The hottest Understanding Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Philosophy Topics

Write Like A Normal Person, Please

A Mug of Insights • 1513 implied HN points • 19 May 23
📖 Philosophy Language Communication Understanding Thought Existentialism
  1. Philosophy often seems obscure and complex to regular people due to its unique language and terminology.
  2. Understanding philosophy is akin to learning a foreign language, with its own set of definitions and interpretations.
  3. Mastering philosophy involves a shift in mindset, where the complexities of the language eventually click and become a new way of thinking and understanding.

Thinking harder doesn’t work (or how I learned to love the right half of my brain)

Play Permissionless • 239 implied HN points • 10 Apr 24
📖 Philosophy Mind Balance Intuition Narrative Understanding
  1. Thinking harder doesn't always lead to solutions; learning to balance the analytical left brain with the intuitive right brain is key.
  2. The left brain creates plans and maps, but the right brain helps in spotting the obvious and maintaining flexibility in problem-solving.
  3. A healthy power balance between the left and right brain is crucial for creativity and effective decision-making.
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(4.) Nicoll 1 - THE FOURTH WAY - pp.11-15

Journal of Gurdjieff Studies • 99 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Teaching Life Practice Understanding Balance
  1. The Fourth Way is a difficult path of self-improvement practiced amidst daily life, different from the paths of Fakir, Monk, and Yogi.
  2. Adapting to changing external circumstances while maintaining inner balance and work principles is crucial in following the Fourth Way.
  3. Achieving the state of 'No. 4 man' in the Fourth Way involves developing a well-rounded, flexible, and all-sided approach to life and situations.

SURE-ing

Journal of Gurdjieff Studies • 39 implied HN points • 28 Aug 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Understanding
  1. The post discusses the concept of 'SURE-ing', which involves doing with faith to gain understanding.
  2. The articles assume prior knowledge of Gurdjieff's writings and related literature, providing resources for further reading and understanding.
  3. The post is available for paid subscribers, with an option to subscribe for more content.

Event: Giving Veterans More than “Thanks" (Sunday, May 29, 2022)

Humanities in Revolt • 79 implied HN points • 28 May 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Veterans Service Understanding War
  1. Honoring veterans goes beyond superficial 'thanks' - it involves understanding their service and the complexities of war.
  2. Popular culture often oversimplifies the experiences of veterans, leading to empty gestures of gratitude.
  3. Genuine conversations with veterans about their experiences and taking civic responsibility for sending them to war are crucial gestures of respect.

Language, Understanding and Medicine

Journal of Gurdjieff Studies • 39 implied HN points • 01 Jan 23
📖 Philosophy Language Medicine Understanding Consciousness Healing
  1. Language plays a significant role in understanding and medicine according to Gurdjieff's teachings, suggesting that understanding is dependent on language.
  2. Gurdjieff's exploration of language, human mentation, and understanding is closely linked to his teachings on medicine, hypnotism, and consciousness.
  3. The concept of understanding is viewed as a form of medicine, serving as a harmonizing factor in our lives.

Knowledge vs. Understanding

Integrity Talk • 66 implied HN points • 27 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Knowledge Understanding Narrative Social media AI
  1. The distinction between knowledge and understanding is essential: knowledge focuses on facts, while understanding delves deeper into the meaning behind the facts.
  2. Storytelling is a fundamental part of how humans communicate and understand the world around them.
  3. Using AI to synthesize information may lead to an increase in misinformation and a lack of in-depth understanding.

Understanding™, or the computational theory of mind

Silicon Reckoner • 19 implied HN points • 12 Feb 23
📖 Philosophy Mind Understanding Intelligence Science Theory
  1. The computational theory of mind is based on a metaphor and tends to take symbolic logic too seriously.
  2. Trademarked concepts like intelligence™ may limit the full understanding of intelligence by excluding certain human emotions like wonder and anxiety.
  3. Understanding in mathematics involves knowing what to calculate and having the technical skill to make those calculations.

Understanding, explaining and simplicity

Sunday Letters • 79 implied HN points • 31 Jan 22
🕹 Technology Design User Interface Code Understanding
  1. Explaining something to someone else helps you see how well you really understand it. If you can break it down clearly, then you know it well.
  2. Simplicity is important in design and communication. To simplify, you need to break things down to their basic parts and only keep what is essential.
  3. Before adding more to a design or an idea, try taking things away first. This helps in understanding the core of the problem and making things simpler.

Ideas and Understanding: The first remedy for abnormality

Journal of Gurdjieff Studies • 19 implied HN points • 22 Dec 22
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spirituality Teachings Understanding Growth Awareness
  1. Understanding ideas requires more than surface-level knowledge – it involves applying them to life and letting them change us.
  2. Growth in understanding can lead to a sense of normality and unity within us, harmonizing our functions and thoughts.
  3. The concept of the 'law of three' by Gurdjieff suggests that every phenomenon results from three forces, with active, passive, and neutralizing elements.

The Haves and the Havents: Interlude

Carefree Sketches • 19 implied HN points • 22 Jul 22
📖 Philosophy Love Valuation Understanding Human nature
  1. When we say 'I like you' to someone, it involves a certain conceit and value judgment based on rational parameters.
  2. Liking someone involves weighing various values such as amenity, rank, purpose, and affinity, and assigning them a value.
  3. Contrasting 'I like you' with 'I love you,' love is seen as irrational, residing in the heart, while liking is a more reasoned and intellectual process.

Yes, AIs ‘understand’ things

Nonzero Newsletter • 5 HN points • 22 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Philosophy Information processing Neural Networks Understanding
  1. The classic argument against AI understanding, the Chinese Room thought experiment, is challenged by large language models.
  2. Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT demonstrate elements of understanding by processing information similarly to human brains when it comes to understanding.
  3. LLMs show semantic understanding by mapping words to meaning, undermining the belief that AIs have no semantics and only syntax as argued by Searle in the Chinese Room thought experiment.

Statistics versus Understanding: The Essence of What Ails Generative AI

Marcus on AI • 1 HN point • 13 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Generative AI Statistics Understanding
  1. Generative AI often relies on statistics as a shortcut for true understanding, leading to shaky foundations and errors.
  2. Challenges arise when generative AI systems fail to grasp complex concepts or contexts beyond statistical relationships.
  3. Examples in various domains show the struggle between statistical frequency and genuine comprehension in generative AI.

Why You Should Reread a Book

Akash Chinnaiah • 2 HN points • 06 Sep 22
📚 Literature Reading Understanding Personal Growth Book analysis
  1. Rereading a book can offer new perspectives and deeper understanding, just like rewatching a movie reveals missed details.
  2. Reading a book again after some time can show how your thinking has evolved and allow you to grasp more insights from the text.
  3. Investing time in reading a book without effectively absorbing its content is a costly mistake; rereading can help avoid this regret.

Confrontation, contact and blending of functionings

Journal of Gurdjieff Studies • 0 implied HN points • 01 Jan 23
📖 Philosophy Language Understanding Medicine
  1. The post discusses confrontation, contact, and blending of functionings, highlighting the interconnected nature of these elements.
  2. It appears to be a part of a series exploring language, understanding, and medicine, building upon previous articles on abnormality.
  3. The content seems to cater to paid subscribers, suggesting exclusive access to more in-depth discussions and insights.

How to initiate a conversational mind meld

Rocket Philosophy by Ian • 0 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Communication Trust Community Relationships Understanding
  1. Initiate conversations with a clear vision to go far in relationships and collaborations.
  2. Establish a safe conversational environment through shared context, open communication, and active listening.
  3. Maintain trust as a foundation in personal relationships, solving misalignments through systematic exploration and continuous communication.

The Stateful Chinese Room

The Grey Matter • 0 implied HN points • 15 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Language Models Understanding Learning Communication
  1. The Chinese Room thought experiment challenges the idea of computers having genuine understanding.
  2. Understanding involves more than just following rules, requiring a deep comprehension and application of knowledge.
  3. The Stateful Chinese Room concept suggests that AI models could potentially achieve genuine understanding through context and repeated exposure.

Peak Performance Newsletter #16 | On Culture: From Solo to Team and Beyond

The Leadership Lab • 0 implied HN points • 13 Dec 21
🎭️ Culture Understanding Leadership Development Issues Resources
  1. Culture is unique to each company, emerging from interactions among employees, partners, and the market.
  2. Good culture isn't a one-size-fits-all solution; it must be continually discovered and developed.
  3. Founder DNA plays a significant role in shaping a company's culture, influencing the organization's strengths and blindspots.