Scott Alexander defends the concept of automaticity in psychology, arguing that core cognitive biases and priming effects are real, while acknowledging some claims have been overstated. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to a critique of automaticity in psychology, arguing that while some claims about cognitive biases and priming have been overstated, the core concepts are real and well-replicated. He provides examples of cognitive biases, priming effects, and nudges that have strong evidence behind them. Scott compares cognitive biases to optical illusions - real phenomena that affect our perception, but not in ways that make us completely helpless. He argues that automaticity is actually a very old idea about human nature, found in various philosophical and religious traditions. While we shouldn't see ourselves as completely controlled by unconscious forces, Scott suggests that accepting some level of automaticity in our cognition is both realistic and not necessarily problematic. Shorter summary

A satirical account of a Bay Area house party featuring absurd conversations on tech, culture, and startups, ending with the protagonist's plan to profit from the information gained. Longer summary

This satirical post describes a fictional Bay Area house party, featuring conversations on various tech and cultural topics. It includes discussions about adapting Buddhism for conservatives, a consultant who helps companies be offensive, a new financial product called 'antistocks', debates between a YIMBY, crypto enthusiast, and youth pastor, AI happiness optimization, and a scheme to distract tech billionaires with conferences. The story ends with the protagonist learning about a startup working on immortality through transmissible tumors, and deciding to use this information for financial gain. 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 Alexander satirizes Bay Area culture through a fictional house party filled with eccentric characters and outlandish startup ideas. Longer summary

Scott Alexander writes a satirical piece about a stereotypical Bay Area house party, filled with eccentric characters discussing outlandish startup ideas, unconventional philosophies, and bizarre research projects. The narrator moves through the party, encountering various guests including a war insurance startup founder, a cryptocurrency promoter, a secular Buddhist philosopher, an artist lying on beaches, alternative history restaurateurs, and a researcher studying steppe nomad risks. The story pokes fun at Silicon Valley culture, startup culture, and the tendency for seemingly absurd ideas to receive funding, often from Peter Thiel. Shorter summary

Scott reviews a book on Lacanian psychoanalysis, discussing its theories on desire and human development while expressing both skepticism and interest in some of its ideas. Longer summary

Scott reviews 'A Clinical Introduction To Lacanian Psychoanalysis' by Bruce Fink, exploring Lacan's theories on desire, psychoanalysis, and human development. He discusses Lacan's concepts of the Other, the paternal function, and the three diagnostic categories: psychosis, perversion, and neurosis. Scott expresses skepticism about many of Lacan's claims but finds some value in the ideas of desire as ego defense and the complexity of human sexuality. He compares psychoanalysis to superstring theory - an attempt to explain complex phenomena that may not fully work but represents a valiant effort. 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

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

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 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 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 compares two visions of a 'wirehead society' in the far future, exploring how framing affects our perception of technologically omnipotent posthuman existence. Longer summary

This post explores two visions of a far future 'wirehead society' where posthuman descendants achieve technological omnipotence. The first vision describes a world where all activities become boring and meaningless due to perfect optimization, leading to potential solutions like imposed artificial limits or wireheading. The second vision reframes wireheading as a more noble pursuit, likening it to enlightened beings in a state of blissful tranquility. Scott reflects on how his perception of these futures shifts dramatically based on presentation, despite their fundamental similarities. Shorter summary

Scott criticizes the approach to mysticism popularized by Robert Anton Wilson, arguing it provides false rewards and promotes harmful dabbling instead of genuine practice. Longer summary

Scott reflects on his past interest in Robert Anton Wilson's writings and mysticism in general, comparing it to his high school fascination with physics. He argues that learning about mysticism is different from actually practicing it, much like reading about physics isn't the same as doing physics. Scott identifies three main problems with the Anton-Wilson approach to mysticism: it provides a false sense of reward, encourages conspiracy thinking, and promotes harmful dabbling. He concludes that if he were to pursue mysticism again, he would focus on practicing one tradition at a time, avoiding the temptation to mix different approaches or read extensively about mysticism without actually doing it. Shorter summary