consciousness – An Autonomous Agent

Opening the Doors of Perception – Anthony Peake

anautonomousagent — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 03:49:39 +0000

In Opening the Doors of Perception, Anthony Peake strings together research in epilepsy, migraines, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and entheogens in an attempt to understand human consciousness. Are we living in a simulation? What is Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) and what can it tell us about ourselves? How is it that flickering light can trigger an altered state of consciousness? What is the relationship between the Eidolon and the Daemon? These are just some of the questions pondered and developed by Peake. Opening the Doors of Perception provides the reader with some fascinating research which will hopefully open ones mind to some really powerful insights.

Hidden Forces – Interview Series

anautonomousagent — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 22:13:13 +0000

Hidden Forces, hosted by Demetri Kofinas is an nice set of interviews with various people on topics including: finance, complexity, mathematics, and cryptocurrencies. I struggled listening to some of the interviewees because I did not agree with their ideas or conclusions; but I guess it is good to have conflicting opinions in order to encourage debate in the comments and to help review one’s own opinions and understandings. Regardless, Kofinas provides a highly accessible medium through which advanced ideas can be grasped.

I first ran across Hidden Forces while listening to the interview with Ray Monk about philosophical mathematics. Monk’s narration on the work of Frege, Russell, Whitehead, Wittgenstein, and Gödel is excellent – by far one of the clearest and easiest to grasp. It was learning about these paradigms and paradoxes of mathematics via Hofstadter’s famous book which led me to start this website.

PiKHAL: A Chemical Love Story and TiHKAL: The Continuation – Alexander and Ann Shulgin

anautonomousagent — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 02:46:19 +0000

Let me provide a context so that you may understand my amazement with the chemical explorations of Alexander Shulgin. Did you know that the two principal neurotransmitters in the human body are dopamine and serotonin? Did you know that they belong to the phenethylamine and tryptamine chemical families, respectively? I find this simple observation to be of fundamental importance in understanding the human mind/body relationship. And now consider that Ann and Alex Shulgins’ books: PiKHAL (Phenethylamines I have known and loved) and TiKHAL (Tryptamines I have known and loved) explore both these chemical families and their effects on the human mind and body. Quick summary of well-known psychedelic chemicals:

Phenethylamines	Tryptamines
Dopamine	Serotonin
Mescaline	DMT
MDA	Psilocybin
MDMA	Psilocin
2C Family	Ibogaine
LSD?	LSD

LSD is complex and has both chemical structures, but most people emphasize that the effects of LSD are related primarily to its tryptamine backbone and interaction with human serotonin receptors.

Ann and Alexander Shulgin’s books are a groundbreaking revelation for their accounts of psychedelic exploration, therapy, and spiritual development. They are a mix of essays and stories. You will not regret reading the books and learning about the chemicals referenced in the second half of the books.

An interesting note: In PiKHAL, the fictional character Adam Fisher is based on Leo Zeff, a talented psychotherapist who worked with MDMA; you can read all about his therapy work in The Secret Chief Revealed by Myron J. Stolaroff.

A Glorious Accident – Wim Kayzer (1993)

anautonomousagent — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 02:20:13 +0000

A Glorious Accident is a set of interviews and discussions with Stephen J. Gould, Freeman Dyson, Stephen Toulmin, Oliver Sacks, Rupert Sheldrake, and Daniel Dennett. The final video is a round table with all of them answering questions about philosophy, evolution, life and the cosmos.

These videos are perfect for the curious and intellectual mind. Get comfortable, grab your popcorn and enjoy!

A Glorious Accident YouTube Playlist

Philosophical Overdose YouTube Channel

anautonomousagent — Sun, 12 Mar 2017 22:42:11 +0000

Philosophical Overdose is an excellent source of material for watching/listening!

Description from channel:

Collection of Academic Philosophy Videos (both Analytic Philosophy & Continental Philosophy): Logic, Epistemology, History of Ideas, Consciousness, Skepticism, Science, Ontology, Political Theory, Ethics, Religion, etc.

The Philosopher’s Stone – LSD documentary

anautonomousagent — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 01:08:13 +0000

A wonderful collection of talks given at the 100th birthday celebration of Albert Hofmann in 2006.

The Philosopher’s Stone – LSD documentary : Part 1

The Philosopher’s Stone – LSD documentary : Part 2

The Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo – Interview with Debashish Banerji and Jeffrey Mishlove

anautonomousagent — Fri, 20 May 2016 01:36:26 +0000

Part 1: The Revolutionary Yogi

Part 2: The Spiritual Empiricist

Part 3: Future Evolution of Humanity

Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds (2012)

anautonomousagent — Thu, 12 May 2016 14:23:53 +0000

Compilation of various ideas on mysticism and science.

Steps to an Ecology of Mind – Gregory Bateson

anautonomousagent — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 17:24:53 +0000

The papers, essays, and lectures contained in Steps to an Ecology of Mind showcase Gregory Bateson’s incredibly unique perspective. Due to the wide range of discussion within this collection, it is very difficult to write a concise summary. There are a few points which made a lasting impact in my mind.

He explains the levels of learning and how the animal mind can “learn about learning” and “think about thinking”; concerning humans – they can reach a third and possibly fourth level in this learning recursion hierarchy. He discusses this in the context of various subjects: anthropology, psychology, evolution, information, ecology, cybernetics and epistomoglogy in general.

He emphasizes that western science should adjust the way it thinks about relationship and form and discusses how these are relavant to the study of matter and energy. He questions the western conception of mammalian emotions, aesthetics, and the ego-self. On several occasions I found myself with the desire to re-read Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. Both books I think contain some overlap in their treatment of information and the mind. Overall, Bateson was an incredible thinker and you will improve your intellect by reading this collection of work.

Dirty Pictures (2010) – Alexander and Ann Shulgin Documentary

anautonomousagent — Sat, 19 Mar 2016 17:59:04 +0000

Excellent documentary about Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin and his work!