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 critically reviews 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac, highlighting its problematic glorification of irresponsible behavior and flawed philosophy. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road', criticizing the book's glorification of irresponsible behavior, its treatment of women and minorities, and its excessive use of religious adjectives. He contrasts the characters' perceived oppression with their actual privilege in 1950s America, and reflects on the book's philosophy of rejecting societal norms. Scott suggests the book might be best read as an early exploration of a lifestyle that has since become commonplace, and compares its flawed utopianism to early Communist thought. 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