5 ms·

The author seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the bible (referencing individual psalms by number), wears a cross around his neck to hospital, practises

The author seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the bible (referencing individual psalms by number), wears a cross around his neck to hospital, practises all kinds of eastern religious meditations (recommends "Awaken the Healing Light of the Tao" in the midst of describing himself in a diaper on a CAT scan machine). On top of this he works as a particle accelerator operator at cornell. And still eats some of the mushrooms he previously identified as growing next to some clearly poisonous mushroom colony. At the end of the article he questions whether it was an act of god or meditation that saved him, yet concludes that realistically it was not taking the time to identify the mushrooms correctly which caused the whole process. Yet starts the article with the comment that he was somehow in an altered mental state from a "Aligning the Three Tan Tiens" exercise which left him feeling invincible. Surely if you belive that god or meditation was the cure, you would have to believe that they could also be the cause - especially in this case when you're doing the "nothing can kill me" meditation before picking mushrooms. It's a weird half baked half-rational half-esoteric thought process that staggers me. Religion and science are always a controversial mix, but this is an extreme example.

nothal 7y ago
I found it on the whole endearing. Through the author's religion we saw his valuation of his friends and family as well as his whole life. I think it's certainly within reason that people can believe contradictory 'truths' and I'm sure you do as well.
- Insanity 7y ago
  I'd make that point even stronger, humans don't tend to analyze their every thought with extreme care and I'd say _most_ hold some kind of contradictory believes. Or, believe something but don't actually act accordingly. (Cognitive dissonance) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance
  - Aeolun 7y ago
    Some contradictory beliefs, but the author is a walking stewpot full of contradictory beliefs. Not the end of the world, but certainly remarkable.
topologistics 7y ago
Psalm 23 is the most famous one, so knowing it doesn't indicate an encyclopedic knowledge of the bible.
Udo 7y ago
I know it's maybe even the norm, but I can't get my head around this disconnect between doing deep scientific work on the one hand and having such a profoundly mystical world view that seems to sometimes eschew rational reflections on cause-and-effect. > Why did I live and the rest not live? There are many factors at play. Among those not listed by the author are: age, genetics and biochemical happenstances, and pure random luck. Yet, the question seems to angle for a deeper meaning, as if to evoke the intent of a higher power who lets people live or die for personal or moral reasons. > Was it the amount of toxin? Was it that I knew what had happened to me and sought care and help quickly? Yes. > Was it my meditation/visualization and somatic self care/self help practice? It's been shown that a patient's determination and outlooks do have a noticeable effect on their outcome, so your mental framework may very well have helped here for reasons that are not related to specific practices themselves, but because they have a positive effect on your attitude. > Was it the prayers of my friends and family and my faith? No. And I would object to this even if I was a religious person. The idea that an all-powerful and infinetely wise entity, who decided on the fate of the entire universe well in advance, would change their mind and let someone live on account of the amount of fawning being performed on behalf of that person - that idea is both intellectually and theologically bankrupt. > Was it the doctors’ care? One of them said it was a miracle! Yes, it was the doctors' care, which was most likely necessary to save you. Using a throwaway utterance like this as evidence in support of a miracle-based world view seems self-deceiving. If we're going to assign miracle status to improbable events, it should probably not be those that fall within the 20-50% range. The most disconcerting thing is that we would expect someone whose work involves particle physics to have a better grasp of probabilities, but I think once a person subscribes to the idea of a personalized universe that cares about the conduct of individual humans, a whole different set of rules suddenly comes into play.
- SuoDuanDao 7y ago
  On the subject of 'prayers from friends and family' being an intellectually and theologically bankrupt theory, here's a meta-study on the phenomenon. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cindy_Crawford/publication/10735353_A_systematic_review_of_the_quality_of_research_on_hands-on_and_distance_healing_Clinical_and_laboratory_studies/links/563d12a108ae34e98c4ad363/A-systematic-review-of-the-quality-of-research-on-hands-on-and-distance-healing-Clinical-and-laboratory-studies.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cindy_Crawford/publicat...
Haga 7y ago
It was never methologic approaches that broke new ground but mad hatters who made wrong assumptions followingwwrong analogy and ended up finding the new. Please do not make science any slower than it is already by having a unrealistic idealized scientist in the meta sciences.
Udik 7y ago
Although of course everyone can believe what they please, and I found myself in much sympathy with the narrator, in a couple of points I couldn't help thinking of a famous comedian's joke: "The doctors saved your life. But remember when you picked the wrong mushrooms? That was the act of God".
collyw 7y ago
If I was as close to death as he was I think even I may become religious. Wouldn't have the encyclopedic knowledge of the bible though. On the other hand I think that a Destroying Angel is one of the few mushrooms that I would know not to eat (my limited knowledge would also mean that I wouldn't actually eat any without positive identification). It's the second most poisonous after a Death Cap from what I know almost completely white.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
Gatsky 7y ago
This is a pretty uncharitable comment friend... presumably you aren't the intended audience for this article. Anyway, you've never met anyone like this before? I meet people like this all the time. They are much more interesting than those devoted to hyper-rational atheism AKA the Times New Roman of metaphysics. For one, these 'half-baked' types tend to be staggered by genuinely marvelous things, rather than just their perception of another person's incoherence.
- devilshaircut 7y ago
  If "hyper-rational atheism" were the "Times New Roman of metaphysics", you'd think it would be far more common than it actually is. Going with your n=1 "I meet people like this all the time." theme, I know far more people of various religious flavors than I do atheists of any kind, "hyper-rational" or not.
- rkachowski 7y ago
  No, I have never met a particle physicist that meditated his way into eating the notorious death cap and thanked god and spirituality for saving him. I find it pretty sad that you'd preclude rational people from being able to experience genuinely marvelous things. I can tell you that there is a whole spectrum of rational thought, including both your hyper rational and 'interesting' people. I don't think you actually believe that these people live a myopic life of sterile scrutiny and flavorless examination. The road is long my friend, and you have a distance to travel.
  - Gatsky 7y ago
    Your original comment was drawing generalisations about a certain character of thought from one person's experience. Obviously, I am not asking if you have met another particle physicist with this specific set of eccentricities. Nor do I preclude anything about the scope or validity of someone's experiences, unlike your original comment.
  - Apocryphon 7y ago
    "I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
Accujack 7y ago
There were three words missing from the article that are necessary for me to have taken the author seriously. "I was stupid"

nothal 7y ago

I found it on the whole endearing. Through the author's religion we saw his valuation of his friends and family as well as his whole life. I think it's certainly within reason that people can believe contradictory 'truths' and I'm sure you do as well.

Insanity 7y ago
I'd make that point even stronger, humans don't tend to analyze their every thought with extreme care and I'd say _most_ hold some kind of contradictory believes. Or, believe something but don't actually act accordingly. (Cognitive dissonance) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance
- Aeolun 7y ago
  Some contradictory beliefs, but the author is a walking stewpot full of contradictory beliefs. Not the end of the world, but certainly remarkable.

topologistics 7y ago

Psalm 23 is the most famous one, so knowing it doesn't indicate an encyclopedic knowledge of the bible.

Udo 7y ago

I know it's maybe even the norm, but I can't get my head around this disconnect between doing deep scientific work on the one hand and having such a profoundly mystical world view that seems to sometimes eschew rational reflections on cause-and-effect. > Why did I live and the rest not live? There are many factors at play. Among those not listed by the author are: age, genetics and biochemical happenstances, and pure random luck. Yet, the question seems to angle for a deeper meaning, as if to evoke the intent of a higher power who lets people live or die for personal or moral reasons. > Was it the amount of toxin? Was it that I knew what had happened to me and sought care and help quickly? Yes. > Was it my meditation/visualization and somatic self care/self help practice? It's been shown that a patient's determination and outlooks do have a noticeable effect on their outcome, so your mental framework may very well have helped here for reasons that are not related to specific practices themselves, but because they have a positive effect on your attitude. > Was it the prayers of my friends and family and my faith? No. And I would object to this even if I was a religious person. The idea that an all-powerful and infinetely wise entity, who decided on the fate of the entire universe well in advance, would change their mind and let someone live on account of the amount of fawning being performed on behalf of that person - that idea is both intellectually and theologically bankrupt. > Was it the doctors’ care? One of them said it was a miracle! Yes, it was the doctors' care, which was most likely necessary to save you. Using a throwaway utterance like this as evidence in support of a miracle-based world view seems self-deceiving. If we're going to assign miracle status to improbable events, it should probably not be those that fall within the 20-50% range. The most disconcerting thing is that we would expect someone whose work involves particle physics to have a better grasp of probabilities, but I think once a person subscribes to the idea of a personalized universe that cares about the conduct of individual humans, a whole different set of rules suddenly comes into play.

SuoDuanDao 7y ago
On the subject of 'prayers from friends and family' being an intellectually and theologically bankrupt theory, here's a meta-study on the phenomenon. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cindy_Crawford/publication/10735353_A_systematic_review_of_the_quality_of_research_on_hands-on_and_distance_healing_Clinical_and_laboratory_studies/links/563d12a108ae34e98c4ad363/A-systematic-review-of-the-quality-of-research-on-hands-on-and-distance-healing-Clinical-and-laboratory-studies.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cindy_Crawford/publicat...

Haga 7y ago

It was never methologic approaches that broke new ground but mad hatters who made wrong assumptions followingwwrong analogy and ended up finding the new. Please do not make science any slower than it is already by having a unrealistic idealized scientist in the meta sciences.

Udik 7y ago

Although of course everyone can believe what they please, and I found myself in much sympathy with the narrator, in a couple of points I couldn't help thinking of a famous comedian's joke: "The doctors saved your life. But remember when you picked the wrong mushrooms? That was the act of God".

collyw 7y ago

If I was as close to death as he was I think even I may become religious. Wouldn't have the encyclopedic knowledge of the bible though. On the other hand I think that a Destroying Angel is one of the few mushrooms that I would know not to eat (my limited knowledge would also mean that I wouldn't actually eat any without positive identification). It's the second most poisonous after a Death Cap from what I know almost completely white.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

Gatsky 7y ago

This is a pretty uncharitable comment friend... presumably you aren't the intended audience for this article. Anyway, you've never met anyone like this before? I meet people like this all the time. They are much more interesting than those devoted to hyper-rational atheism AKA the Times New Roman of metaphysics. For one, these 'half-baked' types tend to be staggered by genuinely marvelous things, rather than just their perception of another person's incoherence.

devilshaircut 7y ago
If "hyper-rational atheism" were the "Times New Roman of metaphysics", you'd think it would be far more common than it actually is. Going with your n=1 "I meet people like this all the time." theme, I know far more people of various religious flavors than I do atheists of any kind, "hyper-rational" or not.
rkachowski 7y ago
No, I have never met a particle physicist that meditated his way into eating the notorious death cap and thanked god and spirituality for saving him. I find it pretty sad that you'd preclude rational people from being able to experience genuinely marvelous things. I can tell you that there is a whole spectrum of rational thought, including both your hyper rational and 'interesting' people. I don't think you actually believe that these people live a myopic life of sterile scrutiny and flavorless examination. The road is long my friend, and you have a distance to travel.
- Gatsky 7y ago
  Your original comment was drawing generalisations about a certain character of thought from one person's experience. Obviously, I am not asking if you have met another particle physicist with this specific set of eccentricities. Nor do I preclude anything about the scope or validity of someone's experiences, unlike your original comment.
- Apocryphon 7y ago
  "I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

Accujack 7y ago

There were three words missing from the article that are necessary for me to have taken the author seriously. "I was stupid"