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> Consciousness as a useful frontier, in my opinion, will only have utility as it intersects with neuroscience and artificial intelligence. So by neuroscience

by mx24 6y ago

> Consciousness as a useful frontier, in my opinion, will only have utility as it intersects with neuroscience and artificial intelligence. So by neuroscience and artificial intelligence I'm guessing we can assume you're just referring to western science. How about the Buddhists? Or the shamans in tribal societies around the world? Was there no utility in their understanding and manipulation of consciousness (which was often achieved through the use of psychedelics)? In many ways the shamans and other spiritual practitioners are far ahead of western science in terms of understanding consciousness. However, that is rarely acknowledged in western society, especially among technical folks such as ourselves. Western science is not the only valid way to understand reality.

kfrzcode 6y ago
This is the thread I was pulling on. Have you ever stopped to really ponder the literal awesome nature of dreaming? A relatively simple function we all practice, even our dogs. When you're in a lucid dream, you have the ability to construct your reality with nothing more than intention. It's a higher fidelity experience for every sense than any virtual reality gear known to Silicon Valley could provide. The nature of lucid dreaming combined with a deeply introspective nature have certainly led me to believe there is a deep well of discovery when it comes to studying consciousness. Is it an emergent phenomenon? Is it something else entirely? Are we all just deterministic robotic meat-sacks? Are we truly just in a simulation? > Western science is not the only valid way to understand reality. "Dreams represent just one type of illusion. The whole universe arises and dissolves like a mirage. Everything about us, even the most enlightened qualities, are also dreamlike phenomena. There's nothing that is not encompassed within the dream of illusory being; so in going to sleep, you're just passing from one dream state to another."

by mx24 6y ago

kfrzcode 6y ago

This is the thread I was pulling on. Have you ever stopped to really ponder the literal awesome nature of dreaming? A relatively simple function we all practice, even our dogs. When you're in a lucid dream, you have the ability to construct your reality with nothing more than intention. It's a higher fidelity experience for every sense than any virtual reality gear known to Silicon Valley could provide. The nature of lucid dreaming combined with a deeply introspective nature have certainly led me to believe there is a deep well of discovery when it comes to studying consciousness. Is it an emergent phenomenon? Is it something else entirely? Are we all just deterministic robotic meat-sacks? Are we truly just in a simulation? > Western science is not the only valid way to understand reality. "Dreams represent just one type of illusion. The whole universe arises and dissolves like a mirage. Everything about us, even the most enlightened qualities, are also dreamlike phenomena. There's nothing that is not encompassed within the dream of illusory being; so in going to sleep, you're just passing from one dream state to another."