings of overwhelming connectedness, there are a not an insignificant number of people out there struggling to turn it off.

The hive mind is necessarily made up of the minds of all of humanity because otherwise it would not have access to everyone’s memories, experience and expertise. The people are still “in there” so to speak, so it stands to reason that they are going to react in different ways to being part of the Hive.

Now I finally come back to the problem of having truly strong telepathic ability: it comes with some very interesting side effects. Telepathy has no material basis; it is not a signal like EM waves. It appears to be instantaneous and does not appear to be affected by distance or obstructions. This is why current theories are consciousness, not material based. It demonstrates a deeper reality beyond time and space where information, not objects, are fundamental to reality. The reason I bring this up is that this doesn’t stop at telepathy. Precognition, psychometry, mediumship, ghosts and other non physical beings and the like all come into play. The hive mind would be aware of discarnate souls and non human telepathic beings. Once psychic ability is going full blast it’s far more than mere telepathy, it’s the whole ball of wax.

The Real Telepathic People

We have a group of people right now that communicate telepathically with each other. They are non speaking autistic people, who are intelligent, but lack much control over their bodies and whose paths to communication are otherwise very limited. Some of them use spelling boards, (which I’ve discussed in this article) and what they have to say tells us quite a lot about all the things that come with telepathy. This all comes to us via Ky Dickens and her wildly popular Telepathy Tapes podcast.

I think that this is what makes Pluribus popular. It speaks to a reality that deep inside we already know about. On the one hand we want to be part of it, but on the other hand it comes with the existential fear of losing ourselves in it. We are drawn in by the joy of the deep connectedness, but it is also the death of the self. Personally, I am fascinated by this show and its metaphysical implications.

Two new paranormal TV shows are changing the landscape of ghost-hunting shows

A few months ago, I joined a team of paranormal investigators, visiting haunted locations for the first season of a brand-new indie ghost-hunting show called Inhuman Beings. This month, we launched a Kickstarter to finish Inhuman Beings and a paranormal documentary series called New Blood. The two shows aim to present a new outlook on the supernatural, showcasing the esteemed specialist in the occult, Michelle Belanger. Her expertise has been previously displayed on several publications such as Paranormal State, Portals to Hell, Conjuring Kesha, among others. Locations have been chosen for the first season of a brand-new indie ghost-hunting show called Inhuman Beings. This month, we launched a Kickstarter to finish Inhuman Beings and a paranormal documentary series called New Blood.

Inhuman Beings

Each episode of Inhuman Beings features a different location with a reputation for high strangeness. Rather than trying to banish ghosts or uncover demons, we approach the unknown with a sense of curiosity, keeping an open mind and looking into ghosts, UFOs, cryptids, the fae, and more.

We use some traditional paranormal investigation techniques, experimenting with REM pods, spirit boxes, a Kinect SLS camera, and an Ovilus. But we also get weird, trying out remote viewing experiments, using dream sigils to communicate with entities, and following our curiosity as far down the rabbit hole as we can go.

That led us to some strange places. During production, we found ourselves crossing a remote river to visit land ruled by the fae, exploring a strange castle with a mysterious past, and investigating the most haunted building in a small town.

As the team’s paranormal researcher, I dug into the locations before filming and was floored by how many anomalies had been reported in each spot.

In one episode, we venture to the area of the original Loveland frogman sightings, along the banks of Ohio’s Little Miami River. While doing preliminary research, I couldn’t believe how much lore was concentrated in one small area and how interconnected the different paranormal phenomena were there.

I had heard the famous 1950s story about a man encountering strange, frog-like humanoids—one of whom carried a wand emitting sparks—but the more research I did, the more reports I found about local sightings of UFOs, cryptids, aliens, and ghosts.

That was my first hint that things were going to get a lot stranger than I had expected. However, I was not fully prepared for the firsthand experiences we had when we arrived at the site and engaged in conversations with the locals, conducted our own experiments, and gained a true understanding of what the place was truly like.

New Blood

Much of the cast and crew of Inhuman Beings are also in New Blood, a longform docu-series about modern-day vampires.

In New Blood, a series of synchronicities leads witch and host of paranormal podcast Follow the Woo Fen Alankus (she/they) to move from LA to the spooky Midwest. There, she conjures an investigative film crew to document a secret society of vampires.

They delve into the mysterious world of vampires while staying in a haunted Airbnb. The experience, which involves visiting sacred vampire ritual spaces, braving the creepy woods of Ohio, and performing out-of-the-box psychical experiments and spells, changes all of them. Season one was a wild ride, and the next phases of initiation have already begun for the team.

The Kickstarter and team

Michelle Belanger (he/she/they) and Fen Alankus (she/they) have gathered a top-notch crew of film professionals and paranormal investigators. That includes historian and medium Stephanie Bingham (she/her), who has been featured on the CW’s Mysteries Decoded, Destination America’s Paranormal Lockdown and SyFy Channel’s School Spirits; tarot/oracle reader Tigresse Bleu (they/she); filmmaker, forager, and hedgewitch Aubrey P. Archer (they/them); and photographer and skeptic-turned-believer Taylor Brown (she/they), and me.

More than 100 hours of footage have already been shot for these shows, and both shows are slated for release in Fall/Winter 2023.

With the Kickstarter funding, the team will finish up the first seasons of both shows, start pre-production on the next seasons, and more. Backers get rewards like magically imbued Ouija planchettes, Bigfoot and Pride Demon T-shirts, subtle-body portrait readings, bonus and behind-the-scenes content, executive producer credit, guest spots on their shows, and more. Spread the word and help bring this fresh paranormal project into the world!

Parawize Talks - Embark on Your Journey to the Truth

An invitation to open your mind to the possibilities.

According to a 2005 Gallup poll, 3 out of 4 Americans believe in the paranormal. Is their belief based upon evidence? Are there any dangers to paranormal belief? Has reality television influenced the public?

On November 12, 2022, Paranormal Daily News (PDN) launched Parawize Talks. These talks were developed to bring open discourse about the paranormal, parapsychology, and Psi to the public. The newly launched Parawize Talks brought together four thought leaders for an impactful and thought-provoking four hours. PDN will bring more thought leaders who are prominent in their fields to deliver more educational content, raise funds for research organizations, and support organizations in the field.

Jock Brocas, is the founder of Paranormal Daily News, an author, and a renowned evidential medium. He explains that these talks were inspired by the PDN team. The idea was to forge a greater relationship between science, academia, and spiritual thought for the public. Together, Jock and Craig created Parawize Talks. The idea is to share an examination of the truth by bringing awareness to various topics in the paranormal, parapsychology, PSI, and the afterlife. This will help bring complicated subjects to the public in easy understandable formats.

This series aims to sow enough seeds in your mind to compel you to keep asking questions. It is so important not just to accept the perceptions proliferated by uninformed voices. It is your invitation to avoid accepting everything at face value. Parawize Talks will offer you different perspectives, even competing ones, that are unified by a commitment to seek knowledge. You will decide the truth for yourself.

Dangers of the Paranormal - Awareness, and Empowerment

Jock Brocas kicked off the sessions. He dove head first into the question: do we need to be cautious when seeking knowledge or becoming involved in the paranormal? In Jock’s opinion, the answer is yes. Through years of experience as an evidential medium. Jock states that many people are driven by curiosity, while others are driven by a need to comfort their fear of death. Despite the underlying motivation. Those who probe into the paranormal are all looking for answers they haven’t been able to find in the material world around them.

During his talk, Jock declared his commitment to serving others and particularly, to helping those in spiritual crisis. Jock also cites cases where the family was left in turmoil and how mediums and investigators have a ‘Paranormal Bias. Jock is the author of the book Deadly Departed. He wrote the book to give awareness and empowerment to anyone working in the paranormal.

He believes that there is a moral and ethical obligation upon all mediums and paranormal investigators. Jock postulates that when they are called in to help those who are in spiritual crisis, the mediums and investigators should operate with the highest of ethics, and integrity. Jock pointed out that often, families who seek help from a medium or a paranormal investigator are sometimes left worse off after an investigation because they have not exercised due diligence nor fulfilled their duty of care. In his opinion; there may be many who are looking only for phenomena to support their next book or television show.

According to Jock, education is the answer to moving safely forward with seekers and practitioners alike.

A Conscious Universe

Craig Weiler, the science editor at Paranormal Daily News, explored the nature of our reality as a conscious universe. Can materialism and idealism coexist? Craig shared his opinion by putting forth an argument that they can’t coexist because the materialism framework has an inherent constraint. In reality, it doesn’t allow for an understanding of the paranormal.

“There is no way at all to prove a truly physical universe without injecting meaning into it… without consciousness.” - Craig Weiler

If we can’t step outside of consciousness to examine the universe. Then it is not possible to prove a material world suggested Craig. He spoke further about a world based on ideas and topped it off with a page out of quantum physics called “entanglement”.

If you want to find out more about the concept of a conscious universe, read Craig’s recent article on PDN: Your reality is in fact, a conscious universe.

Lessons in Humility

Darby Orcutt, professor, and researcher at North Carolina State University is well known for his work where Science meets the Strange.

Professor Orcutt delivered a session that highlighted the need for humility. He encouraged everyone to look at the world through collaborative and alternative lenses, rather than through an egocentric perspective.

“Building our plane as we are flying it.” - Darby Orcutt

Professor Orcutt went on to speak about the current efforts in genomics, parapsychology, and more. These efforts have resulted in key research and development to advance the creation of a microchip that can read and write information to the brain.

If you want to be a citizen scientist and become involved with Professor Orcutt’s work, [find link]

Behind the Scenes - Loyd Auerbach, Keynote Speaker

Professor Loyd Auerbach is known as Professor Paranormal. 40+ years experience in Parapsychology as an investigator, educator, and researcher. He is the author and co-author of 9 paranormal books. Loyd is also the president of the Forever Family Foundation and teaches online for the Rhine Education Center.

Professor Auerbach was born into a life around media, television, radio, and film and spent much of his childhood behind the scenes. This awareness and familiarity stayed with him when he entered the study of parapsychology and into a different type of “behind the scenes.” During his session, he described Parapsychology as studying the experiences of human consciousness inside and outside the laboratory, including ESP, psychokinesis, and other abilities, and evidence for survival of bodily death.

Professor Auerbach describes how apparitions use non-sensory perception to interact with the world while humans connect with apparitions using extra-sensory perception.

“There is a split between what is shown on television and what Parapsychologists know.” - Loyd Auerbach

He directs our attention to how using a piece of technology doesn’t equate to doing a scientific investigation. Further, he reveals that witnesses are the most important part of an investigation, that is, human experiences of whatever is going on.

Reality Television

Professor Auerbach explores how reality television, like ghost-hunting shows, misrepresents how the study of Parapsychology is actually carried out and driven by the desire to entertain and raise ratings. Given the competing objectives between parapsychologists and television shows, he acknowledged that he has turned down and been turned down for shows. Although the shows may be unscripted, they are directed and edited to suit the purposes of television producers and networks.

Professor Auerbach circled back to the need for ethics and a duty of care to the witnesses who are experiencing phenomena. He stresses that there is a risk that a made-for-tv type of investigation could inflict more harm than good on those witnesses. Moreover, these shows may be shaping our beliefs about the paranormal and ourselves. According to Professor Auerbach, “We are a lot more than the media tells us.”

You can watch the Parawize Talks

If you missed the event and would like to watch the talks in your own time, these talks will be available within the new premium para network that will be launching soon. Of course, if you have already purchased the talks, you will be given free access to them, and you can log into the host service to watch the replays.

Join Us For Monthly Parawize Talks

Join us for the next leg of the Parawize journey by signing up for the PDN Newsletter. You’ll be the first to be notified of the next Parawize Talks live and interactive session with an early bird discount.