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0.1 About
– 0.1.1 “Philosophy”
– 0.1.2 Subjects
– 0.1.3 Philosophy of Life
– 0.1.4 How It Came About
– 0.1.5 What It Brought
– 0.1.6 Did I Copy This Person?
– 0.1.7 More On

0.1.1 “Philosophy”

To most people, philosophy is “a subject so complex and confusing, that there are no actual answers nor applications in the real world.”¹It’s somewhat true; philosophy hasn’t, indeed, yet helped anyone build their rocket ship. At least, seemingly.

I used to dislike philosophy. In my eyes, philosophers seemed unfit, unhappy, broke, envious, resentful, like most people…the subject looked like a whole bunch of lies.²E.g. People who study ethics don’t act more ethically.

And I now realize that (good) philosophy “does” matter.³And that, I’m only interested in those that do matter. The others are boring, personally.Truths exist in philosophy; there are answers to the important questions in life.

E.g. “What’s the meaning of life?”

Is there a good answer? Yes. Is it actionable? Yes. Does it enslave you? No.

And I ask you: Without knowing the meaning of life, aren’t you wasting your precious time? How do you know?

0.1.2 Subjects

Mainly:

• Epistemology
• Metaphysics
• Ethics(morality)
• Life(psychoanalysis)*

They’re all influence-less…I think.⁴I’ve had inspirations here and there, but at the end of the day, I came up with the logic.Except, my ‘theory of knowledge’ mostly comes from David Deutsch.⁵This might include Karl Popper.

(All other subjects don’t matter to me, except ‘logic’, which I’m studying.⁶Logic is more mathematical than philosophical. It’s not individual progress. I won’t find anything new (like math) on my own.)

I like to think of this philosophy as Newtonian physics⁷except for the academic significance (big time! LOL)—clear, but flawed, but not self-contradictory, and with fair accuracy & universality.

0.1.3 Philosophy of Life

The philosophy of life isn’t “really” philosophy…but it’s truth.

All the philosophy leads to the philosophy of life. That’s what this is about (for me).

On the philosophy of life

0.1.4 How It Came About

I grew up miserable; I was always unhappy, and I was always anxious.

And I didn’t want that. I mean, would I have to keep being miserable for the rest of my life? That sucks! I was getting tired of it.

My mind wondered about it for quite a while. I read stuff on the internet, watched stuff on YouTube…over time, I found truths here and there, and recently, they’ve all come together. Not chronologically, nor backwards.⁸ I still have no idea how.

I didn’t realize that they were philosophical, for a long time. For one, I’ve never read a single philosophy book!⁹When I first wrote this, it was true. Then I read some…none of them made a difference. Except, the beginning of infinity.

0.1.5 What It Brought

Personally:

• I’ve been dealing with anxiety(doubt) every night. Not anymore.
• I was resentful about my circumstances. Not anymore.
• I had severe focusing issues.¹⁰I literally couldn’t read a single page of a book without wandering off.It’s a lot better now.
• I now have clarity in life.
• I don’t get lonely anymore.
• I got rid of emotional volatility.¹¹Although, I was naturally calm. But, I’m definitely more relaxed.

0.1.6 “Did I Copy This Person?”

Yes.

Name any person that comes to your mind. Did I copy them? Yes. Even if I don’t know them, or any of their concepts, I copied their works.

I sincerely believe that none of this is original. The ideas just came to me, and these posts just organized them.

Don’t give me any credit.

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1.1 Absolutes

1.1.1 Information Tree

• ‘Sensory inputs’: Information communicated by the body.
  • ‘Impressions’: of sensory inputs; Concepts¹²Concepts (also facts/given): (Distilled) Abstract information.from the sensory inputs; Interpretations.¹³E.g. When I look at a book, all I see is a set of colours. Yet, there’s a concept called “books”—it’s an interpretation of colours.
• ‘Thoughts’: Information created by the mind.
  • ‘Ideas’: Concepts from the mind; Imaginations.¹⁴Not interpreting colours as books, but imagining colours from the concept of books.
  • ‘Explanations’: to concepts (& the interactions between concepts).
    • ‘Beliefs‘: (Currently) unfalsifiable explanations.
    • (Intellectual) ‘Knowledge’: Falsifiable explanations.
      • ‘Trivia’: Unimportant knowledge.¹⁵Important means meaningful; significant(consequential) to that which matters.
      • ‘Truths‘: Important knowledge.
        • ‘Secrets‘: New AND/OR intransmissible truths.
• Everything is information.

1.1.2 Absolutes

• 2 things are absolute: ‘reason’¹⁶the way we (deductively) connect axioms¹⁷including its (logical) tools: “IF, AND, THEN, OR, TRUE/FALSE, EXIST/NOT, …”& ‘raw information'(experience).¹⁸Sensory inputs & Thoughts
• They’re foundational; all (essential) concepts/knowledge stem from the ‘absolutes’.
  • Thinking(information processing) needs logic¹⁹to make raw information usable(concepts)& information.²⁰Logic is the means of explanations (thus knowledge).
• They’re “absolute” because I can’t think otherwise²¹I can’t explain the means (+ tools) using the means—it would be circular reasoning (<- uses the means too)²²E.g. How can I explain “if”?; anything beyond the ‘absolutes’ is beyond the concept of “absolute” itself.²³Perhaps some things are beyond absolute (under different laws of physics). But then, it’s irrelevant to this reality.
• ∴ ‘Absolutes’ aren’t falsifiable/provable.²⁴While necessary in all knowledge.²⁵‘Falsifications’ & ‘proofs’ are “from” the absolutes. Falsifying/proving absolutes would be circular reasoning (which is false).

1.1.3 Do I Exist?

• Consciousness²⁶the experience of raw informationabsolutely exists.
  • Experience, per se, isn’t fallible; An illusion(“false” perception) is, still, experience.²⁷E.g. If I look at a carrot and see a banana, I’m still “seeing”. An experience being incorrect doesn’t disprove the existence of that experience.
• ‘I’, the soul²⁸the point of perception(experience)²⁹I don’t mean “soul” in a religious sense; I don’t even know what it would mean., am consciousness; Consciousness is ‘I’.
  • Experience is all there is;³⁰The perception of reality is experience; the perception of self is experience.There’s no ‘I’, separate from experience.
  • ‘I’ is the distinction from ‘other’; the boundary of experience.³¹When someone stubs his toes, I don’t feel the pain. Even if there’s the experience of that pain (which isn’t clear), I can’t experience it.
• ∴ ‘I’ exist, absolutely.
• This ‘absolute’ doesn’t generate new knowledge (about the laws of reality).³²Because the soul(point of perception) is beyond reality.BUT,
• It answers philosophical questions.³³To be explored later:

1.1.4 Deduction

1. Consciousness absolutely exists;
2. I am Consciousness;
3. I absolutely exist.

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1.2 Essential Knowledge

1.2.1 Essentiality

• All knowledge is fallible; no knowledge is absolute.
  • All explanations are based on concepts—subjective interpretations. Thus, they’re fallible. AND,
  • The laws of reality aren’t absolute.³⁴It’s easy to conceive physics laws changing.³⁵The knowledge of math is bounded by physics(reality); all knowledge is held within a physical substrate(brain).³⁶E.i. The concept of 1+1=2 can’t exist a priori to experience(physical interaction).
• However, some are closer to the laws of reality; they’re ‘essential’; more “true”.
• The knowledge that is more ‘essential’ is more:
  • A. Permanent³⁷True across (a long period of) time
  • B. Universal³⁸Has reach; true across places/species/circumstances/etc.
  • C. Precise³⁹Hard to vary
• The hallmark of ‘essentiality’ is predictiveness.
• If a piece of knowledge relies on another, it’s less ‘essential’.⁴⁰E.g. Societal truths are largely human truths; the latter is fundamental.
• Truths tend to be more ‘essential’.

1.2.2 Essential Axioms

• All knowledge depends on the non-absolute axioms:
  • Mathematical Axioms
  • Cause & Effect: That, A. The laws of reality exist.⁴¹Though all knowledge is conjectural(guessing).AND, B. They’re causal.⁴²Though causality could just be an illusion.
  • Induction: That, A. The laws of reality stay consistent.⁴³Though the laws could change tomorrow for an “external” reason. (Like rewriting scripts in a program.)AND, B. Reality itself continues to exist.⁴⁴Though it could just end tomorrow for an “external” reason.⁴⁵External means “beyond this reality.”
  • Objectivity: That A. The sensory inputs are accurate.⁴⁶Or that it may be “accurate enough” with peers/machines.⁴⁷Though I could just be hallucinating like humans often do.AND, B. The interpretations of sensory inputs are consistent.⁴⁸Though I could be interpreting the same colours as “pencil” not “books”.
• Knowledge creation isn’t possible without these axioms.

1.2.3 Facets of Reality

• Essentially, there are 2 facets of reality:
• ‘The physical’ is made up of A. Elements,⁴⁹ConceptsAND B. Physics Laws.⁵⁰Explanations
  • “Contents of reality”
• ‘The narrative’ is made up of A. Entities,⁵¹ConceptsAND B. Narrations.⁵²Explanations
  • “Experience of reality”
• More on

1.2.4 The Narrative & The Physical

• They coexist & correspond to each other, in different planes; neither comes first:

1. ‘The narrative’ is an abstraction of the ‘physical’; it’s created/corrected upon ‘the physical’.
2. However, ‘the physical’ (& its physics) isn’t absolute; its existence depends on ‘the narrative’.
3. ‘The narrative’ is tied to the experience, which is absolutely real.
   Which means:
4. The experience(absolute) is in the form of ‘the narrative’, based on ‘the physical'(not-absolute),
   THEREFORE:
5. ‘The narrative’ and ‘the physical’ are co-dependent, AND
6. Like ‘the physical’, ‘the narrative’ is not-absolute, AND
7. Both are necessary for reality to essentially exist.⁵³Absolute truths lead to nothing on their own; reality doesn’t exist without ‘the narrative/physical’. Without ‘the physical’, reality doesn’t exist in the first place. Without ‘the narrative’, there’s no experience of reality, which is no different than reality not existing.

1.2.5 The Paradox, Simply:

• The ‘self’ is made up of the physical reality, AND,
• The physical reality can be perceived and understood only through the ‘self’.⁵⁴Perceptions & explanations are narrative concepts.
• ∴ ‘The physical’ and ‘the narrative’ coexist.⁵⁵It’s a circular dependence.

1.2.6 Knowledge Spectrum

• Knowledge lies on a spectrum (physical — narrative).
• Reduction goes left; Abstraction goes right.
• Through abstractions, it’s possible to go beyond the narrative⁵⁶direct observations—they’re often called wisdom (or philosophy⁵⁷“the love for wisdom”).⁵⁸The scientific versions are macroeconomics, social science, climate science, etc.⁵⁹Mythology, or literature, is the artistic(more abstract) version.
• Reduction vs. Abstraction

1.2.7 Reduction vs. Abstraction

1. The more reductive(=physical) a piece of knowledge is, the more essential it tends to be.⁶⁰Because the narrative is based on the physical, the more physical tends to be more essential.BUT,
2. Inversely, it’s less essential in a more complex system.⁶¹The butterfly effect takes hold. With low precision, more abstract(=narrative) knowledge performs better.⁶²Narrative truths require more nuance(qualitative) than precision(quantitative).THEREFORE,
3. ‘Reductive knowledge’ and ‘abstract knowledge’ are complementary.

1.2.8 Ship of Theseus

Ship of Theseus

• The problem comes from merging multiple levels of abstractions.
• (Purely) Narratively,⁶³looking at the whole,the ship remains “Theseus’s ship”.
• In reduction,⁶⁴looking at the parts,the ship doesn’t stay the same.⁶⁵(Purely) Physically, the ship doesn’t even exist.

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2.1 This Reality

2.1.1 What is This Reality?

• This is a reality question; It can’t have an absolute answer; It has to be answered with essential axioms—causality/objectivity.⁶⁶Not necessarily objectivity.⁶⁷All explanations of how this reality is in the form of cause & effect.
• This is the base-layer reality, OR the indefinite-th layer reality.⁶⁸“Which one” isn’t knowable(falsifiable); there can’t be knowledge.
• Anything beyond the base-layer reality is God; it violates causality.⁶⁹“Well, who created ‘that’ reality?” is an infinite regress problem.

2.1.2 This-Layer Reality

• In all cases, this is the best layer, because I’m experiencing it.⁷⁰I wouldn’t put myself into this reality(simulation) if it’s worse than the lower layer reality.
• I’m the main character, because my experience(existence) precedes reality.⁷¹Because my existence precedes causality, it can’t be explained with reality; My experiences (per se) can’t be “created” by reality, without violating the absolutes—it’s absolutely unexplainable(God).
• ∴ It doesn’t matter which layer this reality is.

2.1.3 Sidenote: God

• Absolutely, God is that which is beyond the absolute.
• Essentially, God is the entity that created this-layer reality.⁷²Given that this isn’t the base-layer.⁷²
• The creators of this simulation are essentially Gods.⁷³They can’t violate the absolutes, but can manipulate the laws of (this) reality.⁷⁴I’m an omnipotent being to the simulation that I create; I can change the laws of physics in an instant, change the past, etc. How isn’t that God?

2.1.4 How “Real” is This Reality?

• Essentially: From God’s (extrinsic) POV, it’s as real as a “bunch of lines of code”.
• From within (this reality), it’s totally real.⁷⁵It’s all there is.⁷⁶In a simulation, the point is to pretend that this reality is “real”. Otherwise, I’d know.
• Regardless, the experience of this reality is absolutely real.⁷⁷More real than reality itself.

2.1.5 What is Life?

• Absolutely, all experiences happen over a span of time.⁷⁸“Swinging a stick” happens across a certain time frame.The past & present blend into an experience.
• Essentially, every explanation of real events uses ’cause & effect’; explanations are storylines(narratives).
  • Physically, the cause is the past.⁷⁹It’s a “how” question.
• Narratively, the cause is the past ‘and’ the future(motives).⁸⁰It’s a “how & why” question.
• ∴ Life isn’t just the moment; Life is a story; Life is a set of experiences with a storyline.⁸¹I can’t reduce life down to the moment, because it then becomes inexplicable.

2.1.6 What is The Meaning of Life?

• This is a narrative question.⁸²“Meaning” is a concept.
• It’s ambiguous:
  • A. What’s life?
  • B. What’s the purpose of life?

2.1.7 What is The Purpose of Life?

• It’s a “why” question; It’s an infinite regress, until the answer is for its own sake.
• The answer has to be about the experience.⁸³Because it’s the only thing that’s absolutely real.
• Extrinsically, entertainment is the only plausible explanation.
• Intrinsically: The question becomes: “What in life is worth living for?”
  • I can choose what matters (to me).
  • I live for the experiences I want to experience; experiences that I find pleasing or fulfilling.
    • That is ultimately intrigue⁸⁴joy.
  • Those experiences, with a journey(storyline) attributed, are inherently valuable (to me).

2.1.8 More On

• If there’s pleasure/fulfillment, life is good enough; I don’t need an extrinsic answer.⁸⁵Why do I watch a movie?⁸⁶It’s only when the experience is unsatisfactory do I ask “why do I live…”
• More on

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2.2 The Self

2.2.1 My “Self”

• The ‘self’ is the part of reality that connects ‘reality’ & ‘soul’.⁸⁷It’s the bridge between the two)It’s the body that interacts with reality; No experience exists beyond the body/mind.
• Physically, there is no ‘self’.
• Narratively, there is ‘self’.
  • The ‘self’ is what that’s in contact with the conscious(ness).

2.2.2 Conscious

• The ‘conscious’ is the reality-entity of ‘I’.⁸⁸It’s the only un-removable part of ‘I’.
• It’s the part of the ‘self’ that’s connected to the soul(‘I’).⁸⁹Via consciousness.
• It’s able to be aware.
  • Awareness is meta-perception; it’s perceiving the perceiving of the perceptions.⁹⁰It’s not looking at the hand, but being aware of the looking at the hand.
  • Awareness dictates experience; I don’t experience that which I’m not aware of.
• It has a weak(slow) processing power. However, it can override the unconscious with awareness.
• It can’t multitask; instead, it can expand/select the scope of awareness (and coordinate with the unconscious).⁹¹I can focus on “kicking the ball” or “extending the leg”. (subconscious activity)

2.2.3 Unconscious

• The ‘unconscious’ is the group of processing units performing most work.
• (With multiple units) It can multitask, as a whole.
• It functions automatically (without awareness), according to its programming.
• The ‘unconscious’, as a whole, is always active.
• It has a strong(fast) processing power.

2.2.4 Mind

• The ‘mind’ is the generator of thoughts.
• Mostly, it uses the unconscious’ processing power to generate ideas.⁹²Ideas are partially-randomized connections of information(stored information).
• It also creates emotional feelings, based on the unconscious’ analysis of information⁹³interactions between concepts.
• It’s in charge of creating storylines.

2.2.5 Body

• The ‘body’ is the part of the ‘self’ that’s connected to reality.
• The (un)conscious sends orders to the ‘body’; the ‘body’ returns feedback(sensory inputs -> feelings).

2.2.6 Circuit

• Thoughts/Emotions are mechanisms that the (un)conscious uses to express itself.
• Those expressions lead to further actions, and are sent through the consciousness (paired with the sensory inputs).

2.2.7 Is there Free Will?

• Physically? No.⁹⁴Physics is deterministic.⁹⁵There’s no ‘self’ in the first place.
• Narratively? Yes.⁹⁶I experience the making decision.⁹⁷Also, reality is largely unpredictable.

2.2.8 Free Will

• Awareness is ‘free will’, narratively.
• The conscious can be aware; it can act in ‘free will’; it’s autonomous. The unconscious is the opposite.
• Only the conscious has ‘free will’; the ‘self’ without the conscious has no ‘free will’.⁹⁸“I” have ‘free will’. My ‘self’ does not.
• Complete Free Will

2.2.9 Movie or Game

• Physically, life is neither.
• Narratively(extrinsically), life is a game.⁹⁹With free will.However:

1. The unconscious is in charge most of the time.¹⁰⁰As it’s more powerful.
2. The conscious has the capacity to reprogram the unconscious, and change the ‘self’ & its circumstances.

• ∴ Life is a movie where I’m the director.¹⁰¹The director who creates the set and guides the actor.
• Reality is the setting, my ‘self’ is the main character, and I’m the audience.
• Life is a movie

2.2.10 More On

• The ability to have complete control of the movie; that’s ownership.
• Any entity that doesn’t direct its movie is an NPC; NPC has no autonomy.¹⁰²NPCs live completely reactive, predictable lives.
• The major separator between humans and animals is the capacity for free will, and the potential for ownership.

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3.1 Contentment

3.1.1 Feeling

• ‘Feeling’ is buying into the pure sensory input and/or the narrative.
• ‘Feeling’ is both physical & emotional.¹⁰³They’re both sensory experiences.
• Overall ‘feeling’ is on a pain-pleasure spectrum (- to +)

3.1.2 Peace

• ‘Peace’ is:
• A. When the ‘feeling’ is at 0, (no +, no -).¹⁰⁴The default state is 0(not negative)
• B. When there are little fluctuations(conflicts) in feeling.¹⁰⁵In frequency & magnitude.
• On Peace

3.1.3 Delight & Suffering

• They are emotional feelings.
• The mind creates them using stories of the “(un)fulfillment of desires”.¹⁰⁶A physical pain can be interpreted into happiness or suffering.¹⁰⁷The amount depends on the amount of desire.
• ¹⁰⁸It’s tied to the “consequential” part of ‘meaning’. (Not necessarily)
• On Desires
• Most ‘delights’/’sufferings’ are totally imaginary.¹⁰⁹They’re not even narratively real.
• More on
• Conflict: not getting what I want; it’s an unfulfilled desire(s) waiting to be fulfilled.

3.1.4 Joy

• This is another form of feeling.
• ‘Joy’ is intrigue; the beauty of the moment.
• It’s an artistic interpretation of information.¹¹⁰It’s tied to the “creative” part of ‘meaning’. (Not necessarily)

3.1.5 Meaning

• ‘Meaning’ is buying into the stories of life; something matters.
• ‘Meaningful’ events lead to ‘meaningful’ life; meaning in life is meaning of life.
• Significant events that happen to/for which that matter, are ‘meaningful’.¹¹¹Significant means it was creative/consequential.
• The overall sense of ‘meaning’ is on a ‘meaningless’–‘meaningful’ spectrum (0 to +).¹¹²‘Meaningful’ means: A. Something matters a lot, and B. Much significant things happen to that something.

3.1.6 Contentment

• ‘Contentment’ is life satisfaction.
• Feeling + Meaning = Contentment¹¹³Not a literal math equation.
• Reality – Expectation = Perceived Contentment
• The spectrum of ‘perceived contentment’ is ‘misery’–‘happiness’ (- to +).
• Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility applies.¹¹⁴Repeated exposure “dulls” the misery/happiness.
• Loss Aversion applies.¹¹⁵Losing $10 gives more ‘misery’ than gaining $10 gives ‘happiness’.

3.1.7 Big Misery

• When contentment is (-), there’s less to live than to die.
• Depression is when life satisfaction is at its lowest.
  • A. Meaninglessness + a lot of pain, OR
  • B. Absurd level of pain (physical)

3.1.8 Primers

• ‘Primers’ are feeling-setups for an event.¹¹⁶A ‘primer’ shifts the baseline emotional state towards a certain emotion.
• I have to be ‘primed’ for a feeling to experience it fully.
• ‘Primers’ are sensory inputs(music, scenery, etc.) AND/OR narratives(imagined deviations from expectations).
• Anxiety/Excitement is a sign of being narratively ‘primed’.¹¹⁷Primed by the concepts.
• Fear/Confidence exists when there’s a perceived consequence(loss/gain).

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3.2 Intrigue

3.2.1 Intrigue

• Recap: Life is essentially about the ‘intrigue’, not ‘peace’.
  • Peace is nothing-ness;¹¹⁸Which is no different than death.Intrigue is something-ness; Entertainment is the only thing.
• The search for ‘intrigue’ only begins with ownership; the profound desire for ‘intrigue’ only manifests itself when there’s boredom¹¹⁹which exists in peace.
• I don’t get to choose what I’m ‘intrigued’ by, but I get to choose which one I get after.
• Everyone is uniquely ‘intrigued’ by different things.¹²⁰Even 2 people who like the same songs like different parts of it.

3.2.2 What’s intriguing?

• The less probable it seems;
• The bigger contrast there is;
• The more creative it is;¹²¹If anything will always be interesting, it’s creativity(problem-solving). “Something new” will always be interesting. If not, nothing else will.
• The more unique the journey is;
• The more real it feels;
• The more romantic it is.

3.2.3 2 Parts of Intrigue

• The significance of the event (in the storyline);
• The beauty of the experience.

3.2.4 In search of intrigue (opinion)

• A way to maximize (emotional) contrast is to maximize the suffering.
• However, it comes at the expense of happiness.
• Also, it’s unnecessary to create suffering, as the default human state is misery.
• Of all moments of misery, only 1 (the lowest) period of misery is relevant in the moment of happiness, in a given story.
• It’s preferable to maximize other variables.

3.2.5 In search of intrigue (opinion)

• I could try to make life more romantic by creating more romantic events.
• However, intentional romantic events aren’t as real; they’re acted out.
• Also, it shifts the focus away from the results(desires), interfering with the actual outcome.
• Romantic events happen by themselves in the path of true-desires, just unpredictably.

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4.1 Freedom

4.1.1 Freedom: Where I “Go”

• ‘Freedom’ is freedom from restraints.
• ‘Freedom’ is the prerequisite to boundless exploration.¹²²Restraints of the mind/body/materials/people hold me back from exploring freely.
• With ‘freedom’, my actions are externally autonomous.
• Without ‘freedom’, I might have creative places to go to but I can’t actually go anywhere.

4.1.2 More On

• A side effect of freedom is peace, as the return to baseline (level of feelings).¹²³By getting rid of things to suffer from.
• Freedom means I “don’t have to care”.
• Another side effect of freedom is energy.¹²⁴By not leaking them in unnecessary ways.

4.1.3 Freedom of Mind

• It’s about resolving traumas (of the past/future).
• Uncontrollable thoughts.
• (Not having pain thinking about anything)
• (And also, getting off the mind, and being in the present)
• Mind restraints & freedom

4.1.4 Freedom of Body

• It’s about fixing physical problems.
• (Not having pain moving the body)
• Body restraints & freedom

4.1.5 Financial Freedom

• It’s about developing a 0-maintenance cost.
• (Not having to worry about money)
• Financial restraints & freedom

4.1.6 Social Freedom

• (Not having/wanting to depend on anyone)
• Social restraints & freedom

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4.2 Independence

4.2.1 Unconscious Programming

• The unconscious functions (automatically) according to its ‘programming'(habits).
• As my unconscious is the main actor, the way it is ‘programmed’ determines how I think & act.
• Throughout my life, my unconscious has been ‘programmed’, by various motives.¹²⁵Often in ways I don’t even realize.
• It has to be ‘deprogrammed’, before ‘reprogramming’ it in the way I want.
• Talent + Programming → Outcome

4.2.2 General Deprogramming

• Body movements¹²⁶e.g. walking form, hand gestures, speaking tone, blinking frequency, etc.are habits—they can be deprogrammed.¹²⁷Or reprogrammed.
• Simple emotional responses¹²⁸to stubbing toes, broken glasses, strangled earphones, etc.are habits—they can be deprogrammed.¹²⁹Or reprogrammed.
• Addiction is (primarily) a habit—it can be deprogrammed.¹³⁰Or reprogrammed.
• Every action that isn’t conscious is a matter of simple habits.¹³¹If I can’t change my habits, I don’t have independence(ownership).
  • Unless it: A. Is physical, OR B. Requires escape/deconditioning

4.2.3 Equivalence

• The unconscious programming is in accordance with my ‘self-image’; they always try to match each other.
• For every experience¹³²interaction with reality, if there are mismatches: A. The program changes to fit the ‘self-image’, AND/OR B. The’ self-image’ changes to fit the programming.
• ‘Equivalence’ doesn’t happen if either part doesn’t exist: A. Some of my habits have nothing to do with my ‘self-image’. OR, B. Some pieces of ‘self-image’ have no corresponding actions/feedback.
• All major “habits”(behaviours) are connected to the ‘self-image’.

4.2.4 Self-Image

• It’s the collection of pieces that make me who I “think” I am:
• (My) Characteristics¹³³body, possessions, associations, knowledge, experiences, etc.+ What matters (to me)¹³⁴I.e. root points → Desires / Beliefs
• (They’re “all” pieces of ‘self-image’)
• Every piece of ‘self-image’ is part of me; to an extent, they’re ‘attachments’, strong or weak.
• By equivalence, the unconscious inevitably reverts back to the ‘self-image’; reducing the ‘self-image’ is necessary to deprogram the unconscious.
• On Self-Image

4.2.5 Attachment

• ‘Attachments’ are the pieces of ‘self-image’ that I feel the need to protect (being closely tied to me).
• They resist change.¹³⁵Pieces need to be removed/added to modify the self-image; attachments refuse to be removed.
• They cause emotional volatility/vulnerability.¹³⁶By having more things to protect & be happy/sad about.
• However, ‘attachments’ are necessary to create actions.¹³⁷E.g. With no strong desire, why should I act?
• On Attachments

4.2.6 Independence: “Where” I Go

• ‘Independence’ is:

1. Independence from influences, by
2. Deprogramming the unconscious, by
3. Modifying the self-image, by
4. Disattaching from the (harmful, strong) attachments.

• Modifying The Self
• It’s reducing the self-image down to necessary.
• With ‘independence’, my actions are internally autonomous; ‘Independence’ is free will.
• Without ‘independence’, I could go anywhere but wherever I end up going won’t be creative.

4.2.7 More On

• A side effect of independence is peace, as the reduction in fluctuations.¹³⁸By getting rid of things to react to.
• Another side effect of independence is an unbiased, no-filter view of reality.¹³⁹By removing distortions of attachments.

4.2.8 Escape

• ‘Escape’ is the escape from the ‘ego’.
• The ‘ego’ is an internal demon that craves status.¹⁴⁰It’s the product of a strong sense of self.
• A lot of attachments stem from the ‘ego’.¹⁴¹Status is a root point.
• Escape is about no longer being enslaved by the ‘ego’.
• On Ego

4.2.9 Deconditioning

• ‘Deconditioning’ is deconditioning from society’s conditioning.
• A lot of attachments are ‘conditioned’ by the society¹⁴²other people, by: A. Me subconsciously adopting others’ attachments, AND/OR B. Others deliberately ‘conditioning’ me into attachments.
• The main theme of these attachments: goodness.
• ‘Deconditioning’ is about rejecting social conditioning.
• On Conditioning

4.2.10 Sacrifice

• It’s a combination of time spent & pain(suffering).
• A lot of attachments come from ‘sacrifices’.
• They are sunk costs.

4.2.11 True-Self

• Once, I remove all the attachments, particularly from the 3 sources, I’m left with my ‘true-self’.
• Pieces of my ‘true-self’ are the parts of me that:
  • A. I can’t change, AND/OR
  • B. Are unique to me.
• They are: natural interests & talents & desires.
  • The only true-desires: peace/autonomy/intrigue.
• Attachments are explainable, and once understood, naturally go away.
• Then, I’m down to the unexplainable: the pieces of my ‘true-self’.

4.2.12 On a side note

• Reprogramming the self-image leads to a new self; it’s creating a new character that I will direct in making a new story(chapter).
• I don’t want to create a movie with too many themes.
• I don’t want to create a character with too many unnecessary details.

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4.3 Ownership

4.3.1 Ownership: “Where I Go”

• ‘Ownership’ is the complete ownership of the self.
• (The movements of the body, thoughts of the mind, emotions of the heart, pathway of life, etc.)
• ‘Ownership’ is Complete Free Will
• ‘Ownership’ is attained via freedom & independence.

4.3.2 Potential, Peace, and Journey

1. Once I completely ‘own’ myself, I have access to my full potential.¹⁴³There are no limitations left within.
2. Once I completely ‘own’ myself, I have peace.¹⁴⁴Nothing involuntarily affects my feelings.
3. With ‘ownership’¹⁴⁵peace & potential, every experience¹⁴⁶even the negativeis voluntary and enjoyable.¹⁴⁷In the macro, under the umbrella of a story.

4.3.3 Self-awareness

• ‘Self-awareness’ is an absolute necessity; ownership is impossible without ‘self-awareness’.¹⁴⁸Understanding opens the path towards ownership.
• The deeper the ‘self-awareness’, the more robust it is.
• It’s a product of self-examination.
  • Self-examination is a process of discovering¹⁴⁹not creatingknowledge within the self.

4.4.4 Clarity

• ‘Clarity’ is a byproduct of self-awareness.
• I know who I am;¹⁵⁰What I want, What I have, etc. I know what I’m doing; I know why; I know how.
• It directly leads to potential & peace by:

1. Having an ultra-clear, concentrated desire (knowing what I want), AND
2. Having awareness of the present (knowing what I’m doing).

• Confusion, on the other hand, leads to paralysis/anxiety.

4.4.5 Towards Ownership

• All pillars of ownership¹⁵¹financial freedom, escape, etc.are connected to each other; improving one leads to another; the concepts overlap.¹⁵²E.g. Having mind freedom helps with attaining social freedom; physical state affects mood.
• Ownership Progress Bar: (0 — Complete); ownership comes in gradual changes.
• The path towards freedom is characterized by: sustained periods of effort, followed by (low) maintenance.
• The path towards independence is characterized by: constant realizations and renouncements.
• Ownership, in general, comes with the direct modifications of self-image (by various techniques), and unconscious programming (by habituations).
• Above all, desire is the most powerful force of change.

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5.1 Morality (Individual)

5.1.1 Good or Bad

• Good/Bad ≈ Desirable/Undesirable
• Something is as good as it fulfills desires.
• ∴ Morality is essentially a personal preference.

5.1.2 What Morality is About

• Morality isn’t only about me; it’s about the interactions between entities.¹⁵³Morality doesn’t exist with 1 entity.
• Specifically, it’s about fulfilling the desires of those that matter.

5.1.3 Who Matters

• Absolutely: No entity, other than me, matters.¹⁵⁴First, the nature of their experiences is unclear.¹⁵⁵Second, their existence is unclear.¹⁵⁶Third, there’s no absolute reason anyway; it’s a narrative concept.
• Essentially, “who matters” is a preference; all standards of selection are arbitrary.

5.1.4 Association

• One major (historical) standard is association.¹⁵⁷Family, friends, colleagues, etc.
• The tighter the association, the more they matter.
• It’s tightly linked to meaning¹⁵⁸goals, purposes.

5.1.5 Sympathy

• One major standard is sympathy.
• Sympathy is a projection of experience.¹⁵⁹“Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes”¹⁶⁰This is why the animal cruelty people care about dogs, not mosquitos.
• It’s tightly linked to feelings.

5.1.6 Selfishness

• Morality is ultimately selfish; selfish acts are moral.
• Acting for the associated is acting for myself.¹⁶¹Since I regard them as the extension of myself.
• Acting in sympathy is acting for myself.¹⁶²Because I’m trying to feel good.

5.1.7 Levels of Experience

• There are distinct ‘levels of experience'(consciousness):

1. Unconscious (No experience)
2. Conscious
   1. No Self(-Awareness)
   2. Self
      1. No Free Will (Autonomy)
      2. Free Will

• The levels are arbitrary; some have the potential to be at the next level.
• However, it’s sensical (narratively) because it makes distinctions in the desires & who matters.

5.1.8 Ultimate(ly Preferable) Desires

• Desires come from what matters.
• Nothing ‘absolutely’ matters; nothing “must” matter. But things do matter.
• What does matter depends on the ‘level of experience’:
  • Unconscious → Nothing matters.
  • Conscious → Pleasure matters.
  • Conscious & Self → Peace(Pleasure) & Purpose matters.
  • Conscious & Self & Free-Will → Intrigue(Purpose) matters.
• Fulfilling that which matters is the ultimate good, and that depends on the ‘level of experience’ of an entity.

5.1.9 Prioritized Entities

• Reality is a simulation; it (most certainly) exists for entertainment. HENCE,

1. ↑ Level(of consciousness)¹⁶³I’d rather experience being a human than a fly (because the experience is “fuller”) = ↑ Likelihood of a soul (experiencing the entity)¹⁶⁴The experience of being an ant (probably) exists. However, there (probably) isn’t a ‘soul’ experiencing it.AND,
2. In the case where someone “voluntarily” experiences the lower-level entity, “doing good” destroys the intended experience.¹⁶⁵Part of “the deer experience” is being chased by the predators. THEREFORE,
3. I have a strong justification to prefer optimizing for the highest-level entities: fellow humans.¹⁶⁶Related: Justice is justification.

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5.2 Ethics (Society)

5.2.1 Society

• Society is a group of people formed around a particular concept(s): lineage/geography/idea/etc.
• Society ⇋ Association¹⁶⁷Society leads to association, association leads to society.
• Societies create synergetic benefits by scaling: markets/protection/etc.
• There are many societies.

5.2.2 Ethics

• Society is essentially collectivist(groupist).¹⁶⁸It’s found upon associations: attachments: people being part of each others’ identities.¹⁶⁹It’s a group of people saying, “together, we are one.”¹⁷⁰Society = Group, group is groupist.
• ∴ In ethics, the ultimate good is: fulfilling that which matters to a society.
• Ethics is a societal preference.

5.2.3 Utilitarianism

• For a society, at its largest scale¹⁷¹including every entity, at the most general level: The lowest common denominator for desire is pleasure.
• ∴ Maximizing pleasure, as a whole…is the basic answer.
• However, most humans:
  • A. Don’t have free will. AND,
  • B. Have the potential for the “higher level of experience”.
• ∴ The ultimate good for a person is: A. Ownership, then B. Intrigue.
• ∴ Society’s ultimate ideal is freedom (for as many as possible); excluding independence.¹⁷²It’s inherently impossible(perhaps undesirable) for a society to bring independence to its members.

5.2.4 Honor

• Honor is the society’s reward for ethical acts:

1. Adding value to society.
2. Self-sacrifice¹⁷³which strengthens association.

• Although, it’s based on the “perception” of ethical acts.¹⁷⁴Even if I did something ethical, if the public perceives the act as unethical, I get no honor.
• Honor makes me socially acceptable.¹⁷⁵It’s synonymous with “likability”.
• The better I am to society, the better society is to me.
  • Caveat: In practice, honor¹⁷⁶reputationdepends on popularity¹⁷⁷likability; (moral) sentiments across society.

5.2.5 Persecution

• What matters most to a society is the uniting concept (not the individuals).
  • ∵ Societies form around ideas.
  • Without the concept, it falls apart.
• ∴ In order to maintain itself, a society must cast out the heretics¹⁷⁸because they weaken association.
• Heresies are socially unacceptable.

5.2.6 The Value of Ethics

• Unlike morality¹⁷⁹which is a direct preference, ethics indirectly affect me.¹⁸⁰My actions help others, others’ actions help me.
• The more ethical society is the better society to live in.¹⁸¹“Small acts of kindness add up, and in the end may save the world.”
• In summary:
  1. There isn’t a direct incentive to act ethically. BUT,
  2. I like ethical people myself¹⁸²because they benefit me). AND,
  3. Acting ethically is eventually beneficial(honor). THEREFORE,
  4. I’d rather act ethically than not.

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5.3 In Practice

5.3.1 What’s Good, Literally

• Morality/ethics is embedded in daily life; it’s not necessarily about life & death.
• On a surface level, whatever you desire is morally good.¹⁸³Beauty is a moral good, nice tasting food is a moral good, annoying music is a moral bad, etc.¹⁸⁴Harm is whatever you don’t want, and is immoral (to you).
• On a surface level, whatever’s good for society(≈ other people) is ethically good.

5.3.2 On a Deeper Level

• What’s truly good: fulfilling true-desires (depending on the ‘level of experience’).¹⁸⁵Giving pleasure pills to an entity, who has free will, doesn’t serve what truly matters: intrigue.
• “Goodness” must be evaluated across the totality of life.¹⁸⁶Smoking cigarettes brings pleasure(good) in the short term, but brings pain(bad) in the long term.¹⁸⁷Taking present/future into consideration, and disregarding the past.

5.3.3 Morality Comes First

• Fundamentally, I don’t live for society.¹⁸⁸The individual is only part of society so long as it benefits himself.¹⁸⁹My existence precedes society reality.
• To me, “what matters to me” is more important than “what matters to society”.
• ∴ If one has to be chosen over another, it’s morality.
• But, generally, it’s best to align morality & ethics.

5.3.4 Justice

• Justice is the “fairness” between morality & ethics.¹⁹⁰Justice is justification.
• It’s collective morality.
• It’s what maximizes the moral/ethical good.¹⁹¹Both, if not, one. If one, with the least sacrifice of the other.
• Injustice creates conflict.

5.3.5 Consequentialism

• At the end of the day, all that matters is the outcome(=experience).
• Good/bad is a judgement of the outcome, not the process.¹⁹²E.g. “Eating cake” isn’t (un)desirable; the “experience(mostly taste) of eating cake” is.¹⁹³E.g. “Killing” isn’t (un)desirable; the “loss of life(potential good)” is.
• No ‘action’ is good/bad, regardless of the outcome.¹⁹⁴If an action produced good results, it was good.

5.3.6 Deontology

• Deontology is a set of arbitrary standards used as substitutes for judgement.¹⁹⁵Hence, the standards of which actions are good/bad has changed.¹⁹⁶“Safety barrier against the lack of judgement”
• Long-term consequences of an action are near-impossible to predict.
• Even considering short-term consequences require intellectual effort.¹⁹⁷Hence, primitive creatures have no sense of ethics.
• “Just don’t do x” is much more efficient¹⁹⁸which is vital for survival.¹⁹⁹More efficiency: many deontological rules are ingrained into intuitions. (For social creatures)

5.3.7 Virtue

• Virtue is a pattern of behaviours that benefit others.²⁰⁰Hence, it’s praised socially.
• It’s an extension of deontology.²⁰¹Virtuous acts are regarded as good, although they aren’t outcomes.
• Sympathy(caring about others) is particularly celebrated.²⁰²Because it connects morality(personal good) with ethics(societal good).²⁰³Given the subject is a member of the society. And it is, often so.
• In political discussions, the more sympathetic always has the ethical high ground.²⁰⁴When somebody attacks someone on Twitter, it’s mostly pointing out the lack of sympathy.

5.3.8 Solution to the Trolley Problem

Trolley Problem

1. If the 1 person matters to me, pull the lever;
2. If not, don’t pull the lever;
3. If 1 is human, and 5 are chickens, pull the lever;
4. If the chickens matter to me, don’t pull the lever;
5. If 1 is conscious, and 5 are unconscious (that can’t recover), pull the lever.

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5.4 Social Systems

5.4.1 Law

• Law is a set of social contracts that (seek to) actualize justice.
• It’s based on the mutual agreement across all members of the society: “I acknowledge (what matters to) you.”
• It’s an extension of deontology, via coercion; law forces a (minimum) level of ethics²⁰⁵contributionupon members (of the society).²⁰⁶Law is an authority people can rely on, without having to constantly figure out what is (not) ethical.
• Since deontology is arbitrary, laws are constantly modified.²⁰⁷Via conjecture and criticism; “what leads to good/bad” is knowledge.

5.4.2 Punishments

• Punishments are future-oriented acts of justice.²⁰⁸On their own, they’re unethical; they cause suffering.
• They exist to minimize unethical acts by creating moral consequences for them.²⁰⁹Main message: “there’s nothing to gain from this(unethical acts).”
• ∴ Intentions matter in determining punishments.²¹⁰∵ If an act was unintended, punishments don’t reduce the chance of it reoccurring.AND,
• “A mistake is not something to be determined after the fact, but in the light of the information until that point.“

5.4.3 The Fundamental Obligation

• If I’m to participate in a society, I’m obligated to be at least a net-neutral (to the society).²¹¹In other words, give more than take.
• If the average member takes (more than gives), the system falls apart.²¹²Society loses its purpose.
• It’s vital for a society to remove unethical entities.

5.4.4 Responsibility

• Responsibility is an extension of the fundamental obligation.
• Responsibility is the fundamental principle of reciprocation: “owning up to the consequences.”²¹³“Eye for an eye; tooth for a tooth.”
• It’s how cooperations work without associations.²¹⁴It’s establishing trust when entities don’t care about each other—for merit.
  • Tit-for-tat in a (repeated) Prisoner’s dilemma.²¹⁵Doing exactly what the other person did last, with some forgiveness in between.

5.4.5 Rights (& Welfare)

• ‘Rights’ are agreements: Every member of the society(group) “deserves” ‘x’, given ‘y’.
• Welfare(= Human Rights): Every member deserves ‘x’ just by being part of the society.²¹⁶On the flip side, it means: Every member must “contribute” ‘z’.
• In a democratic system, ‘x’ is determined by consensus.²¹⁷Democracy is a consensus mechanism for determining justice.

5.4.6 Determining Justice

• Larger society → More general(unspecific) unifying concept → Weaker association with other members of the society; I care less → Morality aligns less with ethics → Looser society
• “I am, at the Fed level, libertarian; at the state level, Republican; at the local level, Democrat; and at the family and friends level, a socialist.”²¹⁸Not affiliated
• Thought: Looser societies require more force to keep themselves together.²¹⁹Like a powerful concept.
• ∴ They don’t function well with collectivist approaches²²⁰also requiring more force.

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6.1 Rationality

6.1.1 What’s Rationality?

• Rationality is an approach to the processes/decisions that bring results.
  • In a given condition & desired outcome;
  • Via appropriate reasoning;
  • Through multiple levels of abstraction & contexts.²²¹Dimensions
• Rationality → Judgement²²²Rational process leads to good judgements.

6.1.2 Circumstance Awareness

• Rationality isn’t “following the heart” nor “following the head”.
• Rationality is being aware; understanding; It’s the opposite of “blindly” following anything.²²³This doesn’t mean “being realistic/idealistic”, which is irrational.
• It’s understanding “where am I” & “where I want to go”.

6.1.3 Reasoning Methods

• There are 2 ways to reason: A. Unconscious(Intuition), AND B. Conscious(Logic)
  • Emotion is circumstance/outcome, not intellect.
• They can be used independently/together–depending on the appropriateness.

6.1.4 Abstractions

• Abstractions
• Every circumstance has many levels of abstraction.²²⁴E.g. I can look at the tree, or the forest, or the chlorophyll.
• Reduction vs. Abstraction

6.1.5 Contexts

• Every circumstance has multiple contexts; I can think about the same circumstance in multiple ways.²²⁵E.g. A “failing company” isn’t just financially failing, but also politically/technologically failing.²²⁶E.g. A school isn’t just a place for education, but is also a place for daycare/propaganda/feeding/socialization.
• Many unsolved problems are framed in the wrong context.²²⁷E.g. Glasses didn’t have a production problem, they had a distribution(+monopoly) problem.²²⁸E.g. Peace
• Thinking across contexts opens new solutions to problems.²²⁹It’s “thinking outside the box.”²³⁰E.g. The solution to book sales could be “better book” not “better marketing”.²³¹Bad example: XY problem

6.1.6 Results

• The rationality of past decisions has to be evaluated based on the circumstance, not the outcome.[/mfn]“A mistake is not something to be determined after the fact, but in the light of the information until that point.”[/mfn]
• Although, fundamentally, rationality is about getting results.²³²“Rational way” ≈ “the way that gets results”.
• If a process consistently brings no results, it’s not rational.²³³Note: An act can be rational, independent of the actor (who doesn’t engage in meta-reasoning).
• ∴ Error correction is everything.
• More Rational

6.1.7 Knowledge of Irrationality

• Regardless of “if I process through multiple levels of abstractions & contexts”, if the intellect fails, it’s irrational.
• Knowledge of fallacies is useful for correcting faulty logic.
• Knowledge of biases is useful for correcting faulty intuitions.
• Contradictions of “things that used to be regarded as truths(correct)” are useful references of irrationality.

6.1.8 Essential Knowledge

• Knowledge is the basis of all processes.²³⁴Information processing is impossible without information.²³⁵Even intuition is based on knowledge.
• If I have a lot of essential knowledge, it’s easier to have rational processes.
• The more objective(=falsifiable) knowledge is more likely to be true.²³⁶Politics promotes the exact opposite.
• Truth

6.1.9 Theory of Knowledge

• A solid theory of knowledge is an effective foundation for all knowledge.
• It’s a guide for discerning if a piece of knowledge is true/false.
• The Beginning of Infinity

6.1.10 Biases & Heuristics

• Biases & heuristics aren’t necessarily irrational; they (usually) trade results²³⁷ideally insignificantfor efficiency²³⁸saving a lot of time & energy²³⁹which is another type of result.
  • Heuristics may even account for biases(irrational thinking).
• Biases & heuristics are evaluated by meta-reasoning.²⁴⁰And that, if based on a solid theory of knowledge + essential knowledge, they’re better.

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6.2 Reasoning

6.2.1 Intuition

• ‘Intuition’ comes from the unconscious.
• It’s fast & creative; It doesn’t necessarily “make sense”.
• It’s often associated with emotions. It shouldn’t be.²⁴¹We often mistake emotions for intuitions.

6.2.2 Logic

• ‘Logic’ comes from the conscious.
• It’s slow & logical; It “makes sense”.²⁴²That’s the job.
• It’s generally closer to rationality.

6.2.3 Intuition vs. Logic

• ‘Intuition’ & ‘logic’ often collide.
• ∴ Rational judgement is necessary.
• With little time, intuition is the only option.
• With ample time, logic is significantly better, generally.²⁴³If something can be determined by logic, intuition doesn’t matter.²⁴⁴This doesn’t mean logical reasoning is perfect.

6.2.4 Not Enough Logic

• People tend to rely heavily on intuition, which is irrational.²⁴⁵It’s because logical reasoning is intellectually taxing; the conscious is much less powerful than the unconscious.
• The vast majority of decisions are better made with logic.
• Intuition is only more effective than logic at the edges of intellectual capacities: time shortage, OR knowledge shortage, OR vast complexity.

6.2.5 Intuition + Logic

• A person typically:

1. “Decides” by ‘intuition’, AND
2. “Justifies” by ‘logic’.

• However, adding reasons to an intuitive decision is faulty.
  • It’s motivated reasoning.
  • Logical reasoning is a means of criticism for an intuitive idea.²⁴⁶Idea as a conjecture, not a concept.
• ∴ IF: intuition, THEN: criticism.
  • If logic is used, decisions made before it are invalid.

6.2.6 Intuitive Judgements

• When dealing with vast complexities,²⁴⁷Everything except physics, more so humans/societies/etc.I have to use abstractions.²⁴⁸E.g. I can’t try to solve cancer with particle physics; I have to use chemistry (probably).
• I can add intuition on top of reasoning.
• More complexity → More Nuance ≈ More judgement(intuition)²⁴⁹Judgement is intuition + logic. If intuition is unneeded, there’s no need for judgement; it’s one way. (Computers have no judgement.)

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6.3 Meta-Reasoning

6.3.1 Meta-Reasoning

• Rationality comes from meta-reasoning.²⁵⁰In order to employ the right way, I must figure out(=reason about) what doesn’t work.
• Meta-reasoning isn’t reasoning about the actual task, but reasoning about the processing(reasoning) about the task(s).
  • It’s not exactly “finding the best way”; it’s applying constant skepticism to every (seemingly) rational process.²⁵¹Reasoning has gaps; intuition is distorted by emotion; assumptions are false. Error-correction is absolutely necessary.
• It has a separate set of requirements:
  • Self-Awareness
  • Clarity
  • Anti-Dogma

6.3.2 Self-Awareness

• Self-Awareness
• With self-awareness, I can account for my strengths/weaknesses.²⁵²E.g. If I know that I’m biased towards one decision, I can account for it in my reasoning.²⁵³E.g. If I know that my intuition is better than reasoning in guessing people’s moods, I can follow that (instead of following less-effective rules).
• It means I have a clear evaluation of the effectiveness of my intellect²⁵⁴intuition AND/OR reasoningin particular circumstances.

6.3.3 Clarity

• Clear Thinking
• If my head’s filled with junk, I can’t think straight.²⁵⁵Reasoning based on flawed knowledge & gaps in logic produces false conclusions.²⁵⁶Even intuition falters with a lot of untruths in the head.

6.3.4 Anti-Dogma

• The “rational approach” is essentially anti-dogma—being “open-minded”.
• It means questioning everything: “Why? So what? Is it?“²⁵⁷The target is usually myself: “What am I saying? Am I repeating someone else’s words?”
• It’s having a no-filter view of reality:
  • Having no conclusions(beliefs);
  • Constantly discarding prejudices;
• Yet It May Still Be False

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7.1 Money(=Value)

7.1.1 What’s Money?

• Money is: A. Store of value, AND B. Medium of exchange.
• It satisfies the conditions much better than barter.
  • A: Added consistency & permanence
  • B: Added efficiency & portability
• Unlike assets, it doesn’t inherently have/produce value.²⁵⁸Cash doesn’t catch fish; fishing rod does.
• Money-making is:

1. Creating something(service) of value, and
2. Exchanging it (with someone else) for money.

7.1.2 Money-value

• The money-value of something (to a given person) is whatever the person is willing to pay for it.
• Value = Fulfills desire(s)
• ∴ Money-value is a measure of desire.
• Hence, money-value is face-value²⁵⁹fulfilling immediate desires, not intrinsic-value²⁶⁰fulfilling ultimate desires.
• Just because you’re willing to pay 100 for ‘x’ doesn’t mean it makes your overall life 100 better.²⁶¹Remember: evaluation must happen across the whole timespan, not just the immediate.
• The measure of desire is the willingness to sacrifice.

7.1.3 Peace

• For (most) people, peace is the ultimate desire.
• The path to true-peace is ownership. However, most of ownership can’t be bought.
  • Independence can’t be bought; Freedom can be assisted.
• ∴ (Morally & Ethically) Providing freedom is the most valuable, applicable, service.²⁶²For most people.

7.1.4 Intrigue(Entertainment)

• For those without peace, intrigue is only optional.
• For those with ownership, intrigue is the ultimate desire.²⁶³The desire for intrigue grows with more peace.
• ∴ Providing intrigue is the most valuable service.²⁶⁴Given: peace

7.1.5 Almost Unmeasurable: Time

• Morally:
  • “Life itself”²⁶⁵survivalis worth ~∞.²⁶⁶In my deathbed, I’m willing to pay $∞ to live another day.²⁶⁷Given: it’s a positive experience; if life is net-negative, I’m willing to pay $∞ to die ASAP.²⁶⁸Enough pain is worth more than survival.
  • “Extra life”²⁶⁹time isn’t worth ~∞, because paying for it comes at the cost of today(time).
  • Basically, my time is worth my timely(hourly) rate; my time is worth as much as the amount of value I can produce in that time.²⁷⁰E.i. If I buy 5 life-hours for $5, but it takes >5 hours to make $5, it’s a losing deal.
  • However, with financial freedom, time is worth ~∞.²⁷¹I don’t need to recover the money spent.
• Ethically:
  • 1 life is worth as much as the cost to save 1 life. AND/OR,
  • A life is worth as much as it can contribute to the society.²⁷²1 doctor (who can save more lives) is worth more than 1 teacher, ethically.

7.1.6 Ethics

• In the short-term: Cost(Expectations)²⁷³A person pays by the expectations. – Value = Ethical-ness
• Wealth creation is ethical; wealth capture is unethical.
• Generally, a person will pay no less than the value of the service.
• ∴ Money-making is ethical.²⁷⁴because it is net-giving
• Stealing money is moral NOT ethical.

7.1.7 Competition

• If a certain product(service) already exists, creating the same product doesn’t add as much value.²⁷⁵Note: all goods are services.²⁷⁶E.g. Going from “no-phone” to “phone” changes my life completely; having “1 phone option” to “2 phone options” isn’t as life-changing.²⁷⁷E.g. The second person who discovers a physics law.
• ∴ “Zero-to-one” services²⁷⁸things that haven’t yet existedare the best; it’s ethical AND moral.
• Similar products are replaceable → competition
• Competition eliminates profits(value capture), which is ethical NOT moral.

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