4 ms·

Becoming a Centaur

15 points by Vigier 4y ago

ggm 4y ago
I noted how the word "dance" is used in descriptive/metaphorical terms (cellular dance, nerve signal dance) but never do they actually compare the body-language dialogue between dancers, yet the clues: subtle pressures on legs, arms, back are the same: non-verbal, queues which lead to remarkably complex movements of two autonomous entities in unison. The inter-species thing is strong. They emphases predator-prey, but mating rituals between same species demands expressions of agility and strength, and coordinated with the other party: you have (in my opinion) to go beyond "look at me" to make that outcome work in any species with higher functions. So I think the movements can't just be written down to a herd animals fear reaction.
syntaxfree 4y ago
This article is way too padded with neural neural neural neural gobbledygook. This comment is brought by the sharp feedback loop between my brain, my fingers and the neural neural neural of the article writer yadda yadda
- todorus 4y ago
  I agree with the point you're trying to make, but not your sentiment. To quote the guidelines: "Be kind. Don't be snarky. Have curious conversation; don't cross-examine. Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the community"
wizardforhire 4y ago
Bummed the article was not about this: https://www.myconfinedspace.com/2009/04/20/majestic-centurion-justice-alliance/ https://www.myconfinedspace.com/2009/04/20/majestic-centurio...
em3rgent0rdr 4y ago
"shared trust", "cooperate freely". Umm...
enviclash 4y ago
"Neural dance". I really like science writers that stand in the border between (or touch the limits of) good prose and sci-com. I am curious about whether a shared sense of intuition is commonly perceived.
motohagiography 4y ago
I ride more days than not, and this is an excellent laymans description of the the practice. I call it having a conversation where we spend years trying to understand one another, and it ebbs and flows with greater and lesser mutual understanding. A horse remembers everything it experiences, and it is very difficult to get them to unlearn the memory and expectation of something that they have set in their minds. The job of a rider is to bring the consistency and intention to relating with another being. As riders, we use geometric figures as the empirical control we revert to, or the base message. Horses know nothing of straight lines or circles until we establish a basic language of "forward" or "around," and then faster, slower, and they begin to anticipate the figures - to where eventually, you are riding mainly by thought and the microexpressions in your body the thought causes. Beyond stimulus response training, as a rider you begin to interpret desire and intent from another being, and it anticipates and responds to your intents and desires as it experiences them. Where it gets extra fascinating is that your emotional state and beleifs about yourself creates those micro body expressions the animal senses, and so you learn to discipline your mind so that distraction, fear, boldness, forwardness, aggression, urgency, calm are senses that you intentionally summon and express and transmit to another mind that is wielding 1200lbs of muscle across four tall legs. I think learning to cultivate the acceptance and willingness of another being in nature is the origin of human morality. It's a multi-millenia old relationship, and the beauty of it is that when we ride, we inculcate the minds of horses with our intentions and a way of relating by using non-verbal language, and we use geometry to encode the values for our intentions to them. Horses aren't machines or symbols, they are other beings who we relate to. So glad the author wrote this, re-assessing our relationship to horses in a moral and philosophical sense will help us all. Again.
- sdwr 4y ago
  The way you're talking about riding sounds a lot like sex. I think any kind of live communication involves taking responsibility for (or at least awareness of) the other party's emotional state. There's a cost attached to that, can't gain a sense without losing something else. Have you thought about writing a blog? I know counterpoint is easier than point a lot of the time, but your comment reads substantially better than the article.
29athrowaway 4y ago
We are all centaurs and shit until you fall from an actual horse and get a taste of how dangerous riding a horse is.
otikik 4y ago
Centaurs are ridiculous fantasy animals that make no sense. This is exemplified perfectly by the reverse centaur: a regular human body with a horse torso, including front legs and head, attached to the human shoulder and neck. Or a centicentaur: a millipede-like creature made out by attaching 100 horse bodies, with a single human torso at the front. If the centicentaur programs in C/C++ they only get 99 horse bodies.

15 points by Vigier 4y ago

ggm 4y ago

I noted how the word "dance" is used in descriptive/metaphorical terms (cellular dance, nerve signal dance) but never do they actually compare the body-language dialogue between dancers, yet the clues: subtle pressures on legs, arms, back are the same: non-verbal, queues which lead to remarkably complex movements of two autonomous entities in unison. The inter-species thing is strong. They emphases predator-prey, but mating rituals between same species demands expressions of agility and strength, and coordinated with the other party: you have (in my opinion) to go beyond "look at me" to make that outcome work in any species with higher functions. So I think the movements can't just be written down to a herd animals fear reaction.

syntaxfree 4y ago

This article is way too padded with neural neural neural neural gobbledygook. This comment is brought by the sharp feedback loop between my brain, my fingers and the neural neural neural of the article writer yadda yadda

todorus 4y ago
I agree with the point you're trying to make, but not your sentiment. To quote the guidelines: "Be kind. Don't be snarky. Have curious conversation; don't cross-examine. Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the community"

wizardforhire 4y ago

Bummed the article was not about this: https://www.myconfinedspace.com/2009/04/20/majestic-centurion-justice-alliance/ https://www.myconfinedspace.com/2009/04/20/majestic-centurio...

em3rgent0rdr 4y ago

"shared trust", "cooperate freely". Umm...

enviclash 4y ago

"Neural dance". I really like science writers that stand in the border between (or touch the limits of) good prose and sci-com. I am curious about whether a shared sense of intuition is commonly perceived.

motohagiography 4y ago

I ride more days than not, and this is an excellent laymans description of the the practice. I call it having a conversation where we spend years trying to understand one another, and it ebbs and flows with greater and lesser mutual understanding. A horse remembers everything it experiences, and it is very difficult to get them to unlearn the memory and expectation of something that they have set in their minds. The job of a rider is to bring the consistency and intention to relating with another being. As riders, we use geometric figures as the empirical control we revert to, or the base message. Horses know nothing of straight lines or circles until we establish a basic language of "forward" or "around," and then faster, slower, and they begin to anticipate the figures - to where eventually, you are riding mainly by thought and the microexpressions in your body the thought causes. Beyond stimulus response training, as a rider you begin to interpret desire and intent from another being, and it anticipates and responds to your intents and desires as it experiences them. Where it gets extra fascinating is that your emotional state and beleifs about yourself creates those micro body expressions the animal senses, and so you learn to discipline your mind so that distraction, fear, boldness, forwardness, aggression, urgency, calm are senses that you intentionally summon and express and transmit to another mind that is wielding 1200lbs of muscle across four tall legs. I think learning to cultivate the acceptance and willingness of another being in nature is the origin of human morality. It's a multi-millenia old relationship, and the beauty of it is that when we ride, we inculcate the minds of horses with our intentions and a way of relating by using non-verbal language, and we use geometry to encode the values for our intentions to them. Horses aren't machines or symbols, they are other beings who we relate to. So glad the author wrote this, re-assessing our relationship to horses in a moral and philosophical sense will help us all. Again.

sdwr 4y ago
The way you're talking about riding sounds a lot like sex. I think any kind of live communication involves taking responsibility for (or at least awareness of) the other party's emotional state. There's a cost attached to that, can't gain a sense without losing something else. Have you thought about writing a blog? I know counterpoint is easier than point a lot of the time, but your comment reads substantially better than the article.

29athrowaway 4y ago

We are all centaurs and shit until you fall from an actual horse and get a taste of how dangerous riding a horse is.

otikik 4y ago

Centaurs are ridiculous fantasy animals that make no sense. This is exemplified perfectly by the reverse centaur: a regular human body with a horse torso, including front legs and head, attached to the human shoulder and neck. Or a centicentaur: a millipede-like creature made out by attaching 100 horse bodies, with a single human torso at the front. If the centicentaur programs in C/C++ they only get 99 horse bodies.