Some of what you describe as potential telepathy I understand as intuition, that wisp of knowledge or feeling that helps us read a situation or follow the correct path among many. I also know it as inspiration, where words and thoughts that are not my own find their way through me to a text window.
I also know it as instinct or experience recall, where something now has direct correlation with something that has happened to me in the past.
And, I've known it as anticipation, or being able to read what a person is trying to say because of all kinds of factors, but mainly due to what they're not saying.
Is any of that telepathy? I guess it is, since the definition provided touches on things like that.
However, the way most of science fiction and comic books refer to telepathy is the ability of one or more beings to discern the thoughts of other beings and/or communicate with them via said thoughts.
That I can't say I've ever experienced. And were it the case that I did, I would probably doubt it at first, then unable to deny it, I would probably seek to shut it off. I tend to like my privacy, and too often, and with every increasing encroachment, my thoughts are the only true privacy I have left. And I believe I still have the right to share them or withhold them, or reveal them slowly.
If the entire world was suddenly telepathic, I'm sure many people would be undone by their thoughts. We'd have to change laws to either compensate or include thoughts in law and other social protocols. We'd actually have a thought police, and people could be charged with criminal acts just by virtue of thinking about or entertaining too long an idea considered to be deviant or criminal.
I also think it would be very loud, and very crowded inside your head, and people would try to spread out more to avoid having too many people in their heads.
If we could all just shut it off, or block it out, then it wouldn't be so beneficial to be telepathic, but then it might actually be best for us because then telepathy would be controllable and consensual.
Anyway, just some thoughts on your topic, provided the conventional, boring way. :)
yes definitely i tied in the instinct, intuition, gut feeling into empathy. i wanted to paint a picture of it that isn't so "out there" as direct mind reading is. you certainly raise interesting points! many other ecotrain passengers (@sagescrub and @likedeeler come to mind) brought up the privacy factor; that it is our right and freedom to our private thoughts. i totally agree!
hate the thought of the thought police! lol i can also imagine the pull to think about things you shouldn't just because now people are watching them! haha! that would get us into quite a conundrum. i don't really see how it could be regulation. premeditation takes on a whole new meaning! thanks for your thoughts!
Yeah, premeditation didn't work out so well at the end of Minority Report.
Thank you for the exercise. It was fun. :)