Internal/External Experience

In this video, I discuss the problems with experience, and techniques that can be used to validate experience.

The blog I mentioned was WNYC's Radiolab. Check it out, its great;

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[firemonkchris]

A bit too literal. We all understand that every conception we have of the world is in our brain, but instead of saying, ow my head hurts, we specify where the pain is to us. Yes in reality our perceptions are in our brains, but we're not a race known to be completely critical. You think about fact too much. You should consider why we don't view everything as exact as you see it. This isn't meant to be mean or disrespectful, just an opinion.

[SolRosenberg84]

@firemonkchris

We don't see things as they are because

1. We can't.

2. We don't have to.

The abstractions we understand reality through are accurate enough to help us find food and the genitals of the opposite sex. Thats all that is needed for the next generation to come about, so thats what is selected for. Figuring out the nature of the universe has always ranked lower on our brain's importance levels compared to getting laid. Because of this, our perceptions will be fundamentaly flawed.

[polarchucky]

Are you a teacher and/or a counselor?

[SolRosenberg84]

@polarchucky

Nope. I'm a student.

[DarkMatter2525]

I once had a painful neck injury. There were blue jellyfish floating through the halls of the hospital. Whenever I talked about them, people laughed at me. I noticed the tube in my arm, pumping in some kind of drug. Then, I knew it was all in my head...but the jellyfish remained quite vivid. Oh, and for a brief moment, I thought I was hidden behind a waterfall in my sister's house. But my sister doesn't own a house...

And I don't have a sister.

[FactVsReligion]

that point you made at 0:55 is probably the most comprehensive and well compacted and accurate explanation of human perception I have ever heard.

[lawshorizon]

I don’t get this? It sounds like you’re trying to “convince yourself” of your interpretations and not the viewers. Why? Why do you care what other people believe?

[lawshorizon]

You still haven’t solved the question: “What is reality?” If our subject has cancer and talks to the Angels and asks them to heal him – and in the morning the cancer is gone then you would say “placebo effect” – which is meaningless. So are the Angels real and part of reality? – yes! – because the subjects mind makes them real.

[efaelka1]

WNYC's Radiolab is awesome , thx a LOT for that link!!

[MoonTribe]

Thank you for this informative video and explaining the truth we human animals all seem to share. I agree with you on all points. It reminds me of the days when I still was a person influenced by religion. I was brought up that way and when I was 13 years old, experiencing horrendous nightmares, my brain truly thought I was possessed by "the devil". Luckily I overcame the mental illness called religion and now I'm fortunate to be here, in an empirical, consciousness state of mind.

[smaskeriff]

dude, you are awesome! but please talk slower, i am swedish and fast english is hard when you are high.

[qcon81]

sorry I forgot to add 'not ' in the last sentence before the word ground

[qcon81]

I agree with what you said. Being a mystic myself who engages in transcendental activity (samadhi) on daily basis I dont disagree with your points you made. The only thing I will reject from you is your doubt that consciousness(proto-consciousn­ess,to use more precise term)is the ground of our being.

[AMCabode]

Yes, I just posted a video about internal vs external, except I was referring to it differently, but its the same concept. EVERYTHING is interpreted internally. From many variable psychological mind states, I know that my experience of the world is directly related to my internal workings or my "engine" if you will. Focusing on the external will not make us any smarter, better at being manipulative, or better at interacting with humans. I personally like to nurture my inner experience.