Sure, and if the SPE decided that humanity had fallen into a sinful state due to disobedience to an "uploaded" rule against eating some particular thing, the SPE might later decide to "upload" itself into a "personality" that incarnated both humanity and the SPE, who then by being sacrificially killed would redeem all humans who believed this narrative. I mean, if you want to take speculation to ridiculous lengths, and/or rewrite religious narratives using crude word substitution.
More to my point, religion/religious belief et al, would be more akin to tampering with the uploads - distorting understanding through introduction of mythology unaligned with nature. Such as referring to the Earth Entity as a demon and the idea of a sentient planet mind as paganism.
An understanding of this process in line with the thought experiment could allow the potential for individuals to be free of such distortion.
That the sentient Earth is consciously aware of the existence of humans or any other individual species. AI programs are not required to have any knowledge of the registers of the hardware on which they run, in order to function. Humans were sentient for uncounted millennia before being aware of the existence of entities like neurons and erythrocytes supporting that sentience.
Given the evidence re the reports folk share about their alternate experiences, there is conscious and intelligent interaction. Such experiences may indeed take place within the mind of SPE, and even be central to the purpose of growing personalities through a temporary biological process.
That if the sentient Earth were aware of the existence of humans, she would have any interest in interacting directly with humans collectively or individually.
This is acceptable since She did not get us from any other source...so we have to be an aspect of who She is. All her conscious critters must come from that same source.
Do you choose individual neurons in your own brain to give messages to about how to better manage your thoughts or your body's well-being?
Not consciously, but that may be the process which is going on - so we can identify where such interest might arise and the "better manage one's thoughts and well being" is part of the thought experiment re better aligning with nature.
The idea is an interesting one and could provide a framework for understanding the conditions necessary for a technologically advanced civilization to survive.
In part the SPE could in fact be influencing what unfolds and using humans to achieve her own goals...inspiring Scientists with ideas that they think derive from their own minds...while at the same time allowing them to use the knowledge in less appropriate ways, even if that eventually caused the demise of humanity...
That communication between a sentient Earth and humans is within the capabilities of both entities. For all we know the perception of time by a fully sentient Earth might be such as to produce a thought once a century;
And for all we know, that same thought may be so vast that it would take a century to think it all out - transmit it to the collective humanity through inspiring various minds to have ideas and build mechanisms which eventually allow for humans on opposite sides of the planet to engage in communication, such as what we are doing now, through the mechanism which allows for this to actually happen.
how would communication work then? By what physical medium would the SPE transmit an "upload" to a human mind or personality or genome?
Inspiration et al, re the mind of the individual personality. The brain being the medium/device in which this is made possible.
Are we making both parties telepathic now, which is yet another layer of wild speculation?
It is not so much 'wild speculation' as it is natural - a natural aspect of a system understood possible through the premise of the thought experiment.
Humans tend to view themselves as singular identities with subjective realities, and it can be difficult for us to grasp the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things on the planet. This can lead to a disconnect between humans and the environment, and can cause problems such as climate change and other environmental issues.
Adopting the idea that there may be some sort of mind or intelligence behind the workings of the planet, as a speculative concept, could help to encourage a sense of interconnectedness and a greater awareness of our impact on the planet. It could also inspire new ways of thinking and problem-solving that could help us address global issues more effectively.
Believing that the planet is a sentient entity, could make the difference between success and failure and in that, scientist have to believe in the idea enough that they would then factor it into their use of science in helping to correct the problems that science practice - devoid of said belief - have helped to cause
