The hottest Reality Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Philosophy Topics

We've Lost the Ability to See Reality

Webworm with David Farrier • 11301 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Reality
  1. With the rise of AI-generated content and misinformation, we are losing the ability to distinguish reality from fiction on social media.
  2. Our online experiences are increasingly filled with unrealistic and manipulated images and stories that shape our perceptions.
  3. There is a growing concern that the blurred lines between reality and non-reality online are impacting important real-world decisions and behaviors.

Multitudes

lcamtuf’s thing • 3060 implied HN points • 14 Jul 25
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. In quantum mechanics, particles can exist in multiple states at the same time, but when we observe them, they seem to decide on one state. This idea is often illustrated by the famous Schrödinger's cat thought experiment.
  2. The many worlds interpretation suggests that every possible outcome actually occurs in separate, parallel realities. So, when something happens, it doesn't just happen once — it creates multiple versions of reality.
  3. Death may not be the end of existence in these parallel universes. While one version of you may die, others may continue on, raising questions about the nature of life, consciousness, and even potential suffering in those alternate realities.

Rwanda: Nothing makes sense

Striking 13 • 2256 implied HN points • 08 Dec 23
🌍 World Politics Reality
  1. Rwanda's political landscape is characterized by logical inconsistency and contradictions, leading to illogical decisions and actions.
  2. The backlog in asylum cases in the UK is primarily due to policy issues like lack of processing, rather than the number of asylum seekers arriving.
  3. The legislation regarding Rwanda in the UK defies reality and tries to legislate people's perceptions, representing a departure from empirical reality toward a denial of it.
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The hidden against the manifest

Eucatastrophologist • 1218 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. Different perspectives exist and disagreements are normal, it's important to be aware of popular trends of thinking
  2. The demon of demythologisation is about interpreting the world in a fixed way, stripping away mystery
  3. Value perception is crucial in understanding how we view and interpret the world, and affects what we find valuable

Deus Ex Machina

imetatronink • 1611 implied HN points • 09 Dec 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. The world is described as a place filled with engineered plagues and masks as symbols of love.
  2. There is a critique on society where the rich thrive and the poor are content with their circumstances.
  3. The text raises the idea that intelligence is now manufactured to serve human needs.

Reality Eats Culture For Breakfast: AI, Existential Risk and Ethical Tech

rebelwisdom • 2849 implied HN points • 03 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. Calls for ethical technology are missing a crucial element that involves a radical revisioning of our ideas about reality.
  2. The metacrisis we face involves technology outpacing our cognitive, moral, and spiritual capacities, intertwined with a lack of coherent cultural or scientific story to explain consciousness.
  3. Appealing for value-driven technology is ineffective without a deeper understanding of the metaphysical foundations that shape our culture and values, such as the concept of consciousness as fundamental to reality.

Non-Ordinary Sensemaking: How to Navigate a New Reality

rebelwisdom • 1552 implied HN points • 06 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. The more time we spend online, the more we risk being influenced by different states of consciousness.
  2. To effectively navigate different states of consciousness, we need 'state competence' and should learn to translate between them.
  3. Understanding cognition as embodied, embedded, enacted, and extended can help us adapt to different environments and perspectives.

Robot Philosophy

Egg Report • 569 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. In the realm of computation, complex statements can be broken down into simple ones, reflecting a mono-causal, universalist view of reality.
  2. Projects like AI and VR are attempts to recreate intelligence and reality, each carrying metaphysical claims about the simplicity and illusory nature of complexity.
  3. Engaging with computers and writing code trains individuals to think in a certain way, guiding them towards a robotic mindset and reinforcing metaphysical assumptions.

A Simple Metaphor For Critical Thinking

A Mug of Insights • 1061 implied HN points • 20 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. Don't always rely on what you're told, sometimes you need to look around yourself.
  2. The media might distort reality, so it's important to verify information and see things for yourself.
  3. To develop critical thinking, balance learning from others with observing the world firsthand.

Schrödinger's Gender

ajkay • 982 implied HN points • 07 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Reality
  1. Failing to validate the preferred gender of trans-identifying people can impact their existence.
  2. Material reality is measurable and observable, different from what exists solely in one's imagination.
  3. Refusing to validate trans-identifying individuals is an ethical choice, even if it amounts to denying their existence.

The Conversational Nature of Reality

The Joyous Struggle • 592 implied HN points • 05 Dec 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. The Antidebate project aimed to create a space for more meaningful public conversations, bridging the gap between debate and dialogue in addressing modern challenges.
  2. The concept of 'the conversational nature of reality' by David Whyte emphasizes the importance of the interaction between self and the world in shaping our existence and relationships.
  3. The evolution of the Antidebate project showcases the struggle of translating theory into practice, highlighting the complexities and uncertainties of introducing new social practices.

How a Philosopher You've Never Heard of Predicted The End of The World

OK Doomer • 422 implied HN points • 02 Jul 25
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. Communication is key to understanding each other, but today, people are talking at each other without really listening. This makes it hard to find common ground.
  2. Our biggest problems come from a few greedy people, not from things like terrorism or immigration. If we don't address this, our society might fail.
  3. In today's world, people live in their own bubbles and reject facts that don't fit their beliefs. True solutions require us to share a single reality, but many aren't willing to do that.

Getting A Grip

NOW IS GOOD • 373 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Reality
  1. Having a few constants can ground you in reality, especially in a world filled with simulations.
  2. Root yourself in reality to avoid feeling disconnected and hungry for substance.
  3. Loneliness and boredom can help confirm your reality and bring you back to being present.

Introducing The McGilchrist Manoeuvre

The Joyous Struggle • 474 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. The McGilchrist Manoeuvre highlights the importance of acknowledging the different but equally valuable perspectives of the right and left hemispheres of the brain.
  2. It emphasizes the relative trustworthiness of the right hemisphere's viewpoint in guiding us on understanding reality and making progress in philosophy.
  3. The maneuver involves transcending contradictions and recognizing the generative nature of coinciding opposites, ultimately enriching our perception and understanding of complex aspects of life.

From Propriety to Extremism

Doc Hammer's Anvil • 216 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. Mental illness isn't necessary for spiraling into extremism, but it can play a role in exacerbating the process.
  2. Human judgment of behavior is based on societal norms and personal perceptions of propriety, praise-worthiness, blame-worthiness, reward-worthiness, and punishment-worthiness.
  3. Low costs and high benefits can lead to purity spirals, where society's expectations become more demanding, driving behavior towards extremism.

Causal realism, or should you eat your pet?

The Lifeboat • 206 implied HN points • 27 Jun 25
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. Causal realism suggests that what is real isn't just about facts but about how ideas and beliefs can have real impacts. This means both true and false information can shape our actions and the world around us.
  2. Drawing lines between what's real and not, or true and false, has become tricky in today's vast, information-rich world. It's important to recognize these lines can shift based on personal beliefs and cultural contexts.
  3. We need to be cautious about simplistically labeling things as real or fake. Both can influence people's thoughts and behaviors, so acknowledging the complexity of information is crucial for understanding our reality.

The Most Dangerous Idea

Secretum Secretorum • 1161 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. Traumatic transcendence challenges the concept that extreme states of consciousness can manipulate physics, prompting a need for deeper understanding through experiments induced by profound suffering.
  2. Evidence and reasoning suggest that consciousness may transcend normal physics, as seen in tales from folklore and religious history, trauma-related phenomenon, and philosophical arguments against materialism.
  3. Love plays an integral role in traumatic transcendence and mystical experiences, emphasizing a connection between profound experiences and emotion, challenging traditional metaphysical paradigms.

NUOVE PROVE DA SUPERARE

ANDREA CECCHI Newsletter • 176 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. Videogames often require overcoming challenges to progress in the story.
  2. The book 'The Simulation Hypothesis' by Simon Virk explores the thin line between perceived reality and technological possibilities.
  3. Our future is shaped by strategic choices, whether in a video game or in real life.

Universes Aren't Real

Outlandish Claims • 59 implied HN points • 30 Apr 24
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. The concept of universes being 'real' or 'unreal' is not a straightforward matter and cannot be definitively determined.
  2. The framework discussed in the text helps dissolve the age-old metaphysical question of 'Why is there something instead of nothing?'
  3. Existence is viewed as an intersection of infinite universes, each potentially different, which leads to the idea of living in a reality governed by physical laws rather than a simulation.

2.5 Years of Upheaval

The Upheaval • 1330 implied HN points • 07 Sep 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. The Substack reflects on 2.5 years of exploring upheaval.
  2. The author concludes that the current upheaval is a result of totalitarianism.
  3. The author is transitioning to writing full-time and expresses gratitude to subscribers for their support.

Shadows & Traps

Philoinvestor • 216 implied HN points • 25 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. Investors are often chained to shadows - like obsessions with market factors, analyst targets, and narratives.
  2. True investors break free from ideological chains, focusing on long-term business value over short-term noise.
  3. Great investing is like alchemy - balancing analytical skills with understanding the shadows that influence prices.

Purgatory

Holly Elmore • 157 implied HN points • 22 Aug 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Reality
  1. Purgatory metaphor symbolizes the fear of self-acceptance and desire for perfection.
  2. Living in Purgatory means denying current reality and missing out on opportunities.
  3. Antidote to Purgatory is accepting oneself as is and embracing the present reality.

Downward Is Heavenward

Kneeling Bus • 254 implied HN points • 21 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Reality
  1. Putting down your phone and going outside is a way to escape from the overwhelming digital world, but even nature can have its own issues. We need to realize that our sense of reality is always changing and influenced by what we see online.
  2. The idea of escaping into filter bubbles has become irrelevant because now our entire experience is made up of different realities. We are so intertwined with digital life that leaving a social media platform feels like moving away in real life.
  3. People today are finding connection in shared interests, like movies or trending topics, despite the chaos online. This new culture may seem bland compared to the past but helps pull us together when real meaning feels scarce.

The Unhappiness Machine

Caleb’s Newsletter • 137 implied HN points • 13 May 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. In today's digital world, many choose to consume negative news and virtual conflicts, feeding into an 'unhappiness machine.'
  2. The 'unhappiness machine' creates a sense of crisis, victimizes individuals, and distorts reality with constant exposure to negative information.
  3. To break free from the 'unhappiness machine,' prioritize engaging with reality, avoiding unnecessary exposure to shallow meaning and cultural noise.

The Empire's Phantom Enemies

History's Parrot • 78 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. The empire's enemies are considered phantoms, and its wars are seen as barbaric.
  2. Empires need to understand what they are made of, often consisting of fictional enemies and tales.
  3. It is important to know and understand the truth to move forward and solve problems.

Be Wary of Lingo

Things I Didn't Learn in School • 117 implied HN points • 08 Mar 23
🚌 Education Reality
  1. Be cautious of using complex language in modern life as it may obscure reality.
  2. George Orwell emphasized the importance of clear, precise language to grasp reality.
  3. To understand reality, challenge vague language and seek truth in concrete facts.

It's all meaningless, isn't it?

antoniomelonio • 122 implied HN points • 13 Feb 25
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. In the grand scheme of things, it feels like nothing really matters. We worry about politics, work, and daily stress, but eventually, everything fades away into nothing.
  2. Life has its importance even if it seems meaningless. Our experiences, connections with people, and finding purpose give our brief existence value.
  3. We often ignore the truth about life's futility, but accepting it can lead to better choices about what truly matters to us. Living in the moment and seeking real experiences can be more fulfilling.

The Truth Factories

Antimaterie • 98 implied HN points • 26 Jul 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. Dictatorships rely on fabricating new realities through 'truth factories' rather than just repression.
  2. Reality is shaped by invisible 'Reality Validation Institutions' that validate what we consider real and true.
  3. To safeguard against fabricated realities and maintain truth, protect free speech and uphold personal credibility values.

Upheaval Interview: Matthew B. Crawford

The Upheaval • 617 implied HN points • 11 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Reality
  1. The work of Matthew B. Crawford focuses on understanding the world and suggesting concrete ways to live in it.
  2. Crawford's book 'The World Beyond Your Head' delves into themes like attention, distraction, tradition, and reclaiming the real
  3. Crawford's analysis highlights a shift towards an inward-focused liberal self, leading to conflict aversion, reliance on experts, and potential risks to self-governance and democracy