Daniel Böttger proposes a new theory of consciousness as recursive reflections of neural oscillations, explaining qualia and suggesting experimental tests. Longer summary

This guest post by Daniel Böttger proposes a new theory of consciousness, describing it as recursive reflections of neural oscillations. The theory posits that qualia arise from the internal processing of information within oscillating neural patterns, which can reflect on themselves. The post explains how this theory accounts for various characteristics of qualia and consciousness, and suggests ways to test the theory using EEG source analysis. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores various explanations for why some people don't respond to 'woo' practices, questioning whether non-responders are defective or if woo itself might be ineffective or even harmful. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of 'woo' (alternative wellness and spirituality practices) and explores different possibilities for why some people might not respond to these practices. He presents four possibilities: 1) Woo is universally great but harder for some people due to being 'dissociated from bodily experiences', 2) Different people process emotions differently and woo works better for some than others, 3) Woo treats a specific defect of storing emotions in the body, and 4) Woo correlates with a specific defect but doesn't actually help. Scott provides evidence and counterarguments for each possibility, drawing on psychological theories, cross-cultural observations, and personal anecdotes. He concludes by highlighting the difficulty in determining whether practices like woo are helpful coping mechanisms or potentially harmful risk factors for mentally unhealthy individuals. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores whether people can be honestly mistaken about their own experiences, presenting counterexamples and attempting to reconcile them with the idea that we can't be wrong about our immediate subjective experiences. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of whether people can be honestly wrong about their own experiences. He initially asserts that people can't be wrong about their own experience, only lying or telling the truth. However, he then explores several counterexamples and edge cases that challenge this view. These include instances of hunger not being consciously felt, time perception on drugs, a woman claiming to be enlightened but unaware of her thoughts, optical illusions, and psychedelic experiences. Scott attempts to reconcile these examples with his initial assertion by differentiating between subjective experiences and underlying realities. He concludes by acknowledging the difficulty in maintaining his original position, while still feeling that there's something fundamentally true about the idea that we can't be wrong about our immediate experiences. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander summarizes comments debating the reality and implications of jhanas, a meditative state of extreme bliss. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews and summarizes comments on his previous post about jhanas, a meditative state of extreme bliss. He discusses the debate over whether jhanas are real, how they compare to other pleasures like sex, whether they can substitute for other pleasures, what science says about them, and whether pursuing jhanas is good or bad. The post includes many quotes from commenters sharing their own experiences with jhanas and opinions on the topic. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the Buddhist concept of jhana, a blissful meditative state, through Nick Cammarata's experiences, exploring its implications for understanding pleasure and reinforcement. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of jhana, a state of extreme bliss achieved through meditation in Buddhism. He focuses on Nick Cammarata's experiences with jhana, describing it as incredibly pleasurable yet non-addictive. The post explores the paradox of jhana being more pleasurable than sex but less reinforcing, challenging conventional models of reward and pleasure. Scott also mentions the Qualia Research Institute's approach to understanding these phenomena and poses discussion questions about the nature of pleasure, reinforcement, and decision-making in relation to jhana. Shorter summary

Scott reviews 'Rhythms Of The Brain', exploring the nature and potential significance of brain waves in neuroscience and consciousness. Longer summary

Scott reviews 'Rhythms Of The Brain' by Gyorgy Buzsaki, exploring the nature and potential significance of brain waves. He discusses why brains produce oscillations, the characteristics of these waves, their possible functions, and speculates on their relationship to consciousness and spiritual experiences. The review concludes with thoughts on how the absence of brain-wave equivalents in AI might affect their development of consciousness or selfhood. Shorter summary

Scott explores the connection between the Dark Room Problem in neuroscience, meditative jhanas, and theories of beauty, suggesting that intense focus on regular stimuli can produce extreme bliss. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the Dark Room Problem in neuroscience and its connection to meditative states known as jhanas. He explores the idea that sitting quietly in a dark room, or focusing intently on a single stimulus, can lead to extreme bliss. This perspective, shared by Andrés Gómez Emilsson, suggests that regularity, predictability, and symmetry in stimuli can produce intense pleasure when one can concentrate deeply enough. The post compares this to theories of beauty and discusses how it might explain the appeal of music and other forms of art. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander announces the ACX Reader Research Survey, inviting researchers to submit questions for the blog's readership by July 10. Longer summary

Scott Alexander announces the ACX Reader Research Survey, inviting researchers to submit questions for the blog's readership. The survey aims to gather data on specific demographics among ACX readers, such as those in tech, science, meditation/drugs/biohacking, with unusual genders/sexualities, or psychiatric issues. Researchers are asked to email Scott with their project details and a Google Form containing their questions by July 10. The survey structure is still being finalized, but will likely involve assigning User IDs and asking basic demographic questions before directing participants to complete a selection of submitted surveys. The survey will run until August 1, with results potentially leading to blog posts or academic papers. Shorter summary

The review critically examines and then steelmans Robert Wright's claims about meditation and enlightenment in 'Why Buddhism Is True', concluding with personal reflections on meditation's effects. Longer summary

This review of Robert Wright's 'Why Buddhism Is True' explores the book's central claim that meditation can free us from evolutionary illusions and lead to enlightenment. The reviewer initially presents a critical view, questioning whether Wright's version of enlightenment might lead to a nihilistic state. However, the review then steelmans Wright's arguments, suggesting that meditation could potentially lead to a more morally aware state by strengthening 'calm passions' and removing craving and aversion. The reviewer concludes by sharing personal experiences from a meditation retreat that align with Wright's more optimistic vision, while acknowledging the subjective nature of these experiences. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines a theory proposing that depression, anxiety, and trauma are characterized by low precision of sensory evidence, leading to overreliance on negative priors. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses a paper by Van der Bergh et al. that proposes a unified theory of negative emotionality, including depression, anxiety, and trauma. The theory suggests that these conditions are characterized by a processing style that assigns unusually low precision to sensory evidence, leading to an overreliance on negative priors. Scott explores the implications of this theory, including its support for various psychotherapies, somatic therapies, and meditation. He also discusses potential pharmacological interventions and how this model ties together various concepts in psychiatry and predictive processing. Shorter summary

A fictional story about the last unenlightened man's resistance and eventual enlightenment in a world where everyone else has achieved enlightenment. Longer summary

This post is a fictional story about a man who resists enlightenment in a world where everyone else has achieved it through a movement called Golden Lotus. The protagonist becomes the last unenlightened person and is confined to a small area to protect him from enlightenment. He develops his own practice of 'samsara' to counteract the enlightenment efforts. Over time, he gains disciples who want to learn samsara, but it turns out to be a ruse to gradually lead him towards enlightenment. The story ends with the protagonist finally becoming enlightened, realizing that his resistance and attempts to teach samsara were part of his path to enlightenment all along. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines skeptical and supportive comments on claims of enlightenment, arguing that evidence for such states is comparable to other accepted mental phenomena. Longer summary

This post discusses the comments on a previous article about Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience (PNSE) or 'enlightenment'. Scott Alexander addresses skepticism towards claims of enlightenment, comparing it to other mental states and discussing the evidence for its existence. He argues that the evidence for enlightenment-like states is as strong as for many other accepted mental phenomena. The post also explores different perspectives on enlightenment, including potential criticisms and alternative explanations, as well as personal accounts from individuals with meditation experience. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews a study on 'enlightenment', finding it involves internal changes in self-perception and cognition, often without noticeable external effects. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews a paper by Jeffery Martin on Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience (PNSE), a scientific term for enlightenment. The study interviewed 50 self-reported 'enlightened' individuals, finding common experiences like changes in sense of self, cognition, and perception. Notably, these internal changes often didn't affect external behavior significantly. The paper highlights discrepancies between participants' self-reported experiences and observable reality, such as claims of no stress contradicted by physical signs. Scott appreciates the paper for providing a minimalist account of enlightenment, suggesting it's more about altered internal experience than drastic personality changes or superhuman abilities. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the compatibility of enlightenment with sex scandals, using recent Buddhist teacher scandals as a starting point for broader questions about consciousness and social conditioning. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the recent sex scandal involving Buddhist teacher Culadasa and explores its implications for the concept of enlightenment. He notes that many prominent Buddhist teachers, despite claims of enlightenment, have been involved in similar scandals. The post questions whether enlightenment is compatible with such behavior, and examines various theories about why these scandals occur. Scott suggests that meditation might 'dissolve social conditioning' without necessarily replacing it with compassion. He draws parallels to other consciousness-altering practices and wonders if there are advantages to our usual state of consciousness that these practices might disrupt. Shorter summary

Scott reviews a paper proposing that psychedelics work by relaxing priors in the brain, potentially treating mental illness but also risking side effects. Longer summary

This post reviews a paper by Friston and Carhart-Harris that uses predictive coding theory to explain the effects of psychedelic drugs. The authors argue that psychedelics 'relax' priors in the brain, allowing for new perspectives and potential therapeutic benefits. They suggest this mechanism could help treat most mental illnesses by allowing patients to break free from maladaptive priors. The post discusses the theory's implications, including potential downsides like HPPD and increased belief in pseudoscience. It also mentions connections to meditation and prior work by other researchers. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews 'The Mind Illuminated', a Buddhist meditation guide by Culadasa, praising its clarity while questioning some of its optimistic claims about meditation progress and risks. Longer summary

This post reviews 'The Mind Illuminated', a guide to Buddhist meditation by Culadasa. The book divides meditation into ten stages, focusing on concentration meditation. It presents a model of the mind based on 'subminds' and consciousness as a shared space, similar to global workspace theory. The author praises the book's clarity and care in explaining concepts, but questions some of its optimistic claims about the speed of attaining meditative mastery. The review compares Culadasa's approach to other meditation teachers, particularly regarding the potential risks of meditation like the 'Dark Night'. Overall, the reviewer finds Culadasa's optimism justified, likening meditation to a beneficial practice with fewer side effects than many medications. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander uses the Jewish legend of the Chamber of Guf as a metaphor for subconscious thoughts, exploring its implications for behavior, OCD, and self-defeating thoughts. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of the Chamber of Guf, a Jewish legend about a pit of proto-souls, and uses it as a metaphor for subconscious thoughts. He explores how this relates to behavior selection in the brain, the effects of dopamine on thought patterns, and various forms of OCD. The post delves into how anxiety can affect thought selection, leading to conditions like Gay OCD, and suggests that similar processes might be behind self-defeating thoughts. Scott also touches on how meditation might allow direct access to this subconscious realm of thoughts. 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

Scott Alexander explores meditative states as feedback loops, discussing jhanas from Buddhist practice and why most people don't experience runaway emotional feedback in everyday life. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses meditative states as feedback loops, referring to his previous post 'Going Loopy'. He explains that people don't usually enter runaway emotional feedback loops due to their inability to concentrate for long periods. The post then explores the concept of jhanas, advanced meditative states described in Leigh Brasington's book 'Right Concentration'. The first jhana is described as an intense state of pleasure achieved through concentration meditation. Brasington explains this state as a positive feedback loop of pleasure, similar to audio feedback but with pleasant sensations. Scott suggests that other jhanas might work similarly, with the fourth jhana being a state of ultimate calm achieved through a feedback loop of calmness. The post concludes by noting that non-meditators can't achieve these states because they lack the necessary concentration skills to maintain self-referentiality. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews 'Mastering The Core Teachings Of The Buddha', a practical guide to Buddhist meditation that details the stages of insight and debunks common myths about enlightenment. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews 'Mastering The Core Teachings Of The Buddha' by Daniel Ingram, an emergency physician who claims to have achieved enlightenment. The book provides a practical, no-nonsense approach to Buddhist meditation, detailing the stages of insight and their effects. It breaks down Buddhism into three teachings: morality, concentration, and wisdom. The review explores the book's explanation of meditation techniques, the stages of insight (including the challenging 'Dark Night of the Soul'), and the nature of enlightenment. Scott also discusses the book's debunking of common myths about enlightenment and questions why one would pursue this path given its potential difficulties. The review concludes by drawing parallels between the book's descriptions of meditation experiences and concepts from cognitive science. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander hypothesizes that mystical experiences, hallucinations, and paranoia might be linked to an overactive pattern-matching faculty in the brain. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the relationship between mysticism, pattern-matching, and mental health. He suggests that hallucinations, paranoia, and mystical experiences might all be related to an overactive pattern-matching faculty in the brain. The post begins by discussing how the brain's failure modes differ from computers, then explains top-down processing and pattern matching using visual examples. It then connects these concepts to hallucinations, paranoia, and mystical experiences. Scott proposes that certain practices like meditation, drug use, and religious rituals may strengthen the pattern-matching faculty, leading to experiences of universal connectedness or enlightenment. He acknowledges that this hypothesis doesn't explain all aspects of mystical experiences and their benefits. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents a diverse collection of interesting links on topics ranging from meditation to global poverty, offering brief summaries and personal commentary. Longer summary

This post is a collection of links to interesting articles and studies on various topics. It covers a wide range of subjects including meditation, Olympic medal psychology, religious beliefs, education systems, diet trends, scientific reproducibility, historical events, and global poverty solutions. Scott Alexander briefly summarizes each link, often adding his own commentary or skepticism. The tone is informative and slightly humorous, with Scott occasionally expressing personal opinions or anecdotes related to the topics. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses how the clarity experienced when awakening from meditation-induced delusions mirrors his appreciation for simplifying philosophical concepts. Longer summary

Scott Alexander describes his experiences with meditating while tired, which lead to increasingly complex and delusional thoughts. He then experiences a moment of awakening where he realizes the simplicity of the task. This feeling of clarity and simplification is compared to his passion for ideas like consequentialism, atheism, and capitalism, which provide similar moments of clarity in complex situations. While acknowledging that this feeling isn't an argument for these ideas, Scott expresses how fundamental this aesthetic is to his thinking. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents Raikoth, his fictional utopian society, which strives for perfection in language, government, and population through unique systems and practices. Longer summary

Scott Alexander describes Raikoth, a fictional utopian society he created. Raikoth is an island nation of 8 million people that aims for perfection in three areas: language, government, and population. They use Kadhamic, a 'perfect language' designed for philosophical rigor, and are governed by AI 'Angels' that make decisions based on utilitarian calculations. The population is carefully managed through birth control, exile of criminals, and selective breeding. Education focuses on meditation, psychedelic experiences, and rationality. The post provides detailed information about Raikoth's history, government structure, societal norms, and educational system. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues that virtue ethics is neither how people naturally think about morality nor an effective way to make people more moral, proposing alternative methods and using a grammar analogy to illustrate his point. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques virtue ethics, arguing that it is neither how people naturally think about morality nor an effective way to make people more moral. He describes his own experience of morality as contrary to virtue ethics in many ways. Scott then suggests alternative methods for improving morality, such as certain beliefs and practices, with meditation being his top recommendation. He concludes that virtue ethics doesn't satisfy the criteria for effectively grounding morality and that there are many better alternatives. The post ends with an analogy comparing virtue ethics to a hypothetical 'virtue grammar' to further illustrate his point. Shorter summary