(Or, in general, by lacking a religious/spiritual practice I share with others)
For the past few months I’ve been thinking about this question.
I haven’t regularly attended church in over ten years. Given how prevalent it is as part of human existence, and how much I have changed in a decade, it seems like “trying it out” or experimenting is at least somewhat warranted.
I predict that there is a church in my city that is culturally compatible with me.
Compatible means a lot of things, but mostly means that I’m better off with them than without them, and they’re better off with me than without me.
Unpacking that probably will get into a bunch of specifics about beliefs, epistemics, and related topics—which seem pretty germane to rationality.
I don’t exactly have handles for exactly everything it is, or exactly why I like it so much, but I’ll try to do it some justice.
It feels like rationality / cognitive tech, in that it cuts at the root of how we think and how we think about how we think.
(I’m less than 20% through the series, but I expect it continues in the way it has been going.)
Maybe it’s partially his speaking style, and partially the topics and discussion, but it reminded me strongly of sermons from childhood.
In particular: they have a timeless quality to them. By “timeless” I mean I think I would take away different learnings from them if I saw them at different points in my life.
In my work & research (and communicating this) -- I’ve largely strived to be clear and concise. Designing for layered meaning seems antithetical to clarity.
However I think this “timelessness” is a missing nutrient to me, and has me interested in seeking it out elsewhere.
For the time being I at least have a bunch more lectures in the series to go!
1. What am I missing from church?
(Or, in general, by lacking a religious/spiritual practice I share with others)
For the past few months I’ve been thinking about this question.
I haven’t regularly attended church in over ten years. Given how prevalent it is as part of human existence, and how much I have changed in a decade, it seems like “trying it out” or experimenting is at least somewhat warranted.
I predict that there is a church in my city that is culturally compatible with me.
Compatible means a lot of things, but mostly means that I’m better off with them than without them, and they’re better off with me than without me.
Unpacking that probably will get into a bunch of specifics about beliefs, epistemics, and related topics—which seem pretty germane to rationality.
2. John Vervaeke’s Awakening from the Meaning Crisis is bizzarely excellent.
I don’t exactly have handles for exactly everything it is, or exactly why I like it so much, but I’ll try to do it some justice.
It feels like rationality / cognitive tech, in that it cuts at the root of how we think and how we think about how we think.
(I’m less than 20% through the series, but I expect it continues in the way it has been going.)
Maybe it’s partially his speaking style, and partially the topics and discussion, but it reminded me strongly of sermons from childhood.
In particular: they have a timeless quality to them. By “timeless” I mean I think I would take away different learnings from them if I saw them at different points in my life.
In my work & research (and communicating this) -- I’ve largely strived to be clear and concise. Designing for layered meaning seems antithetical to clarity.
However I think this “timelessness” is a missing nutrient to me, and has me interested in seeking it out elsewhere.
For the time being I at least have a bunch more lectures in the series to go!