Agency and Assumption

[deadspook]

When levels of dopamine go up in the brain, it finds it easier to form patterns. When they go down, it finds it more difficult. When the brain is high on something like cocaine, many users report feeling more creative and as if they have a greater understanding of things. They also are likely to become more paranoid and even delusional. A

Comments

[saeble]

ok

in one word

Horseshit.

in many

The threats in the bushes have not diminished, merely changed from furry predator, to one in a shiny suit.

The patterns are plaid instead of grassland stripes. The greatest threat to any hairless ape these days, is another hairless ape. Many things happen for very human reasons, all cosmic mysteries aside we still have the basic sins and virtues to pin to, or underpin what goes on around us in life.

[deadspook]

So, you're saying human being should keep an irrational tendency toward over-valuing their assumptions and assuming things have agency because we need to be paranoid that a some sort of corporate or government predator is lurking nearby? Because the threat of these people is as deadly as the constant threat of deadly animals that our ancestors faced in the jungle and somehow that paranoia will translate into a better world?

I'm not sure why you think that people being superstitious and seeing agency everywhere is somehow an advantage for anyone.

[saeble]

the world is a vastly more complex place than that of prehistory and danger can be subtle and not the white hot flash of a muggers gun.

try death by sleeping driver in the lane next to you, which you only avoid because you notice they aren't tracking the lane very well, try taxi running a red light which you only picked up because you heard the gunning of the engine, or maybe you noticed the faint stink of gas when you entered the house and you get your mate to butt out his fag before he comes inside.

try much even more subtle death like dying by inches by credit card, death or by other forms of malingering horror, all well worth avoiding. all of which have subtle patterns and flags which indicate a dodgy deal.

paranoia is not an absolute flaw, just like any other fear, its based on very sound survival skills. to discredit them is to imperil yourself

[deadspook]

So, you're saying human beings that have an irrational bias toward assuming the unknown is conscious and using superstitious and superstitious-like thinking somehow are better equipped to deal with a vastly more complex world?

That's complete horseshit. I mean, shockingly.

Superstitious thinking and assuming agency is not going to help you figure out anything in any of the situations you describe by quite a large margin. I think it's significantly much easier to argue that those irrational thoughts make it more difficult to deal with a complex world and more vulnerable.

"Paranoia is not an absolute flaw"? What's this have to do with anything that is in the post? I never said it was. I honestly don't know what you're talking about and am two steps away from assuming we're not even talking about the same thing.