Stalker 2: What Is The Noosphere?
According to Vernadsky’s original concept, the noosphere is the third stage in Earth’s development, following the geosphere (inanimate matter) and the biosphere (biological life). Just as the appearance of life profoundly altered the geosphere, the emergence of human cognition fundamentally transforms the biosphere.
Teilhard, on the other hand, believes that the noosphere arises from and is shaped by the interplay of human minds. The growth of the noosphere correlates with the organization of humanity as it spreads across the planet. As humans create more intricate social structures, the noosphere’s level of consciousness increases.
The Noosphere and the Zone
The concept of the noosphere is modified in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video game franchise. Instead of being an abstract social or environmental notion, the noosphere is a concrete and intangible field that envelops the Earth. It is connected to, influenced by, and impacts human thoughts and minds.
Following the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, covert laboratories were established within the 30-kilometer exclusion zone surrounding the site. Among the primary areas of research was the Noosphere, and the scientists discovered that it was a genuine phenomenon that could be manipulated. By eliminating negative emotions like anger, cruelty, and greed from the planet, the Noosphere could be altered. However, a single individual would not have been able to significantly influence the Noosphere, leading to the development of the C-Consciousness.
In 2006, the C-Consciousness attempted to manipulate the noosphere, but their experiment went awry, resulting in the emergence of the Zone. Despite their efforts to contain it, the C-Consciousness has been unable to overcome the Zone’s power. One of the endings of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl implies that destroying the C-Consciousness would also eradicate the Zone. However, Call of Pripyat reveals that the Zone remains active, and the noosphere may have suffered irreversible damage.
