Scott Alexander argues for generally believing reports of unusual mental experiences, countering skepticism about unfalsifiable internal states. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to Resident Contrarian's skepticism about unfalsifiable internal states like jhana meditation experiences. He argues that we should generally believe people's reports of unusual mental experiences, based on examples like visual imagination, synaesthesia, and phantom limb pain. Scott critiques RC's arguments about 'spoonies' and dissociative identity disorder, providing a more nuanced view of these conditions. He emphasizes the importance of considering evidence and priors rather than relying solely on intuition about whether people are lying. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander investigates the prevalence of Hallucinogen Persisting Perceptual Disorder (HPPD) and explores potential connections between perception, cognition, and belief in supernatural phenomena. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the prevalence and nature of Hallucinogen Persisting Perceptual Disorder (HPPD), a condition where people experience ongoing visual disturbances after using psychedelics. He discusses results from his own survey, which found that about 12.8% of psychedelic users reported some persisting hallucinations, with 3% still experiencing them. Most cases were mild, involving visual snow, halos, or patterns. Scott then critiques a study claiming HPPD doesn't exist, noting methodological issues. He also considers the possibility that some people naturally experience HPPD-like phenomena without drug use, and speculates on potential links between perception, cognition, and belief in supernatural phenomena. Shorter summary