I am glad to announce the third of a continuing series of Orange County ACX/LW meetups. Meeting this Saturday and most Saturdays. The first meeting was great, and I hope to see many of you at this one.
A) Two conversation starter topics this week will be. (readings at the end)
1) What is open-mindedness 2) Psychedelics.
B) We will also have the card game Predictably Irrational and frisbees. Feel free to bring your own favorite games or distractions. This is a pet-friendly park and meeting.
C) There will be opportunities to go for a walk and talk about an hour after the meeting starts and use some gas barbeques if anyone wants to grill something. There are two easy-access mini-malls nearby with takeout hot food available. Search for Gelson’s or Pavilions in the zipcode 92660.
D) Share a surprise! Tell the group about something that happened that was unexpected or changed the way you look at the universe.
E) Make a prediction and give a probability and end condition.
F) Contribute ideas to the future direction of the group. Topics, types of meetings, activities, etc.
Conversation Starter Readings: Suggested readings for this week are these summaries. These readings are optional, but if you do them, think about what you find interesting, surprising, useful, questionable, vexing, or exciting.
1) Openmindedness. This week we will try a classic video from the Skeptic/Atheist movement. Questions to think about and discuss? Is this a good description of the reality of open-mindedness? Did it change how you thought about open-mindedness? What do you think are the essential elements of open-mindedness to rationality? Is skepticism necessary for openmindedness and when does it work against it?
And/or This SSC essay. “The Control group is out of control”. What are the upsides and downsides of calling paranormal studies the control group for the scientific method. Does this increase our ability to be open to correct ideas, and is it worth shutting the door on exhausted lines of investigation? Why do you think belief in psychic powers affects the results of apparently rigorously replicated experiments? What do you make of the results of the smart rat, dumb rat experiment? Did you realize that double-blind is often thrown around as a claim when the second blinding is poorly done or not done at all and what is the importance of blinding to open-mindedness?
We will dip back into some of the best descriptive research done in the 1960s on the phenomenology of psychedelics. Read chapter 1 of “The varieties of psychedelic experience.”This book has many good digests of different people’s reactions and experiences with psychedelics. What types of experience most interest you? What did you not know about? What potential applications come to mind after reading these experiences? Do you agree with the taxonomy that the authors create?
This is an interview with an experienced PTSD researcher that has been involved with the cutting-edge of PTSD treatment research about MDMA therapy. I generally like what he has to say and find his perspectives useful. I will put one caveat, which is he gets really enthusiastic about a lot of things. He is a generally more optimistic person than me.
Finally, here are a couple of short videos by a guy that has used a lot of different drugs and ruined his life with them. He at first enthusiastically endorsed MDMA, but it did not stop him from ruining his life with other drugs or properly addressing the deep psychological issues he had to face. Psychedelics are often not enough and can even be a distraction or copium and have their own abuse potential.
Hello folks!
I am glad to announce the third of a continuing series of Orange County ACX/LW meetups. Meeting this Saturday and most Saturdays. The first meeting was great, and I hope to see many of you at this one.
Saturday, 9/3/22, 2 pm
1900 Port Carlow Place, Newport Beach, 92660
The Picnic tables outside the community clubhouse
33.6173166789459, −117.85885652037152
https://goo.gl/maps/WmzxQhBM2vdpJvz39
Plus code 8554J48R+WFJ
Contact me, Michael, at michaelmichalchik+acxlw@gmail.com with questions or requests.
Activities (all activities are optional)
A) Two conversation starter topics this week will be. (readings at the end)
1) What is open-mindedness
2) Psychedelics.
B) We will also have the card game Predictably Irrational and frisbees. Feel free to bring your own favorite games or distractions. This is a pet-friendly park and meeting.
C) There will be opportunities to go for a walk and talk about an hour after the meeting starts and use some gas barbeques if anyone wants to grill something. There are two easy-access mini-malls nearby with takeout hot food available. Search for Gelson’s or Pavilions in the zipcode 92660.
D) Share a surprise! Tell the group about something that happened that was unexpected or changed the way you look at the universe.
E) Make a prediction and give a probability and end condition.
F) Contribute ideas to the future direction of the group. Topics, types of meetings, activities, etc.
Conversation Starter Readings:
Suggested readings for this week are these summaries. These readings are optional, but if you do them, think about what you find interesting, surprising, useful, questionable, vexing, or exciting.
1) Openmindedness.
This week we will try a classic video from the Skeptic/Atheist movement. Questions to think about and discuss? Is this a good description of the reality of open-mindedness? Did it change how you thought about open-mindedness? What do you think are the essential elements of open-mindedness to rationality? Is skepticism necessary for openmindedness and when does it work against it?
Open-mindedness
And/or This SSC essay. “The Control group is out of control”. What are the upsides and downsides of calling paranormal studies the control group for the scientific method. Does this increase our ability to be open to correct ideas, and is it worth shutting the door on exhausted lines of investigation? Why do you think belief in psychic powers affects the results of apparently rigorously replicated experiments? What do you make of the results of the smart rat, dumb rat experiment? Did you realize that double-blind is often thrown around as a claim when the second blinding is poorly done or not done at all and what is the importance of blinding to open-mindedness?
Written The Control Group Is Out Of Control | Slate Star Codex
Audio The Control Group Is Out of Control [Classic]
2) For psychedelics:
We will dip back into some of the best descriptive research done in the 1960s on the phenomenology of psychedelics. Read chapter 1 of “The varieties of psychedelic experience.”This book has many good digests of different people’s reactions and experiences with psychedelics. What types of experience most interest you? What did you not know about? What potential applications come to mind after reading these experiences? Do you agree with the taxonomy that the authors create?
the varieties of psychedelic experience.pdf
This is an interview with an experienced PTSD researcher that has been involved with the cutting-edge of PTSD treatment research about MDMA therapy. I generally like what he has to say and find his perspectives useful. I will put one caveat, which is he gets really enthusiastic about a lot of things. He is a generally more optimistic person than me.
Bessel van der Kolk on MDMA assisted therapy for PTSD: More profound than anything we have done
Finally, here are a couple of short videos by a guy that has used a lot of different drugs and ruined his life with them. He at first enthusiastically endorsed MDMA, but it did not stop him from ruining his life with other drugs or properly addressing the deep psychological issues he had to face. Psychedelics are often not enough and can even be a distraction or copium and have their own abuse potential.
What MDMA Feels Like
“I was wrong about psychedelics”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRpXtHR0o5o
If you want a more general introduction to psychedelics, here is a book summary of the recent popular review of psychedelics. “ How to change your mind” by Michael Pollen
https://www.hustleescape.com/book-summary-how-to-change-your-mind-by-michael-pollan/