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For the moment, mind-reading is still science fiction. But that may not be true for much longer. Several lines of inquiry are converging on the idea that the neurological activity of the brain can be decoded directly, and people’s thoughts revealed without being spoken.
Just imagine the potential benefits. Such a development would allow both the fit and the disabled to operate machines merely by choosing what they want those machines to do. It would permit the profoundly handicapped to communicate more easily than is now possible even with the text-based speech engines used by the likes of Stephen Hawking. It might unlock the mental prisons of people apparently in comas, who nevertheless show some signs of neural activity. For the able-bodied, it could allow workers to dictate documents silently to computers simply by thinking about what they want to say. The most profound implication, however, is that it would abolish the ability to lie.
Who could object to that? You will not bear false witness. Tell the truth, and shame the Devil. Transparency, which speaks for honesty in management, is put forward as the answer to most of today’s evils. But honestly speaking, the truth of the matter is that this would lead to disaster, for lying is at the heart of civilization. People are not the only creatures who lie. Species from squids to chimpanzees have been caught doing it from time to time. But only human beings have turned lying into an art. Call it diplomacy, public relations or simple good manners: lying is one of the things that make the world go round.
The occasional untruth makes domestic life possible, is essential in the office and forms a crucial part of parenting. Politics might be more entertaining without lies—“The prime minister has my full support” would be translated as, “If that half-wit persists in this insane course we’ll all be out on our ears”—but a party system would be hard to sustain without the semblance of loyalty that dishonesty permits.
The truly scary prospect, however, is the effect mind-reading would have on relations between the state and the individual. In a world in which the authorities could peep at people’s thoughts, speaking truth to power would no longer be brave: it would be unavoidable. Information technology already means that physical privacy has become a scarce commodity. Websites track your interests and purchases. Mobile phones give away your location. Video cameras record what you are up to. Lose mental privacy as well, and there really will be nowhere.
1. Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 1?
A) Nowadays mind-reading is no longer a science fiction.
B) Scientists have directly decoded the neurological activity of the brain.
C) Mind-reading will be as simple as book-reading.
D) The dream of mind-reading will be realized in the future.
2. Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 2?
A) Mind-reading would help the profoundly handicapped to communicate more easily.
B) Mind-reading would help both the able-bodied and disabled to operate machines simply through thoughts.
C) Mind-reading would help to prevent people from telling lies.
D) Mind-reading would help to keep the mental prisons of people locked tightly.
3. It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that ______.
A) only human beings can tell a lie
B) lying means diplomacy and public relations
C) telling lies is the essential thing in the civilized society
D) without lying, the world could not go round
4. From Paragraph 4 we can draw the conclusion that ______.
A) a party system would maintain itself more easily without lies
B) friendly untruth is necessary in both home and office
C) untruth is prohibited in the course of caring for children
D) without lies the state would become more prosperous
5. What’s the author’s attitude toward the use of mind-reading?
A) It has both positive and negative effects.
B) It’s quite helpful only for the disabled.
C) It can improve the relations between the state and the individuals.
D) The authorities have the right to peep at people’s thoughts through mind-reading.