Scott fact-checks and disproves a claim that all healthy people have mystical experiences using SSC Survey data. Longer summary

Scott Alexander fact-checks a tweet claiming all healthy people have mystical experiences using data from the 2020 SSC Survey. He defines a 'very mentally healthy' category and compares their reported spiritual experiences to the general survey population. The analysis shows that very mentally healthy individuals are actually less likely to report spiritual experiences, disproving the tweet's claim. Scott expresses relief at this finding, noting that spiritual experiences can be helpful for people during difficult times. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines Vinay Gupta's ideas on enlightenment, comparing them with other sources and discussing the challenges of interpreting mystical experiences from a scientific viewpoint. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses Vinay Gupta's views on enlightenment, comparing them to other sources like 'Mastering The Core Teachings Of The Buddha'. He notes similarities in descriptions of meditation and consciousness across different sources, but also highlights Gupta's assertion that everyone experiences enlightenment differently based on their cultural context. The post explores the challenges of understanding enlightenment from a scientific perspective and the potential relativism of mystical experiences. Scott also touches on the concept of the Bayesian brain and how it might relate to enlightenment experiences. He expresses skepticism about claims linking Western alchemical traditions to Eastern enlightenment practices and concludes with Gupta's personal account of achieving a state of no internal dialogue through meditation. Shorter summary