from Nick | by Nick

over 2 years ago

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Jhanas sort of ended up being the scissor statement for the SSC/ACX community, the originators of the idea of the scissor statement Half thought “obviously this is real, I’ve done something like it” and half thought “wtf obvious this is a hoax” t.co/CCeZBEzkCs t.co/mmwQJN3lmT

The scissor statement idea is that it’s not that you see a thing and think “Ah yeah, I can see why that’s be controversial” but rather everyone thinks the answer is obvious and clearly everyones agree with them, and but it is in fact controversial t.co/jEiYTVGTOr

In retrospect makes sense something like the jhanas would be the scissor statement. The community differs in views about subjective vs objective reality and “in the mind” vs outside, and jhanas are a narrow and scientific but also wild claim at the core of this divide

A broad claim like mind reading or something would lose the science-minded people, but the jhanas make a super narrow claim. It’s obviously possible and within realm of science if you assume the mind can render anything (& indirect realism). Which is about 1/2 the people

I think LSD curing anosmia also gets at “what is the limit of what the mind do”, although it’s a slightly broader claim because it interacts with various other systems t.co/eCQaPolpd2

tbf I think my 10yrs ago woo detector would probably have been triggered and I wouldn’t have believed them either t.co/vw90yFcK0Q