Scott Alexander explores subjective temporal granularity, its relation to meditation, and how it might allow for intervening in thought construction.
Longer summary
Scott Alexander explores the concept of subjective temporal granularity and its potential connection to meditation. He starts by quoting a Reddit comment that explains meditation as a method for training the mind to override automatic responses. Scott then describes his own experiments with temporal granularity, finding he can perceive events at about a quarter-second scale. He relates this to claims by experienced meditators about perceiving 'vibrations' in sensory input. Scott speculates that meditation might be a way to refine one's subjective temporal granularity, potentially allowing intervention in the thought construction process rather than just experiencing finished thoughts.
Shorter summary