One might think of Yuval Noah Harari as a modern-day Aldous Huxley. Harari himself has credited Brave New World (1932) with shaping his outlook, even writing the introduction to its 90th Anniversary Edition.
But perhaps he should spend some time with Huxley’s later work, The Perennial Philosophy. There, Huxley outlines what he came to see as the antidote to materialist reductionism: a recognition of the deeper spiritual wisdom that technological progress and rationalist hubris tend to bury.
Huxley’s own evolution from reductionism to mysticism embodies the very Apollonian to Dionysian rebalancing you call for. Not that I expect the Tech Bros to take the hint; they’re too busy worshipping at the altar of their own algorithms.
I didn't know that about Harari's connection to Huxley, nor Huxley's own evolution from reductionism. I thought he was always the perennial philosopher he eventually became! Harari is a fascinating figure because he tries so hard to write from the unattainable view from nowhere. It can be challenging to know where he really stands. But, in any case, his writing is too often used as justification by the tech bros and is overly Apollonian in my opinion.
I like the loss of sensory perception example that you provided with scent. We have many subtle organs of perception that are not as visible or definable as the nose's pathway to smell. The ancient cosmologies understood sacred time and cycles rather than pure mechanized time and linear measurements. The modern pythagoreans can't perceive the natural life cycles because it requires that they have the patience to allow unknown potential and beauty to reveal itself without prematurely defining, measuring, and capturing it. They do not understand the importance of learning to expand without grasping or reaching beyond divine design, nor how to create structure without freezing it into an empty tomb. They can't dissolve ignorance and illusions without falling into nihilism, and lack the capacity to integrate the flow of change without bypassing its depth. Without a belief in a vertical sacred structure and a guiding light, they are destined to pursue infinite rational to support any horrific conclusion on the horizontal plane of reality and the bottomless pit of conscious defiance.
This is an interesting article. I myself have put much emphasis on rationality throughout my life. This was due to my upbringing with Karl Popper's philosophy - Popper stated, among many other things, that scientific hypotheses have to be logical. Due to this I used to believe that if something is not logical, it cannot be true. Since intelligence tests test reasoning ability, I only felt entitled to make statements about God and the world as soon as I was verified to have a very high IQ.
However, I've always been a creative person, which goes hand in hand with the result I got in a test on the Internet, namely that I'm balanced-brained - so I don't only use my left hemisphere like many of the thinkers criticized by the author of this article. Perhaps that's also why I embraced Carl Gustav Jung's teachings and abandoned my father's physicalist views in favor of an idealist worldview.
In people whose brain hemispheres have been severed, the left brain will rationalize events it hasn’t observed - create facts, connections, and implications - rationalizations - out of nothing. It seems to me that A.I. is this phenomenon rendered in code. The intelligence they’re chasing is entirely left-brain, unmoored by the right brain, which is essentially un-codeable. We fill in for the right brain with our prompts, I suppose - though not sufficiently. Fun read, Chad!
It’s surprising how the mention of inexplicable system of beliefs such as cosmology has technohumanists leave the conversation. Yet, theirs is a faith just as well.
Seeing the world in parts is a direct result of scientific dominance. I would argue also our foothold on controlling the conditions of natural order through tools and technology.
Made me think whether it’s a simple case of the two human clubs: progressive curiosity and cautionary survival. One believes to explore is to live, one to live is to explore. The duality is what makes us humans in the end, wouldn’t you say?
Agree 💯 on the matter of ideological driven environment in the tech world.
About Buddhism - any teaching of the Buddha that does not keep the happiness of human beings at the center, is just a distortion of the Buddha’s intent. His intent always was to guide every life toward happiness. There were practices, rituals, precepts and more, but without the intent of guiding humanity toward happiness, those are empty practices.
I don’t know what Harris or Harari practice so I have nothing to comment on that.
One might think of Yuval Noah Harari as a modern-day Aldous Huxley. Harari himself has credited Brave New World (1932) with shaping his outlook, even writing the introduction to its 90th Anniversary Edition.
But perhaps he should spend some time with Huxley’s later work, The Perennial Philosophy. There, Huxley outlines what he came to see as the antidote to materialist reductionism: a recognition of the deeper spiritual wisdom that technological progress and rationalist hubris tend to bury.
Huxley’s own evolution from reductionism to mysticism embodies the very Apollonian to Dionysian rebalancing you call for. Not that I expect the Tech Bros to take the hint; they’re too busy worshipping at the altar of their own algorithms.
I didn't know that about Harari's connection to Huxley, nor Huxley's own evolution from reductionism. I thought he was always the perennial philosopher he eventually became! Harari is a fascinating figure because he tries so hard to write from the unattainable view from nowhere. It can be challenging to know where he really stands. But, in any case, his writing is too often used as justification by the tech bros and is overly Apollonian in my opinion.
I like the loss of sensory perception example that you provided with scent. We have many subtle organs of perception that are not as visible or definable as the nose's pathway to smell. The ancient cosmologies understood sacred time and cycles rather than pure mechanized time and linear measurements. The modern pythagoreans can't perceive the natural life cycles because it requires that they have the patience to allow unknown potential and beauty to reveal itself without prematurely defining, measuring, and capturing it. They do not understand the importance of learning to expand without grasping or reaching beyond divine design, nor how to create structure without freezing it into an empty tomb. They can't dissolve ignorance and illusions without falling into nihilism, and lack the capacity to integrate the flow of change without bypassing its depth. Without a belief in a vertical sacred structure and a guiding light, they are destined to pursue infinite rational to support any horrific conclusion on the horizontal plane of reality and the bottomless pit of conscious defiance.
Exactly! Well said. Thanks for reading
This is an interesting article. I myself have put much emphasis on rationality throughout my life. This was due to my upbringing with Karl Popper's philosophy - Popper stated, among many other things, that scientific hypotheses have to be logical. Due to this I used to believe that if something is not logical, it cannot be true. Since intelligence tests test reasoning ability, I only felt entitled to make statements about God and the world as soon as I was verified to have a very high IQ.
However, I've always been a creative person, which goes hand in hand with the result I got in a test on the Internet, namely that I'm balanced-brained - so I don't only use my left hemisphere like many of the thinkers criticized by the author of this article. Perhaps that's also why I embraced Carl Gustav Jung's teachings and abandoned my father's physicalist views in favor of an idealist worldview.
Gotta think about this even more.
In people whose brain hemispheres have been severed, the left brain will rationalize events it hasn’t observed - create facts, connections, and implications - rationalizations - out of nothing. It seems to me that A.I. is this phenomenon rendered in code. The intelligence they’re chasing is entirely left-brain, unmoored by the right brain, which is essentially un-codeable. We fill in for the right brain with our prompts, I suppose - though not sufficiently. Fun read, Chad!
Wow. Love that connection. Very whole brained of you ☺️
It’s surprising how the mention of inexplicable system of beliefs such as cosmology has technohumanists leave the conversation. Yet, theirs is a faith just as well.
Seeing the world in parts is a direct result of scientific dominance. I would argue also our foothold on controlling the conditions of natural order through tools and technology.
Made me think whether it’s a simple case of the two human clubs: progressive curiosity and cautionary survival. One believes to explore is to live, one to live is to explore. The duality is what makes us humans in the end, wouldn’t you say?
I write in between the lines of what you described left and right hemisphere, would love to hear your thoughts! My latest were notes on Altman’s singulairty: https://open.substack.com/pub/maybegreat/p/re-the-gentle-singularity-sam-altman?r=c8gos&utm_medium=ios
Agree 💯 on the matter of ideological driven environment in the tech world.
About Buddhism - any teaching of the Buddha that does not keep the happiness of human beings at the center, is just a distortion of the Buddha’s intent. His intent always was to guide every life toward happiness. There were practices, rituals, precepts and more, but without the intent of guiding humanity toward happiness, those are empty practices.
I don’t know what Harris or Harari practice so I have nothing to comment on that.
Mark 8:36