Freedom, Determinism, and the Dance of Will Are we really free, or just riding the current? Focus: Neurological studies of decision-making (Libet, Eagleman, etc.) Free energy principle and prediction loops Compatibilism vs. hard determinism vs. libertarian free will Spiritual interpretations of will Artificial intelligence and the illusion of autonomy Optional Cheatsheet: “Free Will: What’s Real, …
Category Archives: Consciousness, Free Will, & Meaning
The Web of Meaning
The Web of Meaning How do we create meaning in a potentially meaningless universe? Focus: Existentialism (Nietzsche, Frankl) Panpsychism and cosmopsychism Indigenous relational ontologies Narrative creation and meaning-making The interplay between entropy, chaos, and purpose Optional Cheatsheet: “Meaning Is a Verb: How Humans Make Sense”
Expanded States of Being
Expanded States of Being What can altered states teach us about reality? Focus: Dreaming, meditation, psychedelics, breathwork Lucid states and access consciousness Flow states (Csikszentmihalyi, Greene) Precognition, mystical experiences, and threshold states Biological underpinnings: default mode network, entropy and integration Optional Cheatsheet: “Exploring the Mind: A Guide to Altered States”
The Self
The Self in Flux What makes “you” you? Focus: Identity as emergent and adaptive Neuroplasticity, culture, and perspective shifts Self vs. observer vs. witness consciousness Indigenous and Eastern notions of identity (e.g. mauri, anatta) The narrative self vs. the embodied self Optional Cheatsheet: “Who Am I, Really?” – The Layers of Selfhood
The Architecture of Awareness
The Architecture of Awareness What is consciousness and how does it arise? Focus: Theories of consciousness (IIT, GWT, HOTs, etc.) The “hard problem” of consciousness Neural correlates vs. emergence vs. panpsychism Enactivism & embodied cognition Consciousness as entropy management (Friston, predictive processing) Optional Cheatsheet: “Consciousness Theories Explained”
Return to Signal
Return to Signal The Physiology of Escaping Static & Finding Coherence Again You don’t need to find your purpose. You need to find your signal. That’s a distinction I didn’t always know how to make. In the past, I tried to think my way to clarity by structuring a perfect plan, fixing my mindset, and …
The Undercurrent
The Undercurrent Returning to the Room With No Walls This is a personal philosophy I’ve never publicly articulated. An internal compass I’ve started to return to when belief systems and frameworks fall short. It isn’t rooted in faith, spirituality, or reverence for a higher being. It asks for no worship, prescribes no moral code, and …
Language & Meaning
Language & Meaning Making sense of a world that has lost all meaning. Philosophy and language origins contribute towards the way that we think and operate as a society. Sensemaking 101 (Rebel Wisdom) Awakening From the Meaning Crisis https://www.meaningcrisis.co/ https://www.tiagobooks.com/blogpage/lecture-notes-of-awakening-from-the-meaning-crisis https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/149801.John_Vervaeke_s_Awakening_From_the_Meaning_Crisis
Philosophy’s Shortcomings
Philosophy’s Shortcomings Where philosophy falls short and reality starts to wane. How to learn from philosophy without attaching yourself to a belief system. Get back on the train after you’ve explored the town. What is art? Ethics The issue with applying philosophical theories that are dependent on specific cultural conditions. You can still find use …
Life Lessons
Life Lessons A compilation of philosophical ideas to help the everyman get through life. Leadership/Mentors https://fs.blog/intellectual-giants/marcus-aurelius/ https://fs.blog/intellectual-giants/peter-bevelin/ https://fs.blog/intellectual-giants/robert-cialdini/ https://fs.blog/intellectual-giants/richard-feynman/ https://fs.blog/intellectual-giants/garrett-hardin/ https://fs.blog/intellectual-giants/charlie-munger/ https://fs.blog/intellectual-giants/seneca/ https://fs.blog/intellectual-giants/nassim-taleb/ What it means to be a good human What it means to be an adult What it means to be a man What it means to be a woman “SNS vs PNS …