Could playing a well-designed video game (to the point of “knowing the meta”?) allow a human to have thorough intuitions about quantum mechanics? About 4D space?
4D space, I think yes. Especially if you used 3D glasses, and then represented the 4th dimension by color.
Quantum mechanics in general, probably no, because it would require tracking an exponential number of states along with their complex amplitudes. That’s just too much data to track.
What are the benefits of expanding one’s comfort zone?
It unlocks the options you otherwise wouldn’t have. Imagine some things you did in your life that led to a good outcome… and now imagine someone else in your position, for whom doing that thing would be outside their comfort zone. They would be deprived of that good outcome. Now probably the same is true also for you. (You may underestimate how much, because we often do not even notice the opportunities we wouldn’t take anyway.)
As an answer to #43, find some people who achieved something you would like to achieve, and observe them. What is inside their comfort zone that is outside of yours? Could it have contributed to their success?
How can a person kickstart themselves during a period of low motivation?
This is tricky, because any advice in form “do X” will turn into “but how do I make myself do X when my motivation is low?”. I think a better way is to surround yourself with people who motivate you. (Easier said than done.)
Maybe make some simple checklist, such as taking a short walk outside every morning, and then hire some online assistant from a cheap country to call you every day and ask you if you have completed your checklist for today. (This may be a generalization from one example, but for me, it is easier to make myself doing things, if they have social consequences, however trivial. On the other hand, it is too easy to give up on promises made to myself, if no one else cares.)
What are unconventional social circumstances that would be highly beneficial to at least some people if they were to enter into them?
Possible example: several couples with kids living together, sharing some responsibilities of raising the children.
Note the “conventional” in some (sub)culture may be “unconventional” in some other. So let’s simply talk about things that some people never tried, and probably never even thought about them.
Many people are working from home these days, but didn’t try coworking. A few people working for different companies remotely can take their notebooks and meet in the same room for the day. Either rent a space, or at someone’s home.
Polyamory?
How can people (like me) who spend lots of time thinking about meta-level ideas keep from frequently sabotaging their own ability to “enjoy the moment?”
Some kind of meditation? Stop thinking, and then either (a) do the loving-kindness thing, or (b) focus on your sensory inputs—especially when you are in nature.
Thinking can be turned off, you just need to learn how. Just like for some kids it is almost impossible to learn to shut up; this is similar.
How important is it to maintain a diversity of cultures in the world?
I think that diversity is good (in the sense that having a choice between N cultures of comparable goodness is better than only having one such culture), but some cultures are better than others. Of course, cultures can also evolve. So my advice would be approximately: first try to fix all cultures, then destroy the ones that cannot be fixed, and keep the diversity of those that are okay.
What major insights about the world do other people have that I do not have? How can I acquire as many of these as possible?
Meet different kinds of people and talk to them.
How can a person intentionally optimize their social environment to have as positive an influence on their life as possible?
I suspect that at some moment this becomes a group effort, so maybe the first step is to find a group of people who want to do the same?
Are there ongoing moral catastrophes?
All the wars, famines, racism, sexism, and random interpersonal violence, all around the world. Factory farming. Aging and death. Probably missed a lot, but the answer is clearly yes.
What factors lead to variation in values across humans?
I suspect that some values arise in a way “if you keep practicing X, you start valuing X”. For this category, the answer is: previous experience. Which was probably shaped by upbringing, or talent.
How should the notion and inevitability of death inform the way I live?
You should adjust your risk-taking accordingly. On one hand, you don’t want to needlessly die too soon. On the other hand, death puts a limit on long-term thinking—at some moment you need to actually spend the resources you saved, or you will die without ever spending them.
Are there opportunities for having a massive positive impact on the world that no one has thought of yet?
I suggest to widen this category to also include “things that people have thought of, but didn’t actually do”. Or “they did a half-assed job, and doing this properly requires 3× more effort, but has 100× larger impact”.
My example would be Khan Academy. It’s not like no one had an idea to make an amateur educational video before Salman Khan. Probably thousands did. Yet there was an extra value possible to make by making those videos (a) good, (b) free, (c) covering a large part of the curriculum, and (d) putting them all in one place, rather than let people google each of them individually.
Digital stuff seems to scale better. This includes websites, applications, videos, books, etc.
How good is the average conscious experience on factory farms today?
4D space, I think yes. Especially if you used 3D glasses, and then represented the 4th dimension by color.
Quantum mechanics in general, probably no, because it would require tracking an exponential number of states along with their complex amplitudes. That’s just too much data to track.
It unlocks the options you otherwise wouldn’t have. Imagine some things you did in your life that led to a good outcome… and now imagine someone else in your position, for whom doing that thing would be outside their comfort zone. They would be deprived of that good outcome. Now probably the same is true also for you. (You may underestimate how much, because we often do not even notice the opportunities we wouldn’t take anyway.)
As an answer to #43, find some people who achieved something you would like to achieve, and observe them. What is inside their comfort zone that is outside of yours? Could it have contributed to their success?
This is tricky, because any advice in form “do X” will turn into “but how do I make myself do X when my motivation is low?”. I think a better way is to surround yourself with people who motivate you. (Easier said than done.)
Maybe make some simple checklist, such as taking a short walk outside every morning, and then hire some online assistant from a cheap country to call you every day and ask you if you have completed your checklist for today. (This may be a generalization from one example, but for me, it is easier to make myself doing things, if they have social consequences, however trivial. On the other hand, it is too easy to give up on promises made to myself, if no one else cares.)
Note the “conventional” in some (sub)culture may be “unconventional” in some other. So let’s simply talk about things that some people never tried, and probably never even thought about them.
Many people are working from home these days, but didn’t try coworking. A few people working for different companies remotely can take their notebooks and meet in the same room for the day. Either rent a space, or at someone’s home.
Polyamory?
Some kind of meditation? Stop thinking, and then either (a) do the loving-kindness thing, or (b) focus on your sensory inputs—especially when you are in nature.
Thinking can be turned off, you just need to learn how. Just like for some kids it is almost impossible to learn to shut up; this is similar.
I think that diversity is good (in the sense that having a choice between N cultures of comparable goodness is better than only having one such culture), but some cultures are better than others. Of course, cultures can also evolve. So my advice would be approximately: first try to fix all cultures, then destroy the ones that cannot be fixed, and keep the diversity of those that are okay.
Meet different kinds of people and talk to them.
I suspect that at some moment this becomes a group effort, so maybe the first step is to find a group of people who want to do the same?
All the wars, famines, racism, sexism, and random interpersonal violence, all around the world. Factory farming. Aging and death. Probably missed a lot, but the answer is clearly yes.
I suspect that some values arise in a way “if you keep practicing X, you start valuing X”. For this category, the answer is: previous experience. Which was probably shaped by upbringing, or talent.
You should adjust your risk-taking accordingly. On one hand, you don’t want to needlessly die too soon. On the other hand, death puts a limit on long-term thinking—at some moment you need to actually spend the resources you saved, or you will die without ever spending them.
I suggest to widen this category to also include “things that people have thought of, but didn’t actually do”. Or “they did a half-assed job, and doing this properly requires 3× more effort, but has 100× larger impact”.
My example would be Khan Academy. It’s not like no one had an idea to make an amateur educational video before Salman Khan. Probably thousands did. Yet there was an extra value possible to make by making those videos (a) good, (b) free, (c) covering a large part of the curriculum, and (d) putting them all in one place, rather than let people google each of them individually.
Digital stuff seems to scale better. This includes websites, applications, videos, books, etc.
Horrible, I suppose.