The prediction, in brief:

Reality as we know it, and our fantasies – or our ersatz realities, these new cyber-realities, or virtual realities – will become so real that they are almost palpable. They satisfy all the cognitive criteria of reality. At that point – and this is the definition of schizophrenia, you know, in the past century, the inability to distinguish between reality and your fantasies – when you reach that point, it’s going to signal a very special change in human consciousness. The full implications of that we can’t even cognize at this moment.

Predictor: Kennedy, Allison

Prediction, in context:

In a 1992 article for The Washington Post, Martha Sherrill reveals the future according to Queen Mu (whose real name is Allison Kennedy) and the writers at Mondo 2000, a cyberpunk magazine. Sherrill writes:”She is an ‘indirect descendant’ of Noah Webster and a ‘direct descendant’ of Mary Todd Lincoln, [Kennedy] said. ‘And I’m carrying Mary’s mad genes into the 21st century.’ And what about the 21st century? ‘I’ve been thinking about VR,’ she said, ‘and what it’s going to mean. I think it means that reality as we know it, and our fantasies – or our ersatz realities, these new cyber-realities, or virtual realities – will become so real that they are almost palpable. They satisfy all the cognitive criteria of reality. At that point – and this is the definition of schizophrenia, you know, in the past century, the inability to distinguish between reality and your fantasies – when you reach that point, it’s going to signal a very special change in human consciousness. The full implications of that we can’t even cognize at this moment.'”

Date of prediction: February 1, 1992

Topic of prediction: General, Overarching Remarks

Subtopic: General

Name of publication: Washington Post

Title, headline, chapter name: Virtually Unreal! A Mag For the Millennium; At Mondo 2000, They’re Writing the Future Now

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=cb95779f5f2d39cedd657eca30d23812&_docnum=1&wchp=dGLbVlz-lSlzV&_md5=2f9b689c3184f1f6dba68eff4c0b7b78

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Garrison, Betty