Reason Is Fun

Lulie and David are joined by guest Mark Alexander, the Producer of Art of Accomplishment's Great Decisions course, to do a deeper dive into how decisions are made.

They discuss having competing wants, Popperian problem-solving, the difference between 'shoulds' and a non-coercive (fun!) version of morality, emotion, and the participation of different subconscious processes in decision making.

Mark asks "What are 'hangups'?", and David discusses mental blocks and how to get back to a creatively problem-solving state of mind. Lulie shares a problem she has with getting back to that creative place, namely: when do you go into your resisted feelings, and when do you analyse the problem? 

00:00 Introducing: Lulie, David and Mark!

Memes article by David Deutsch: The Evolution of Culture

If you're looking to improve your relationship with decisions in 2024, Art of Accomplishment is offering its once-a-year Decisions course starting January 11th. (Sign-ups close this Monday January 8th.)

Discount code for $100 off: 

I'll be a participant this year too, so this is a chance to do it alongside me as I share my own deep-dive journey there. Hope you'll join me!

Lulie and David chat about decision making. They discuss the roles of creativity, institutions and emotions in decision making, and the misconception that decisions are made by analysing data. 

The conversation explores how decision making isn't a mechanical process, but rests on creative thinking. David criticises Decision Theory as a framework for decisions, and Lulie wonders to what extent decision-making requires emotion.

00:00 Introduction – we're BACK, baby!

If you're looking to improve your relationship with decisions in 2024, Art of Accomplishment is offering its once-a-year Decisions course starting January 11th. (Sign-ups close Monday January 8th.)

Discount code for $100 off:

I'll be a participant this year too, so this is a chance to do it alongside me as I share my own deep-dive journey there. Hope you'll join me!

Lulie asks David Deutsch more about inexplicit ideas, what it means to be an inexplicit idea, and the nature of internal language. They also debate whether cognition is embodied.

This is very much an 'into the jungle' episode, where neither of us know a lot about some of the topics discussed, but it's a lively conversation.

Lulie asks David Deutsch about how he came to the concept of 'inexplicit ideas' (knowledge that isn't in words), and it became a conversation about how inexplicit knowledge relates to quantum physics.

TWITTER

[The audio quality in this one isn't as pristine as last time, which had the lovely Sarah Melody Vinci doing sound mixing. I hope to get it sorted for future episodes! Also, apologies for the late update – I aim to release these every second Saturday, but this weekend was EAG.]

Lulie asks David Deutsch probing questions about the 'fun criterion', and they explore why it's necessary for rational thought.

They also discuss:

- Difference between mindless fun and fun-criterion 'fun'

- What about conflicts between explicit theories and what seems fun?

- What is suffering?

- Is anger good?

- Debating whether anger is an appropriate response to external suffering

- Creativity, conflicting theories and problems

- Do we need bodies and feelings to think?

- What makes the difference between enjoyable and suffering situations?

TWITTER

Lulie asks physicist David Deutsch about the epistemology of Effective Altruism, how to make progress given the unpredictability of knowledge, and whether we should be concerned about existential risk.

TWITTER

Lulie Tanett: @reasonisfun

David Deutsch: @DavidDeutschOxf

Feat. @BasedBeffJezos

Lulie asks physicist David Deutsch about his disagreements with the prevailing view on artificial general intelligence and modern AI.

• epistemology

• how AI differs from AGI

• limits of LLMs

• why the Turing Test is not a test.

TWITTER

David Deutsch: https://twitter.com/DavidDeutschOxf/

Lulie Tanett: https://twitter.com/reasonisfun/

Link to the episode on Twitter – Ask questions here: https://twitter.com/reasonisfun/status/1645528342509043713