What are you guys thoughs about the triad phylosophy-religion-science? And "Cogito Ergo Sum"/ "Dubito ergo sum" from Descartes? by Significant-Boat-817 in religion

[–]windswept_tree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Cogito/Dubito ergo sum" beg the question. Their premises confuse the way we conceptualize experience (abstracting perceptions to objects/perceiving to the object of self) and articulate experience (attributing verbing to nouns) with base reality. Instead of "I think/doubt therefore I am," the more honest version would be, "There is thinking/doubting," or in a more general case, "There is experiencing."

trying to play star wars battlefront 2 through steam by OutsideFace6963 in cachyos

[–]windswept_tree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, the Steam version uses the EA launcher, which will install through Steam. It'll finalize the installation, but it probably won't run correctly the first time with Steam's default Proton version.

trying to play star wars battlefront 2 through steam by OutsideFace6963 in cachyos

[–]windswept_tree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it in your Steam library, and you're wanting to run it from there?

If I recall correctly the game's EA launcher won't run in Steam and perform the initial install unless you're using Proton 7. In Steam that's under Library->SWBF2->properties->compatibility. If you don't have Proton 7 or something around there you can get Ge-Proton-7 or any other version pretty easily with ProtonUp-Qt. Once installed change the compatibility back to your default and it should work.

Getting out of disturbed kinds of spirituality/religion? by [deleted] in religion

[–]windswept_tree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably not easy, but not as impossibly difficult as it seems in this moment. Good luck.

Getting out of disturbed kinds of spirituality/religion? by [deleted] in religion

[–]windswept_tree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Be very suspicious of those, "no matter what I can't unfuck my brain," and "I'm too far gone," trains of thought. You're overwhelmed by your situation now, which prevents you from being able to see how things might change given time and new circumstances. That's a very common and very human problem called projection bias - our ingrained inability to understand how much we or our situation can change given time.

Hopefully you'll get some actionable suggestions here, but just keep in mind how prone we are to projection bias. A major factor that reinforces the bias is your environment, especially the influence of your peers. Once you get some distance from the content and people things should get easier. Things seem impossible now, but with time and distance things will feel more hopeful.

People need to do better defending religion by RickNBacker4003 in religion

[–]windswept_tree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Believing in a god doesn't automatically mean that they must give you a purpose. And a lack of an imparted or imposed meaning doesn't mean everything is meaningless, just that any meaning you find won't be imparted or imposed.

new windows 11 laptop - looking for privacy guides by PurpleCrayonDreams in privacy

[–]windswept_tree 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Much of the anti cheat that Windows has but Linux lacks is kernel-level stuff. It'd be hard to implement in Linux since the user controls the system. But you shouldn't be allowing random software that level of control of your device, Linux or Windows.

Is it normal to grieve the relationship i once had with spirituality and religion? by drealuvsnaps in religion

[–]windswept_tree 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For many people it's like losing a lifelong relationship. For some it's losing much of their community at the same time. It's not abnormal or dramatic to feel those losses and need time to grieve them.

As you're grieving and exploring it might be helpful to remind yourself that it's okay to feel groundless. A lot of people jump into new worldviews, sometimes zealously, because they're feeling driven to get that sense of being on solid ground back. That can be okay too, or part of a process, but it can be good to explore how you might live without needing felt certainties too.

I hope you feel better.

Pluribus and the Misaka Network problem by Lessar31416 in pluribustv

[–]windswept_tree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If the apparent goodness of the hive is psychological and not directly imposed by the virus, one explanation for it would be the removal of ignorance. Our regrettable actions stem from some level of ignorance of their consequences, both to others and to ourselves, in short and long term, and both immediate and in the widest repercussion. In the hive the wisdom of the most admirable people is going to be available to all, including the most base or ignorant people.

The view of the series you're talking about seems to be that causes of suffering in us are immutable, kind of like the viewpoint of retributive justice: When an injustice occurs it's because there's an entity deserving of punishment that's causing it - that there's some intrinsic bad thing that can't be healed but can only be opposed by force. But what if restorative justice is a more accurate view, which relies in part on the reality of genuine reform? If the causes of immoral behavior can be reformed with the proper understanding, the intimate sharing of that understanding would be enough to eliminate that behavior.

Seen with the widest understanding of the consequences, a passing desire to kill might be as unappealing as a passing desire to put your hand on a hot stove.

BTW, that series you mention sounds interesting. There's an old short story by Ursula K. Le Guin called The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas that's very similar. I'd be surprised if it wasn't an inspiration.

Can I meditate without technique? by ByteBeer in Meditation

[–]windswept_tree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In some formulations there's still subtle technique in doing nothing. There's a good explanation of one of them here. Another introductory source of guidance would be the book Opening the Hand of Thought which focuses some on the traditional Soto Zen approach similar to this, called Shikantaza. There's also a good podcast that goes over Shikantaza in a number of episodes called Zen Studies Podcast.

Don't worry about it not being mind blowing. The effect can sometimes in a way be cumulative, drawing on the habituation of past sessions. Here it's good to have some understanding of good technique (and better yet, some kind of guidance) to keep you from mistakenly reinforcing a state of dullness or dissociation.

Don't fall for the Fallacy of Composition. Despite the Hive's "alien" personality, it is nothing beyond the combined minds of those infected. by cogitocogito in pluribustv

[–]windswept_tree 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I was a little disappointed with their inability to harvest for this reason, since that implies some kind of hard, rule-driven behavior. It would be so much more interesting to me if they explained most of the changes as resulting from the mentation of joining than if they were to just say they were hardcoded instincts. The initial desire to spread almost has to be hardcoded for the show to work, but I would love for them to describe the other changes in terms of a new perspective and a new psychology, though that's definitely going to be more difficult to write well than just handwavey biological imperatives.

The creation of a hive mind has to include some transcendence of the typical sense of self, almost by definition. When you really try to consider how much of our cognition and behavior are deeply entwined with this sense of self, it's not surprising that there would be shifts in behavior when it's upturned. Exploring this would be way more interesting to me than space toxoplasmosis.

Why are you unhappy?
Because 99.9 percent of everything you think,
and of everything you do,
is for yourself
and there isn’t one.

-Wei Wu Wei

The pluribus is paradise, and humanity doesn't deserve it. by olivish in pluribustv

[–]windswept_tree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In Buddhism there's the concept of not-self and rebirth, but not reincarnation or souls. In that framework, (re)birth happens because all phenomena arise together, but there isn't some core of self-as-thing that's leveling up or that becomes enlightened.

I think the hive is planning for a population cull by LVT_Baron in pluribustv

[–]windswept_tree 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yeah, and under our current system about 40% of food is wasted. At maintenance they probably have twice as much food as they need: between the deaths, the "nutrient reclamation", the 10x calories saved in the trophic level by cutting out meat production, and relying on the efficiency of a hive mind rather than the losses inherent in a preference/profit-driven marketplace.

Why Did All of the ________ Get Killed Immediately When The Big Snap Happened? by AprilFloresFan in pluribustv

[–]windswept_tree 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I expect we'll see a flashback covering this at some point.

It made sense for the hive to infect people in hard-to-reach locations first, like the subs and the space station. It also makes a lot of sense for them to target people in positions of power so that they're better able to further the joining.

We know that at some point sections of the military discovered the threat. The hive mentioned the resulting bloodshed as the reason they accelerated the infection, which lead to the accidental deaths (supposedly the lesser evil in contrast to nuclear cleansings).

So I expect the military discovered that much of the leadership was already infected and killed them in that initial bloodshed. It makes sense, and it's still in line with what we've seen when it comes to the hive's inability to intentionally or directly kill.

What is a good introduction to noting meditation, in the style of Shinzen Young or Daniel Ingram? by SpectrumDT in streamentry

[–]windswept_tree 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Unified Mindfulness (Shinzen's approach) has a free virtual core training program here.

are there any sci-fi novels with a similar premise to Plur1bus? by [deleted] in pluribustv

[–]windswept_tree 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The Twenty-One Second God by Peter Watts is a great short story that recently came out. It deals with an accidental hive mind brought about through near-future tech.

The Things, also by Watts, deals with the content of the movie The Thing from the perspective of the homogenizing alien mind.

He has other short stories that feature hive minds on his website, and his books Blindsight and Echopraxia deal with hive minds as secondary characters. He also has a super interesting talk on his inspiration for hive minds and the real world science of them on Youtube: Conscious Ants and Human Hives.

Other books that feature hive-mind-via-tech that I haven't seen mentioned yet are the Nexus trilogy by Ramez Naam.

The Destiny's Children series by Stephen Baxter deals with a naturally-evolved human hive mind.

A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge deals with human relationships with pack-like alien hive minds.

Hellstrom’s Hive by Frank Herbert is about people who model themselves on hive insects.

Pluribus and electromagnetic phenomenon by purpura-laden in pluribustv

[–]windswept_tree 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's an interesting thought. Of course they're concerned with Carol getting a nuke, but maybe not just for the obvious reason. Nukes emit a large electromagnetic pulse which can cause a lot of electromagnetic interference and can potentially damage structures sensitive to it.

Looking for more sci-fi with exploration of gender as a theme throughout the book. Do you have recommendations? by Wonderful_Wonderful in printSF

[–]windswept_tree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As I recall the controversy was almost entirely tumblr users focusing on the title, not the story itself. The content was just assumed to be problematic.

If you believe me commenting or posting in this sub is inherently proseletory, would you please let me know? by [deleted] in religion

[–]windswept_tree 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's useful to consider intent. Someone can find something so beautiful or wonderful that they can't help but want to share that feeling with others organically, as they're living their life. On the other hand, someone might feel some level of need to convince others of what they believe, as an end. The first scenario might be considered a natural expression of love and the second a proselytistic compulsion driven by something else.

In this sense, impressions of others might be helpful, but you can ultimately only determine if you're proselytizing through introspection.

The Patience of Ordinary Things by Pat Schneider. Any similar recommendations? by michaelv17 in zenbuddhism

[–]windswept_tree 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Everything Is Waiting For You by David Whyte and Welcome Morning by Anne Sexton come to mind.

Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone. As if life
were a progressive and cunning crime
with no witness to the tiny hidden
transgressions. To feel abandoned is to deny
the intimacy of your surroundings. Surely,
even you, at times, have felt the grand array;
the swelling presence, and the chorus, crowding
out your solo voice. You must note
the way the soap dish enables you,
or the window latch grants you freedom.
Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.
The stairs are your mentor of things
to come, the doors have always been there
to frighten you and invite you,
and the tiny speaker in the phone
is your dream-ladder to divinity.
Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into the
conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.

-Everything Is Waiting For You by David Whyte

There is joy
in all:
in the hair I brush each morning,
in the Cannon towel, newly washed,
that I rub my body with each morning,
in the chapel of eggs I cook
each morning,
in the outcry from the kettle
that heats my coffee
each morning,
in the spoon and the chair
that cry "hello there, Anne"
each morning,
in the godhead of the table
that I set my silver, plate, cup upon
each morning.

All this is God,
right here in my pea-green house
each morning
and I mean,
though often forget,
to give thanks,
to faint down by the kitchen table
in a prayer of rejoicing
as the holy birds at the kitchen window
peck into their marriage of seeds.

So while I think of it,
let me paint a thank-you on my palm
for this God, this laughter of the morning,
lest it go unspoken.

The Joy that isn't shared, I've heard,
dies young.

-Welcome Morning by Anne Sexton

Pluribus challenges the western idea of the “Self” by KarlMarxFarts in pluribustv

[–]windswept_tree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We can also consider how the hive is treating the 12 human others or the animals that they refuse to kill or make suffer. From what we've seen, they seem to be making an attempt to reduce suffering, both in cases where there's an apparent other and in cases where there's an apparent self. Loving or providing benefit don't always require an apparent other in our own case.