Meaningness

Meaningness is a Substack that explores a broad spectrum of insights on artificial intelligence, meta-rationality, practical problem-solving, meditation, and Vajrayana Buddhism, alongside personal narratives and experiments in writing and reader engagement. It covers technological trends, personal development, rationality vs meta-rationality debates, and spirituality with a focus on applying these concepts in everyday life.

Artificial Intelligence Meta-Rationality Problem-Solving Meditation Vajrayana Buddhism Reader Engagement Personal Development Writing and Communication Technology Trends Spirituality

The hottest Substack posts of Meaningness

And their main takeaways

The plan for meta-rationality

359 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🚌 Education Philosophy Science Fiction Literature Health & Wellness
  1. The book being written focuses on meta-rationality, with previous parts discussing rationalism and reasonableness.
  2. The author plans to release the book in separate paperbacks/Kindle editions before putting it online for free.
  3. The concept of meta-rationality emphasizes caring for the situation more than abstractions, questioning what the situation needs, and understanding when rationality is relevant.

Meta-rational practices: Overview 1

219 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
📖 Philosophy Meta-rationality Norms Practices Reasoning
  1. Meta-rationality is different from traditional rationality and requires an open-ended inquiry and responsiveness to various contexts and purposes.
  2. Meta-rationality involves ongoing consideration of when and how to apply rationality, recognizing situations where rational methods may not be sufficient.
  3. The norms of reasonableness, rationality, and meta-rationality differ in terms of accountability, formal rules adherence, and responsiveness to context and purpose.

Who to read to keep up with AI

698 implied HN points • 06 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Blog Authors Future
  1. The post recommends three different authors to read to stay updated on AI: Zvi Mowshowitz, Arvind Narayanan, and Jon Stokes.
  2. Each of these authors brings a unique perspective to the discussion on AI, covering different aspects and opinions on the future of AI.
  3. The authors fall into different quadrants regarding their views on AI's future, touching on varying levels of power, impact, and potential risks in the field.

How not to predict the future of AI

79 implied HN points • 31 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Prediction Podcasts Books Newsletter
  1. Opinions about AI future are often based on feelings rather than evidence or rational reasoning.
  2. Predicting AI future using Bayesian probability can be unreliable due to the initial framing of the problem and personal biases.
  3. Understanding the risks and opportunities of AI requires acknowledging uncertainty and taking pragmatic measures while considering the impact on culture and society.

Meta-rational practices: Overview 2

119 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🚌 Education Methods Exercises Ontology Learning
  1. Opportunities for meta-rational improvement can be categorized in different sites for enhancing rationality
  2. Improving circumrational practice involves methods like better material supports, skills training, and proceduralization
  3. Enhancing the ontology includes steps like merging categories, splitting distinctions, and reassigning cases
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Getcha boots on!

279 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Meta-rationality Software
  1. The story highlights the journey of someone who transitioned from an exciting tech scene in San Francisco to tackling real-world software problems in Akron, Ohio.
  2. Facing an intricate software challenge, the protagonist decides to take a different, meta-rational approach by engaging with non-stakeholders and embarking on a 'gemba walk' to better understand the situation.
  3. The narrative emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience and direct observation in resolving complex issues, showcasing the value of practical problem-solving over bureaucratic processes.

Unexpected possibilities

239 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Community Content Updates AI Books
  1. The author is exploring new ways to interact with readers, seeking feedback to be more useful and considering the balance between writing and engaging with the community.
  2. Using a platform's features like 'Notes' to share quarter-baked ideas and encourage reader interaction, but facing challenges like visibility for subscribers.
  3. The author is contemplating the frequency of informal multi-topic update posts, seeking feedback on whether readers find them interesting or view them as clutter.

Ultraspeaking

2 HN points • 06 Apr 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Personal Development Mindfulness
  1. Ultraspeaking focuses on speaking naturally and confidently under pressure, without relying on preparation or tricks.
  2. The program can lead to a transformation in personality, enhancing confidence and comfort in public speaking and in everyday interactions.
  3. Ultraspeaking offers a unique approach to speaking that involves training at different levels - outer, inner, and secret - to explore spontaneity and engage in engaging storytelling.

New meditation book

19 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Meditation Book
  1. Opening Awareness is a guide for accurate perception leading to engagement and action, revealing dynamic creative space and empowering individuals to live courageously, kindly, and gracefully.
  2. Benefits of opening awareness include confidence, courage in facing challenges, heightened awareness of surroundings, and spontaneity in relationships and society.
  3. The book, 'Opening Awareness,' is accessible to both those familiar with meditation and newcomers, offering practical guidance in clear language.

Relating as beneficent space

19 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Buddhism Relationships Practice Writing Books
  1. The post discusses a Vajrayana Buddhist approach to relationships, aimed at resolving stuck patterns in personal interactions.
  2. The writer mentions upcoming topics including software engineers, stage theory, and the future of stage theory as science.
  3. The writer is contemplating the value of producing a paperback/Kindle version of their AI book based on potential readership numbers.

New vampire novel chapter for Halloween

0 implied HN points • 31 Oct 23
📚 Literature Novel Fiction Writing
  1. The new vampire novel chapter is a major turning point in the plot, revealing what the novel is actually about.
  2. The author faced challenges while writing fiction, realizing that translating a mental movie into a written narrative required filling plot holes and revision.
  3. The novel, initially intended as a crowd-pandering advertisement, experienced a 15-year delay and is now mainly written for the author's enjoyment.

A non-statement ain’t-framework

0 implied HN points • 15 Jul 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Buddhism Meditation
  1. Dzogchen, a branch of Buddhism, is difficult to understand because it lacks a conceptual framework and makes no explicit claims.
  2. Explaining Dzogchen involves discovering meaning through inexplicit instructions rather than traditional philosophical or religious concepts.
  3. Attending a Dzogchen retreat at Drala Mountain Center in Colorado provides an opportunity for theory, discussion, and practice with a knowledgeable instructor.

The learning relationship

0 implied HN points • 15 Jun 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Buddhism Courses Relationships Practices
  1. The article discusses reinventing Vajrayana Buddhism for the modern world by separating the functional and social roles of lamas, making the reinvention project feasible.
  2. There is a Zoom discussion titled 'Guru vs Learning Relationship' happening, which explores the importance of learning relationships and how they differ from traditional guru roles.
  3. Upcoming events include a course on the Charnel Ground in Vajrayana Buddhism and a five-week course on transforming relationships through Vajrayana practices.

Misunderstanding adult stage theory

0 implied HN points • 15 May 23
🚌 Education
  1. Stages in adult stage theory are about ways of being, not specific subject matters.
  2. Stage theory focuses on systematicity of development.
  3. Progressing through stages doesn't automatically make someone morally superior.

How AI systems work, actually

0 implied HN points • 06 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Algorithms Neural Networks
  1. Understanding AI systems requires more than just knowing they are neural networks trained with machine learning. It's important to grasp the specifics of how they work to understand their limitations and capabilities.
  2. Task-relevant, algorithmic understanding of AI systems is vital. This means comprehending the 'how' behind their operations in real-world situations, similar to understanding conventional database systems.
  3. Analysis of AI systems, like text generators, can reveal insights into human language use and understanding. Studying the patterns they exploit can shed light on how we process language, rather than just AI mechanisms.

Upsetting all your gravity and quantums and stuffs

0 implied HN points • 25 Jan 22
🕹 Technology Web Development Remote work
  1. The post discusses a smart and productive individual named Matt Arnold who is seeking remote front-end web developer roles.
  2. The content is only accessible to paid subscribers, encouraging readers to subscribe to access it.
  3. The post includes links to Matt Arnold's LinkedIn profile and other relevant information for those interested in his work.

Becoming vaster than ideology

0 implied HN points • 12 Dec 21
📖 Philosophy Ideology Relationships Power Health
  1. The post discusses moving past narrow ideologies to develop more accurate and powerful relationships with various belief systems.
  2. It mentions the concept of being vaster than ideology and how it can help in stopping blind allegiance to religions, scientism, political ideologies, and psychological theories.
  3. By becoming vaster than ideology, individuals can work towards cultivating healthier and more nuanced perspectives on ideologies.

Help in a hyena crisis

0 implied HN points • 03 Dec 21
📖 Philosophy Existentialism Meaning Ethics
  1. The post is only accessible to paid subscribers on Substack.
  2. The content includes a wide range of topics from Eldritch abominations to astro-geeks.
  3. The title 'Help in a hyena crisis' suggests a focus on aid or support during difficult situations.

Meaningless day job

0 implied HN points • 30 Oct 21
📖 Philosophy Nihilism Existentialism
  1. Sometimes we choose to ignore inconvenient meanings and pretend not to notice. This is a form of nihilizing.
  2. We may try to justify our nihilizing behavior by coming up with rational reasons to believe that everything is meaningless.
  3. The concept of a meaningless day job is explored, shedding light on the fallacies linked to meaninglessness.

Because we do do that

0 implied HN points • 04 Sep 21
📖 Philosophy Meaning Nihilism
  1. Lite nihilism aims to deny big meanings like God and morality, providing an overview of these ideas.
  2. Nihilism rejects overblown eternalistic claims about ultimate, objective, transcendent, and cosmic meanings.
  3. The post is for paid subscribers and discusses how to go beyond lite nihilism.

A snoozy bat and a weasel-word

0 implied HN points • 28 Aug 21
📖 Philosophy Meaning Nihilism Implications
  1. Nihilizing is when we ignore meanings that are right in front of us because we don't want to face their implications.
  2. The promise of nihilism is that it offers a way out where you don't have to care about things.
  3. It's possible to delve deeper into the nihilist stance which can lead to further disengagement from caring about certain aspects of life.

Ideology, and its uncanny absence

0 implied HN points • 15 Aug 21
📖 Philosophy Ideology
  1. The newsletter discusses ideologies and how they function in society.
  2. The author reflects on writing delays but is back with new content for readers.
  3. The post seems to be accessible only to paid subscribers.

Want to live in Berkeley? Plus: vampire romance

0 implied HN points • 01 May 21
  1. There is a house for sale in North Berkeley, a nice part of the city near the hills and Solano Avenue.
  2. The post also mentions a new episode of a serial tantric Buddhist vampire romance by the author.
  3. The author reflects on humor, horror, and fiction in the post.

Orbiting the territory

0 implied HN points • 29 Jan 21
🕹 Technology Reading Writing Memory
  1. A new writing modality called mnemonic text has been introduced.
  2. Orbit is a new reading technology that aims to enhance understanding and memory.
  3. The post discusses themes of meta-rationalism in the form of a mnemonic text.

Do you believe you have two thumbs?

0 implied HN points • 11 Jan 21
📖 Philosophy Epistemology
  1. The post discusses a chapter on 'Reasonable believings' with jokes, high word count, and fresh content.
  2. The chapter is completely optional for readers.
  3. It appears that this chapter is meant for paid subscribers only.

In which I am embarrassed

0 implied HN points • 01 Jan 21
🕹 Technology Paid content
  1. All of David Chapman's websites are now updated with new web technology.
  2. David Chapman feels that one of his projects, Vividness, is now better organized but also embarrassing.
  3. David Chapman has written two chapters on reasonable language use for Eggplant and is excited to be able to write freely again.

Cutover

0 implied HN points • 19 Dec 20
🕹 Technology Tech
  1. The author is excited that their project using new tech is nearly completed.
  2. The tech project involving 'Meaningness' and 'Buddhism for Vampires' is running on Django.
  3. The post mentioned is specifically for paid subscribers.

Sneak preview!

0 implied HN points • 05 Dec 20
📚 Literature Author
  1. The post provides a sneak preview of the new site metarationality.com, exclusively for subscribers.
  2. The site metarationality.com is being developed to host a new book called 'In the Cells of the Eggplant', which is different from the author's previous work 'Meaningness'.
  3. The author previously explained in a post the need for a separate site for 'In the Cells of the Eggplant' due to its unique nature.

And now for something completely different

0 implied HN points • 31 Oct 20
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Buddhism
  1. The post discusses a spooky story for Halloween called 'Meeting Naropa's dakini' on the site 'Buddhism for Vampires'.
  2. There are seasonal updates in the post along with a commentary on the future of American politics.
  3. The content is part of the paid subscription service and requires a subscription to access.

Power tools for confusion

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 20
🔬 Science Statistics Rationalism
  1. The post discusses how rationalist misunderstanding of statistics contributed to the replication crisis in some sciences, revealing that much of what was believed to be true was false.
  2. The section focuses on probabilistic rationalism and sheds light on the importance of statistics in research and decision-making processes.
  3. The post is geared towards paid subscribers, providing exclusive content on challenging topics related to confusion and rationalism.

Something really odd in lunar crater X9-PDQ-17b

0 implied HN points • 18 Oct 20
🚌 Education Epistemology
  1. Probabilistic rationality may not be sufficient for understanding the world, as it has its limitations, especially in scenarios unlike a casino.
  2. The example of planning a picnic given by Leonard Savage illustrates the limitations of probability theory in practical, real-life situations.
  3. Some situations, like planning a picnic, can't be perfectly navigated using probability theory, highlighting the need for broader epistemological approaches.

The Bayesian Elimination Decree of 1789

0 implied HN points • 10 Oct 20
📖 Philosophy
  1. Probability theory in rationalism challenges the idea of certainty, acknowledging its impossibility.
  2. Probabilistic rationalism has weaknesses that are similar to those of logical rationalism.
  3. The Bayesian Elimination Decree of 1789 is discussed in David Chapman's post.

With the assistance of cannibal witches

0 implied HN points • 02 Oct 20
📖 Philosophy Rationalism Logic
  1. The post discusses the end of logic and the challenges that logical rationalism faces due to limited knowledge.
  2. The chapter explores how we don't know everything, which poses a significant difficulty for rationalism.
  3. The post is part of a series that covers logical rationalism and probabilistic rationalism, with this chapter focusing on the concept of incomplete knowledge.

Sciencing without help from fairies

0 implied HN points • 19 Sep 20
🔬 Science Philosophy
  1. The post discusses abstract and philosophical concepts related to 'aboutness.'
  2. Part One of 'The Eggplant' aims to pave the way for concrete and practical explanations.
  3. The content may sound complex, but it serves as a foundation for understandable discussions.

Unfortunately, there is no National Omelet Registry

0 implied HN points • 11 Sep 20
📖 Philosophy
  1. The post discusses reframing 'aboutness' as a practical issue instead of a philosophical one.
  2. It highlights the importance of how organizations handle and use records about individuals.
  3. The concept is illustrated by the example of a bank interacting with a customer's account information.

Aspects Of The Theory Of Breakfast

0 implied HN points • 21 Nov 20
📖 Philosophy Theory
  1. Part Two of _The Eggplant_ is a meta-rational understanding of effective, practical activity, not an abstract, rational theory of irrationality.
  2. Understanding effective practical activity involves a different approach from cognitive science.
  3. The theory of breakfast is explained in relation to meta-rational understanding of activity.