Comments | bec_87rb: Sam Harris' Waking Up Podcast

bec_87rb

Sam Harris' Waking Up Podcast

Oct 02, 2017 13:10

Dr. Chaos suggested that I might enjoy The Waking Up podcast by Sam Harris, because, while he is very vocal about his atheism, and I am very vocal about there being no way to be sure there is no God, that he reminded her of arguing with me. I did. It was a hoot ( Read more... )

neurology, thoughts, podcasts, atheism, peter watts, philosophy

Comments 10

chhinnamasta October 14 2017, 11:49:00 UTC

Nice summary. Number five definitely reminds me of some of our exchanges: like, until there is no dust left in that rug!

I would add that Harris relishes being contrarian. He adores arguing the other side of the consensus view. It's what gives him a thrill. Well, that and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, apparently.

Did you listen to more than one? Do you enjoy him?

Endless Navel-Gazing bec_87rb October 25 2017, 16:40:11 UTC

I didn't, although I ran across this from our old friend Peter Watts, the Interesting Ideas Angry Asshole? His fascinating thought about how personalities mutate over time is imagined pretty much in the same vein as my probable bullshit envisioning on all kinds of things. Only with more math, of course.

http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=7737

Gotta stop going back to his blog, though.

RE: Endless Navel-Gazing chhinnamasta November 6 2017, 14:47:09 UTC

You didn’t enjoy him, or you didn’t listen to more than one podcast, or both? Seroiusly, I thought you’d love this guy. I’m genuinely surprised to be wrong about that.

I’ll take a look at the blog post, at some point, thanks.

If you find Watts’ blog compelling, where is the imperative to avoid it coming from?

RE: Endless Navel-Gazing bec_87rb November 6 2017, 19:25:37 UTC

I'll take another swing at Harris and his podcast.

Watts is an intelligent-but-bitter gentleman whose areas of interest overlap mine a great deal, so I am torn - the topics are often engaging, but by his lights, so many people are so very wrong except him - he can pierce the veils of delusion and see the real truth. The dark bitter relentlessly dour truth. He can't stop himself from angrily punishing people around him for being incorrect and disappointing.

I react by becoming an asshole when interacting with him. I don't need to be more like that. The only way to remain his friend is to admit to him that, yeah, he has special insight, and to never ever point out to him when he is publicly fooling himself about himself, and others can see it plainly. This enrages him. If I point out to him that I can see x about him that he cannot see, and it's not flattering, how am I any different from him in his weird construct that he has special insight? I'm not. I am punishing him back for his punishment of me. Ew. Ick. Bleck ( ... )

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