csteele,
If I may, I agree entirely with your last comment. I even think that something of the sort is more likely than not. Of course as you say we can only speculate as to possibilities and it would be foolish to adapt beliefs to those speculations.
I don't think we begin to understand the mysteries of life, consciousness or even objective reality itself--which is finite form rather than self-subsistent. For me that makes anything possible. I'll even go out on a limb and say I think it's highly unlikely that this stupid flat, empirical reality we perceive is all there is to it.
I toast the mystery of life!

Dear Squeers,

I'll drink to that...

Talking about life's mysteries: -

PS: How can a 2 lb box of chocolates make you gain 5 lbs?

Dear csteele,

I asked for an example. That means precisely what it said - not something from a movie or a rumination.

david is still seking an egsample
[after squeers sqibed?..with army routs
and mob's

so lets see from the beginning what has david so pedantic

""We can interpret the experiences we cited
as a reason to suspect that humans..{who have connection with each other}..can communicate thoughts and feelings..in some way that we don't know.""

the rerason...'we' ..suspect'..it is we have heard of mothers knowing their child is in danger..or friends knowing other friends are in danger..[the reality is we get these thoughts all the time]..but usually they are wrong...

of course in the next life
we are allways spot on..

[but hey you dont believe in living
after physical death]..so lets save our breath

""However,..to extend that
to the concept of a universal
*human consciousness is,..I think,..not justified.""

sure for now the animal instincts
are better and more accurate..
[ie volcano eruptions..or dogs smelling cancer]

or even such things like flying south..for winter
or coral spawing..in synche

""I think all humans have some
common reactions..to similar stimuli."'

and the powers that be have made us automotons
via a dumbed down education system...[pushes our buttons]
runs our body clocks..even controls our thoughts..[media/spin]

[not natural events
natural beauty...or anything inspired of gods nurture[natural-good]

''However,I don't even know what is meant
by a universal human consciousness.""

because huh-mans..have presently
individual conscience....
yet collective..un conciousness
of others sufferings/plight/circumstances

as squeers has said
let those who use the words..explain them..!

he gave you egsamples

Just putting this link here for its relevance: http://ssis.arts.unsw.edu.au/tsw/D79.WhyAnzacDay.html

It's from the equally excellent article put up today: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=12070&page=0

Dear Squeers,

I read the article. The first part was excellent. It made the point that many more resources were spent in creating needs for goods than in examining the causes for war. Then it launched into an attack on the greed which is basic to western culture. Wars did not start with the dominance of western culture. The author used war as an excuse for attacking western culture. Wars have going on since humans first accumulated resources that someone wanted. According to archaeological evidence the earliest manifestation of war that has been found was an attack on a human settlement that had developed the ability to make beer. The second part of the article did not follow logically from the first part.