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Embeddedness, Ignorance, and Assumptions
- orasis
- Topic Author
14 years 5 months ago #79309
by orasis
Embeddedness, Ignorance, and Assumptions was created by orasis
So, I mostly wanted to get some ideas on "paper" for my own use, but if this is useful to others, then great.
Starting with first principals, a network of neurons is basically a pattern matching and pattern generating device. It takes in a staggering amount of information and by its nature, automatically stores the best compressed representation of that information by storing the salient patterns.
Amazingly enough, it can also generate an infinite number of patterns from this compressed representation. So you can walk through a forest, seeing thousands of trees. The neurons store a model of the trees. Then, you can pull out a piece of paper and draw an unlimited number of trees, each with slight variations, but still be recognizable as trees.
This pattern matching and pattern generation is fundamentally what the brain is built to do. It wants to take information from the senses, quickly find salient patterns, and generate, simulate, and manipulate patterns with the thinking mind.
Some patterns are so pervasive in experience that, absent a contrary experience, the neural network feels totally fine making the assumption that they are 100% absolutely real.
These assumptions include the existence of time, self, a physical body, the solidity/quasi-permanence of physical objects, the reality of beliefs and concepts...
Starting with first principals, a network of neurons is basically a pattern matching and pattern generating device. It takes in a staggering amount of information and by its nature, automatically stores the best compressed representation of that information by storing the salient patterns.
Amazingly enough, it can also generate an infinite number of patterns from this compressed representation. So you can walk through a forest, seeing thousands of trees. The neurons store a model of the trees. Then, you can pull out a piece of paper and draw an unlimited number of trees, each with slight variations, but still be recognizable as trees.
This pattern matching and pattern generation is fundamentally what the brain is built to do. It wants to take information from the senses, quickly find salient patterns, and generate, simulate, and manipulate patterns with the thinking mind.
Some patterns are so pervasive in experience that, absent a contrary experience, the neural network feels totally fine making the assumption that they are 100% absolutely real.
These assumptions include the existence of time, self, a physical body, the solidity/quasi-permanence of physical objects, the reality of beliefs and concepts...
- orasis
- Topic Author
14 years 5 months ago #79310
by orasis
Replied by orasis on topic RE: Embeddedness, Ignorance, and Assumptions
...the existence of free will (thanks Kenneth for that talk), and even the existence of causality and our ability to experience reality itself.
(What other deconstructable assumptions am I missing?)
For most of them, meditation shows a way to experience something counter to those assumptions and experientially expose them as just that - assumptions - thus breaking the nice neat neural pattern with a flash of insight. However, the last two - the assumption of the existence of causality and the ability to experience reality are ones that I can't figure out an experiment to disprove, and thus remain intellectual wisdom rather than experiential wisdom.
It seems that when a pattern is taken to be 100% real without experiencing any violation of that pattern, then you are embedded in it. This includes embeddedness in emotions and thoughts, but also social and institutional norms, as well as the entire human condition itself. Growth in wisdom and cleansing of ignorance occurs through finding experiences that violate the truths that were previously taken to be absolutely real.
Based on this approach, I see no reason that the maps need be linear. You can pick any assumption and pick a practice that allows it to be experientially exposed as an assumption. For example, with Time, you can pick a practice such as trying as hard as possible to find the Now and it will be seen that past and future are merely assumptions.
It seems that the experience of suffering is proportional to the distance from Truth. The more assumptions that are seen through, the more ignorance is eradicated, and the closer to Truth one becomes.
From a moral and motivational perspective, a good friend said to me "The root of ignorance is fundamentally a lack of caring for other people." This really struck me. If you care for other people, you will work to uproot ignorance in your mind.
(What other deconstructable assumptions am I missing?)
For most of them, meditation shows a way to experience something counter to those assumptions and experientially expose them as just that - assumptions - thus breaking the nice neat neural pattern with a flash of insight. However, the last two - the assumption of the existence of causality and the ability to experience reality are ones that I can't figure out an experiment to disprove, and thus remain intellectual wisdom rather than experiential wisdom.
It seems that when a pattern is taken to be 100% real without experiencing any violation of that pattern, then you are embedded in it. This includes embeddedness in emotions and thoughts, but also social and institutional norms, as well as the entire human condition itself. Growth in wisdom and cleansing of ignorance occurs through finding experiences that violate the truths that were previously taken to be absolutely real.
Based on this approach, I see no reason that the maps need be linear. You can pick any assumption and pick a practice that allows it to be experientially exposed as an assumption. For example, with Time, you can pick a practice such as trying as hard as possible to find the Now and it will be seen that past and future are merely assumptions.
It seems that the experience of suffering is proportional to the distance from Truth. The more assumptions that are seen through, the more ignorance is eradicated, and the closer to Truth one becomes.
From a moral and motivational perspective, a good friend said to me "The root of ignorance is fundamentally a lack of caring for other people." This really struck me. If you care for other people, you will work to uproot ignorance in your mind.