I disagree with your stated reasons for meditating (I have meditated a bunch and believe it to be valuable, but not worth the time if valence is not one of your top priorities).
Feedback is less clear (not so many experimental bits), experiments are repeated very often (and often at least I don’t have the focus to think about better methods), I expect positive side-effects to be very small due to the Algernon argument.
I think I would attribute having become better at the 12th virtue of rationality (the void) due to meditation practice, but this is quite hard to tell. Maybe also better at not fooling myself in social situations, slightly less consequentialist/analytical in macro-thinking (but no noticeable decrease in micro-thinking such as programming), and more adept at understanding æsthetics.
Thanks for the comment. I agree valence should be the top priority & that cognitive gains are unlikely.
The main thing I was pointing at is “surely there’s useful bits about intelligence to be gathered from inside said intelligence, and people don’t seem to be putting much effort here”, but on reflection the last part seems wrong. Some neuroscientists are enlightened and haven’t figured everything out yet.
Your experience is interesting, I also want to get better at the void :)
I disagree with your stated reasons for meditating (I have meditated a bunch and believe it to be valuable, but not worth the time if valence is not one of your top priorities).
Feedback is less clear (not so many experimental bits), experiments are repeated very often (and often at least I don’t have the focus to think about better methods), I expect positive side-effects to be very small due to the Algernon argument.
I think I would attribute having become better at the 12th virtue of rationality (the void) due to meditation practice, but this is quite hard to tell. Maybe also better at not fooling myself in social situations, slightly less consequentialist/analytical in macro-thinking (but no noticeable decrease in micro-thinking such as programming), and more adept at understanding æsthetics.
Thanks for the comment. I agree valence should be the top priority & that cognitive gains are unlikely.
The main thing I was pointing at is “surely there’s useful bits about intelligence to be gathered from inside said intelligence, and people don’t seem to be putting much effort here”, but on reflection the last part seems wrong. Some neuroscientists are enlightened and haven’t figured everything out yet.
Your experience is interesting, I also want to get better at the void :)
It could still be true that on the margin experiential information about intelligence is useful.
I think60% I buy this.