egjerlow

6 ms·

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Ask HN: Are there any video conference tools suited for debating/discussions?
4 points by egjerlow 7y ago|0 comments
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by egjerlow 7y ago
This. One of the core tasks of the contemplative lifestyle (which can certainly be practiced outside of monasteries) is to be awakened from all of the things we think we need and desire. These are usually the things that the (societally c
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by egjerlow 7y ago
Here we go again :)
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by egjerlow 7y ago
Let me quote what you said when I asked how we can move from the objective facts of a thing to my subjective experience of that thing: "It's a thing of your imagination: for me, you just imagine that there is anything more than th
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by egjerlow 7y ago
I don't (or at least didn't mean to) claim that the emerging properties of, say, Conway's game of life are intuitive. What I am claiming is that there is a qualitative difference between the outcomes of Conway and other phy
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by egjerlow 7y ago
Ok, I think we either have some communication issues or philosophical differences (if I understand you correctly, you're saying that subjective experience is an illusion? Which to me just shows the absurd lengths one has to go to in or
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by egjerlow 7y ago
>Thanks for trying to explain your belief to me. If we concentrate on exactly your last post, maybe you can understand how I see it: I see again that you claim that you came to that conclusion "intellectually and rationally" bu
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by egjerlow 7y ago
https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Mind-Short-Introduction/dp... I'll read GEB :)
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by egjerlow 7y ago
I don't claim to be special - what I'm describing goes for all conscious beings, after all (and it could very well be that there are conscious animals). It seems to me you are trying really hard to make it seem like I'm uncom
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by egjerlow 7y ago
And yet, consciousness is something that remains, regardless of whether we name it as such, and regardless of the specific cells that make up our brains. So it's as if it is the only thing that is not named 'by us' and yet re
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by egjerlow 7y ago
I certainly am interested in this, but I also would like to note that this is not just a matter of something 'more complex' arising and that I lack the imagination necessary to see how something very very complex can arise. Rather
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by egjerlow 7y ago
>So my guess is that it deeply matters to you to believe that you are fundamentally different from all other animals. Which is a wishful thinking. :) I urge you to read through this quote and then ask yourself who is making more assumpti
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by egjerlow 7y ago
I don't see how this is relevant? I don't have a strong need to believe there is more in the universe than matter. In fact, as mentioned earlier I believed for a long time everything could be explained in that way. But after furth
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by egjerlow 7y ago
I have no problem with seeing myself 'part of nature' - in fact, I have for the longest time believed that consciousness can be explained in terms of the material universe revealed by science alone. But I see no way in which thi
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by egjerlow 7y ago
> I have those too, and no offense to you personally, but I call bullshit on both mine and your acquaintances. In case of people I know, there was not one situation for which I couldn't find a more plausible explanation - which usua
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by egjerlow 7y ago
> It's a belief, true, but it's kind of a privileged one, since it's so successful at explaining literally every other thing we observe about the universe. Why brains would be different? It's successful at explaining
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by egjerlow 7y ago
> as exactly zero other things in the universe that we studied since the dawn of humanity turned out to be magic. Rather, the things that seem somehow magical to us we either explain scientifically, or we ignore. I don't know about
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by egjerlow 7y ago
What I'm saying is that consciousness doesn't add anything to the art of 'predicting the future', and plays (as far as I can see) no discernable role in this art.
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by egjerlow 7y ago
I'm not really sure what you're arguing here. I would certainly say consciousness is 'something more', and that this something more has to be something non-material (or at least using 'materials' that have wild
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by egjerlow 7y ago
Right, as would all statements of lack of consciousness in anything. That way lies panpsychism. Which of course is a valid belief.
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by egjerlow 7y ago
Well, that's a bold claim, and it doesn't really say anything substantial, in my opinion. What does it mean to see yourself? Are the electrical impulses of your brain somehow registering themselves and then reflecting them to yet
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by egjerlow 7y ago
That's one of the uses of thinking, yes, but it's hardly the only one, unless by some procrustean method you force all my thoughts to 'really' be about the future. In which case I'd say the statement is close to dev
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by egjerlow 7y ago
Why would we need to 'feel' anything from the inside? We could operate perfectly well as 'machines' without having this 'feeling'. Also, consciousness isn't a feeling. It is what makes it possible at all t
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by egjerlow 7y ago
What exactly is 'tripping balls' if it is not comprised of electrical signals? Saying consciousness is 'just' this thing or another is, in my mind, making trivial the most profound riddle in all of existence.
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by egjerlow 7y ago
Why would your brain need consciousness to anticipate the future? A computer, which has no consciousness, would be able to do the same.
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by egjerlow 8y ago
> Religion should stick to what it's good at - peaceful prayer gatherings. That's a pretty a pretty simplistic view, given history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_of_Christianity_in_civili...
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by egjerlow 8y ago
The thing is, if I were to die tomorrow, there are a lot of things I would do today that I would not do today if I expect to die in 40 years. So what is 'meaningful' depends entirely on your expectations. If you keep living your l
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by egjerlow 8y ago
What exactly is new about this? CBT+sleep efficiency is pretty much the standard advice for insomnia (after having tried reducing blue light, regular schedule etc)
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by egjerlow 8y ago
Is that complex series something you'd care to elaborate on? I'm sure I'm not alone in trying to understand what really makes us sleep the way we do, and every data point helps!
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by egjerlow 8y ago
Seems a strange criteria that it should be at least 40 letters - to me it seems like the goal should be to use as few letters as possible while still achieving its other goals?

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