He isn’t offering traditionalism, he recognizes that’s infeasible. He’s looking for something that’s compatible with science and rationality, but also achieves the same thing traditional systems achieved (like creating meaning, purpose, fulfillment, community, etc.) His solution is to create an “ecosystem of practices” (such as meditation, journaling, circling and such) that are practiced communally. Sometimes he also calls it “The religion that isn’t a religion”.
On the one hand, I think there’s still place for him to be clearer about his solution, on the other hand, he’s clear that he’s not actually sure yet how a solution would look like, and the purpose of this series is to define and understand the problem really well, and understand a bunch of background materiel that he expects will be relevant for finding a solution.
And yes, I think there’s room for simplifying. If not the thesis, then at least the presentation. He uses very complex vocabulary that I’m not sure is really necessary. To me it feels like it detracts rather than add.
His solution is to create an “ecosystem of practices” (such as meditation, journaling, circling and such) that are practiced communally. Sometimes he also calls it “The religion that isn’t a religion”
Two episodes / two hours in and he hasn’t mentioned any of this that I recall. I feel like the introductory session should at least vaguely mention where he’s going to be steering BEFORE you’ve invested many hours.
I am pretty sympathetic to his reason for not doing this, which is something like “yes, at the end of the lecture you can say two sentences that feel to you like they capture the spirit. But do those two sentences have the power to transmit the spirit?” I think most summaries (mine included!) are papering over some of the inferential distance.
I do also think he’s much more tentative about proposed solutions than the problem. This isn’t a “I have a great new exercise plan which will solve the obesity crisis”, it’s closer to “we’re in an obesity crisis, this is the history of it and how I think the underlying physiological mechanisms work, and here’s what might be a sketch of a solution.” At which point foregrounding the sketch of the solution seems like it’s putting the emphasis in the wrong place.
He isn’t offering traditionalism, he recognizes that’s infeasible. He’s looking for something that’s compatible with science and rationality, but also achieves the same thing traditional systems achieved (like creating meaning, purpose, fulfillment, community, etc.) His solution is to create an “ecosystem of practices” (such as meditation, journaling, circling and such) that are practiced communally. Sometimes he also calls it “The religion that isn’t a religion”.
On the one hand, I think there’s still place for him to be clearer about his solution, on the other hand, he’s clear that he’s not actually sure yet how a solution would look like, and the purpose of this series is to define and understand the problem really well, and understand a bunch of background materiel that he expects will be relevant for finding a solution.
And yes, I think there’s room for simplifying. If not the thesis, then at least the presentation. He uses very complex vocabulary that I’m not sure is really necessary. To me it feels like it detracts rather than add.
Two episodes / two hours in and he hasn’t mentioned any of this that I recall. I feel like the introductory session should at least vaguely mention where he’s going to be steering BEFORE you’ve invested many hours.
I am pretty sympathetic to his reason for not doing this, which is something like “yes, at the end of the lecture you can say two sentences that feel to you like they capture the spirit. But do those two sentences have the power to transmit the spirit?” I think most summaries (mine included!) are papering over some of the inferential distance.
I do also think he’s much more tentative about proposed solutions than the problem. This isn’t a “I have a great new exercise plan which will solve the obesity crisis”, it’s closer to “we’re in an obesity crisis, this is the history of it and how I think the underlying physiological mechanisms work, and here’s what might be a sketch of a solution.” At which point foregrounding the sketch of the solution seems like it’s putting the emphasis in the wrong place.