Skepsis #38: Consciousness
What it means to be conscious, using self-respect as a guide, living forever and more.
What I’m thinking about
The next time you’re facing a consequential choice about that to do or say next, use self-respect as a compass. Will you respect yourself 10 minutes, 10 days or 10 years from now if you did what you’re about to do? Are you behaving like the person you want to be? You are judged by what you have done more so than what you have said, even by yourself.
What I'm reading
Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind
Conscious is a short and accessible book by Annaka Harris on the topic of consciousness; what it is, why we have it (as far as we know), if free will exists and how it’s possible for a collection of matter to elicit consciousness at all. It’s one of those books that will greatly expand your perspective on what it means to be conscious and how can even be sure that we are.
An organism is conscious if there is something that it is like to be that organism. […] It’s this simple difference—whether there is an experience present or not—which we can all use as a reference point, that constitutes what I mean by the word “consciousness.” Is it like something to be a grain of sand, a bacterium, an oak tree, a worm, an ant, a mouse, a dog? At some point along the spectrum the answer is yes, and the great mystery lies in why the “lights turn on” for some collections of matter in the universe.
The moment matter becomes conscious seems at least as mysterious as the moment matter and energy sprang into existence in the first place. The mystery of consciousness rivals one of the greatest conundrums ever to bend human thought: How could something appear out of nothing?3 Likewise, how does felt experience arise out of nonsentient matter? The Australian philosopher David Chalmers famously termed this the “hard problem” of consciousness.
The Internet 3.0
In the wake of the storming of the US Capitol and the consequent deplatforming/take-downs of Trump and far-right sites like Parlor, Ben Thompson from Stratechery writes about the next stage of the Internet.
The theme of the Internet 3.0 is not centralization - the Internet 2.0 was about economic centralization - but rather a return to decentralization and open protocols. In some ways, a return to less order as people and organizations strive for political influence on the Internet. But instead of decentralization of tech as on the Internet 1.0 (e.g. open-source software), it will be about the decentralization of politics. This is driven both by (other) governments, by "Big Tech" and by regular people or communities. The deplatforming of Trump being one example wherein Big Tech is taking politics into its own hands. According to Thompson, on the Internet 3.0 politics will be driven by the Internet.
A master class on implementation intentions
An implementation intention is what academics call a specific "if-then" formalization of a goal or ambition. Instead of just telling yourself that you'll exercise more next month, you'll be more likely to succeed if you write down a specific and tractable action that you're able to take once a specific situation occurs. In this post on Less Wrong, the author explains how to make/write proper implementation intentions, or what he calls "TAPs" (trigger-action plans):
A good TAP fulfills three requirements :
The trigger is clear. The "when" part is a specific, visible thing that's easy to notice. "When I see stairs" is good, "before four o'clock" is bad (when before four exactly?).
The trigger is consistent. The action is something that you'll always want to do when the trigger is fulfilled. "When I leave the kitchen, I'll do five push-ups" is bad, because you might not have the chance to do five push-ups each time when you leave the kitchen.
The TAP furthers your goals. Make sure the TAP is actually useful!
Twitter thread about the master of learning, Josh Waitzkin.
Many interesting pieces of advice and insights:
What I'm watching
Life Extension
How would the world change when most of us can live for hundreds or thousands of years?
What I'm listening to
David Epstein On Why Generalists Are More Successful Than Specialists
A podcast interview with David Epstein who wrote the book “Range”. Few others have been able to make the case for the virtue and benefits of being a generalist as clearly as David Epstein. It gives me hope that I might actually get somewhere someday… :)
Studying the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors and scientists, David Epstein demonstrates why in most fields – especially those that are complex and unpredictable – generalists, not specialists are primed to excel. No matter what you do, where you are in life, whether you are a teacher, student, scientist, business analyst, parent, job hunter, retiree, you will see the world differently. You'll understand better how we solve problems, how we learn and how we succeed. You'll see why failing a test is the best way to learn and why frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers.
Do for Love - 2Pac
On Spotify:
Speaking of music, this was fun. An AI judges your taste in music and makes fun of you.
My taste in music is unsurpringsly quite… average:
You are 46% basic. You've got some original music, but most of it is mainstream garbage, like Drake..
As always, stay safe out there.
/Phil