The hottest Imagination Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Culture Topics

The right amount of bullshit

Sunday Letters • 139 implied HN points • 12 Dec 22
🕹 Technology AI Engineering Innovation Entrepreneurship Imagination
  1. Finding a balance between creativity and practicality is important. You need to let your imagination run wild while also being careful with details.
  2. Too much confidence without evidence can lead to failures, like in the case of Theranos. But sometimes a little bold thinking can lead to great innovations, like SpaceX.
  3. It's crucial to be in the gray area between being overly cautious and overly confident. This is where the most exciting and new ideas often come from.
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The Ninety-Seventh Voyage

Orbis Tertius • 57 implied HN points • 02 Oct 23
⚔ Fiction Storytelling Imagination Adventure
  1. The trail in the story is described as unpredictable and constantly changing, making each voyage unique.
  2. The narrator pays close attention to details in nature and uses markers to navigate the trail.
  3. Respecting the environment, being prepared, and staying aware of time are essential when venturing into unknown places.

Why Humans Created Technology

The Digital Anthropologist • 19 implied HN points • 17 Nov 23
🕹 Technology History Evolution Social Impact Future Imagination
  1. Technology originates from human imagination and the need for survival, evolving from simple tools to complex inventions over time.
  2. There are two main types of technology: those that harness natural phenomena like fire, and those that build upon existing technologies like smartphones.
  3. Technology is essential for human existence, aiding survival and shaping future development, with cultural adaptation and societal norms influencing its use.

Self-deceptive Imaginativeness

Journal of Gurdjieff Studies • 19 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Self-deception Imagination Gurdjieff Studies
  1. The post discusses the concept of 'Self-deceptive Imaginativeness' and seems to require knowledge of core fourth way texts.
  2. The post includes an image of a lion attacking a hunting party atop an elephant, with a reference to Kishangarh, Anonymous ca.1810.
  3. To access the full content and subscribe, the post is meant for paid subscribers of the journalgurdjieffstudies.substack.com.

Short Thoughts on Authenticity

Autoscriptorium • 19 implied HN points • 15 Aug 23
📖 Philosophy Authenticity Etymology Truth Imagination Responsibility
  1. Authenticity is about being genuine and true to oneself; it carries a sense of uniqueness and originality.
  2. The term "authentic" is often intertwined with trustworthiness; it implies that what is seen is what truly exists, fostering confidence.
  3. Being authentic involves taking ownership of one's actions and appearances, which can feel vulnerable but ultimately leads to living truthfully and embracing one's uniqueness.

How We Use Stories to Adopt Technology

The Digital Anthropologist • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Stories Culture Advertising Innovation Imagination
  1. Storytelling is essential for how we decide what technologies we like or dislike, and it has been utilized in marketing to drive sales effectively.
  2. Cultures and technologies interact, with culture often influencing the adoption and evolution of technology over time.
  3. The rise of the internet and social media has led to an explosion of storytelling, creating a need for globally accepted frameworks on how stories are told and realities are shared.

Artificial General Imaginaries

Cybernetic Forests • 59 implied HN points • 21 Mar 22
🕹 Technology AI Imagination Ethics Innovation Tech industry
  1. Be skeptical when dreams are designed for you by others, especially in discussions about Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
  2. Conversations about AGI can derail problem-solving discussions, shifting the focus to hypotheticals rather than concrete actions
  3. AGI discussions can serve as thought-terminating clich\u00e9s, distracting from the real issues and work that need to be addressed

The Phenomenological Statespace

Through the Looking Glass • 2 HN points • 12 Jun 24
📖 Philosophy Consciousness Reality Experience Imagination Exploration
  1. William James proposed two types of consciousness: rational waking and a 'special' hidden consciousness.
  2. The Phenomenological Statespace (TPS) represents all possible brain activations unique to an individual, crucial for exploring consciousness.
  3. Exploration of consciousness can occur through means like dreams, movies, hallucinogens, travel, and music.

Sean Jewell: The A͎C͎T͎I͎V͎E͎ ͎A͎R͎T͎I͎S͎T͎ and The ᴱᵀᴱᴿᴺᴬᴸ 𖣘 ᴿᴱᵀᵁᴿᴺ

Do Not Research • 19 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Artist Creativity Inspiration Expression Imagination
  1. The concept of the Active Artist and Eternal Return highlights the perpetual journey of growth and creation in the world of art.
  2. The artist must transcend constraints to achieve Active Art, creating newness and pushing boundaries against societal norms.
  3. Active Artists face challenges from conventional society, but through their continuous creation and adaptation, they contribute to a constant cycle of renewal and liberation.

Crafty Fish Outsmart Snake

Aarav and Aarna's Adventures • 9 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
⚔ Fiction Adventure Animals Imagination
  1. Three clever fish outsmart a snake in a pond by disguising themselves as snakes and tricking the predator.
  2. The fish create snake disguises and get inside the snake's house, eventually learning his plan and devising a secret tunnel to outsmart him.
  3. By moving things around in the snake's house and scaring him, the fish successfully drive the snake away, ensuring peace in the pond once more.

Worldbuilding is creative resilience

The Ideaspace • 21 implied HN points • 16 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Creativity Fantasy Music Worldbuilding Imagination
  1. Worldbuilding is the act of designing a self-contained universe, creating a safe creative space separate from the earthly realm.
  2. Creating from your world means work inspired and strengthened by an intentional inner world, allowing you to immerse yourself and lose touch with the shared world.
  3. Worldbuilding prioritizes the symbolic and inspirational over the practical and rational, creating a source of inner confidence and resilience.

The poetics of the pile-on

The Leftovers • 19 implied HN points • 13 Aug 21
📚 Literature Fiction Authors Writing Books Imagination
  1. Writing fiction can be a process where stories develop gradually during the act of writing, allowing space for creativity and exploration.
  2. Engaging with contemporary issues in writing can be challenging as the fast-paced nature of news events can quickly make a book feel outdated.
  3. In writing about the present, authors may choose to imagine possibilities rather than focus on capturing the exact reality, as fiction allows for the exploration of hypothetical scenarios.

Timelines, Whales, and Breaches

Cybernetic Forests • 19 implied HN points • 08 Feb 21
🕹 Technology AI Imagination Nature Data science Art
  1. History, like whale watching and birdwatching, often focuses on what surfaces and misses what is beneath, encouraging a shift in perspective to capture unseen elements.
  2. Imagination plays a critical role in shaping both technology and history, requiring us to consider the interplay between predicting the future and understanding the past.
  3. Art, storytelling, and imagination provide tools to delve beneath the surface of technological advancements and societal impacts, offering a different lens to interpret complex systems like AI and nature.

Movie posters

world spirit sock stack • 2 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
📖 Philosophy Imagination Decision-making Values
  1. Hopes and expectations can bring joy, but disappointment can also follow if they don't meet reality.
  2. Imagining the future is like looking at movie posters: the image is not the same as the actual experience.
  3. It's important to separate desires from actions and to be able to observe thoughts and feelings without feeling obligated to act on them.

Deep and obvious points in the gap between your thoughts and your pictures of thought

world spirit sock stack • 2 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Truth Thoughts Imagination Reality Modeling
  1. Some thoughts can feel profound or obvious, depending on your perspective and understanding. What may seem like a tired cliché to one person can be a significant insight to another.
  2. Our perception of the future is often based on our own imagined versions of it, rather than the actual future itself. Realizing this distinction can be eye-opening.
  3. Sometimes, what seems like common sense can actually challenge our existing thought patterns, leading to moments of revelation and shifts in perspective.

On dreaming

The Next Chapter • 3 implied HN points • 02 Nov 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Detachment Imagination Control
  1. Dreams can be powerful in envisioning goals, but detachment from outcomes is important to avoid suffering.
  2. Dreams can evolve from childhood imagination to anxiety-inducing pressure, but finding fulfillment in the journey is key.
  3. It's essential to dream hard and work towards goals, but detaching from specific outcomes can lead to a more fulfilling journey.

Juan David’s Newsletter - October 15th, 2023

Juan David’s Newsletter • 3 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Storytelling Film Creativity Inspiration Imagination
  1. Intense focus and commitment can lead to impressive results, like creating a movie from scratch in less than 24 hours.
  2. Starting with a strong desire to create something is often the only motivation needed to begin a project.
  3. Collaboration and creativity can help refine ideas and bring them to life, even in a time-constrained situation.

Power Of Prospection

The Incrementalist • 2 HN points • 29 Apr 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Psychology Creativity Mindfulness Imagination Personal Growth
  1. Engaging in daydreaming and prospection can be beneficial for creativity and innovation.
  2. The Default Mode Network in our brain is active during daydreaming and helps us imagine and plan new ideas.
  3. Tips for enhancing daydreaming include carving out dedicated time, focusing on positive outcomes, using visual cues, practicing mindfulness, and seeking novel experiences.

combinatorial exploration, part 1

Kotobago Newsletter • 1 HN point • 26 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Creativity Innovation Ideas Genres Imagination
  1. The main theme of the series is combinatorial exploration, shaping environments for productivity and novel ideas.
  2. Information must have context to be interpretable, with deeper dives requiring more context to understand relationships between systems of meaning.
  3. Creating something new involves mining existing ideas, with successful projects often reproducing established norms while defining new genres can lead to monopoly.

We should just let GPT write Black Mirror from now on

Machine Learning Everything • 1 HN point • 22 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture TV Series Review Imagination Technology Society
  1. Season 6 of Black Mirror was disappointing due to lack of originality and exploration of impactful themes.
  2. Episodes lacked new technology and focused more on past settings rather than current tech issues.
  3. Consideration towards letting GPT generate Black Mirror episodes that challenge collective memory and centralization of narrative.