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This is going to be an online meetup using Zoom. If you've never used Zoom before, don't worry — it's easy to use and free to join.

Click on the Zoom link below at the scheduled date/time to join the discussion...

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SELF-HELP FOR SKEPTICS:

CAN SECULAR BUDDHISM, MODERN STOICISM, APPLIED RATIONALITY OR POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY ACTUALLY IMPROVE YOUR LIFE?

INTRODUCTION:

Since the beginning of a New Year is often a time for New Year's resolutions where people reflect on what they'd like to change about their life, I thought it might be useful to revisit a meetup topic we covered back in Sept. 2020 -- i.e. self-help methods for skeptics. This discussion will focus mostly on reducing stress, maximizing happiness & thinking about problems more rationally, but (if there's sufficient interest) future meetups could look at the evidence for other avenues of self-improvement -- like physical fitness, work productivity, relationships, personal financial management, etc.

From the "human potential movement" of 1970s and the "self-esteem movement" of the 1980s to the self-help hucksters of the early 21st century like NLP guru Tony Robbins and "The Secret" author Rhonda Byrne, the scientific skeptic movement has done a fairly good job exposing and debunking some of the more dubious self-help systems, especially those that are based on supernatural claims or some form of pseudoscience. However, even as some self-help gurus are publicly discredited and once popular books are forgotten, there are many more that arise to fill the gap, suggesting that behind the self-help industry in the U.S. (raking in $10 billion annually) there is a perennial human desire for real methods of self-improvement.

One of the major realizations that many skeptics & atheists have made in recent years is that, even as most organized religions are based on dubious claims about the supernatural, there's a lot of evidence that suggests participation in a religious organization can make people happier. This has prompted a search for secular replacements for religion that incorporate sound principles from psychology & sociology about what promotes happiness & social cohesion. Unfortunately, the search for the ideal secular self-help system is complicated by the fact that many people live in areas where there are no secular self-help groups. In many cases, the closest equivalent may be a secular humanist organization or atheist meetup that provides some opportunities for socializing, but they don't typically focus on self-improvement. Luckily, online communities have arisen to fill this gap, and there's hope that if one or more secular self-help systems prove to be highly effective at fostering self-improvement this may result in the founding of dedicated practice groups across the U.S.

So what's the current state of secular self-help systems, and what looks promising from an evidence-based perspective? That will be the topic of this discussion...

In the first section of this discussion, we'll address "Secular Buddhism", i.e. Buddhist philosophy & practices stripped of any supernatural beliefs or devotional practices. The Buddhist practice that is most commonly adopted as a self-help method is "mindfulness meditation" which involves purposely bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment. It derives from the Buddhist concept of "sati", and the methods used for the cultivation are typically based on Zen, Vipassanā, and Tibetan meditation techniques. It became popular with some skeptics & atheists after it was discussed in Sam Harris's best-selling book, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion (2014). Harris mentions it frequently on his podcast, and the release of his "Waking Up" meditation app in 2018 has further stimulated interest among his fans. Since the 1970s, scientists have have investigated meditation and found some possible benefits in terms of stress reduction. However, as we'll see, critics within psychology have questioned both the commercialization and the over-marketing of mindfulness for health benefits - as well as emphasizing the need for more randomized controlled studies, for more methodological details in reported studies, and for the use of larger sample-sizes. Critics within the Secular Buddhism movement have also criticized the "mindfulness fad", noting that even if the meditation is done correctly, it neglects other types of meditation like "metta bhavana" that focuses on cultivating "loving-kindness" (good will to all sentient beings), as well as the other elements in the "Eightfold Path" (e.g. abstaining from lying, abusive speech, or gossip; abstaining from intoxicants; abstaining from pornography, etc.). This means the mindfulness fad can lead people to falsely equate spiritual progress with gaining proficiency in a small set of meditative techniques. However, many Western meditators have adopted vegan diets, tried "mindful eating" & "mindful drinking" and/or experimented with the new trends of "social media detoxing" and "dopamine fasting" (periodic abstinence from pleasurable activities) in ways similar to an updated version of the Eightfold Path. We'll discuss the whether or not this actually improves self-control and promotes well-being.

In the second section, we'll look at "Modern Stoicism", a recent intellectual and popular movement aimed at reviving the practice of Stoic philosophy and adapting its practices to provide peace of mind and cultivate self-discipline mind the challenges of life in the early 21st century. Many people in the skeptic movement were introduced to Modern Stoicism by Massimo Pigliucci, the former co-host of the Rationally Speaking podcast, who wrote an article entitled "How to Be a Stoic" in the NY Times back in 2015 and has since authored several books on the subject. Stoic philosophy seems promising to many skeptics searching for a science-based form of self-help, since it was the part of the inspiration for some of the methods used in Albert Ellis' "Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy" (REBT) when it was originally developed in the 1950s, and REBT was the major precursor of "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" (CBT), widely considered to be the most evidence-based form of psychotherapy available today. While Modern Stoics often draw upon CBT, many tend reject the Deism and "appeal to nature" that was central to ancient Stoic philosophy. However, many of them do embrace other elements from traditional Stoic philosophy, such as ascetic practices like cold showers and intermittent fasting, as well as the four classical virtues (temperance, fortitude, justice, wisdom) and a belief in universalism & cosmopolitanism. Modern Stoicism has spawned numerous blogs, podcasts, and online forums such as the Stoicism Today blog and the New Stoa forum. Yet the movement has attracted some criticism from pundits & journalists who often take exception to how Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs have embraced certain aspects of Stoicism, even while maintaining a wealthy lifestyle and profiting off internet technologies that cause widespread problems with distraction, anxiety and social strife.

In the third section, we'll look at "applied rationality" which is a methodology that has emerged over the last decade from the online "rationalist community", in particular the online "LessWrong forum", founded by Eliezer Yudkowsky in 2009, and the "Center for the Applied Rationality" founded in Berkeley, California by Julia Galef, Anna Salamon, Michael Smith and Andrew Critch in 2012. The "applied rationality" movement promotes lifestyle changes believed to lead to more accurate evaluation of evidence and better decision-making. It often focuses on learning to spot and avoid cognitive biases described in the work of the psychologist Daniel Kahneman. It also teaches practitioners to use "Bayesian inference" (i.e. a looser application of Bayes' Theorem from probability theory) to incrementally update one's beliefs. Over the last few years, many people from the rationalist community have become affiliated with the "effective altruism" (EA) movement, which promotes evidence-based approach to helping make the world a better place, mostly through charities, but also through promoting causes like veganism & environmentalism. The EA movement coalesced around the online groups "Giving What We Can", founded in 2009 by philosopher Toby Ord, and "80,000 Hours", founded by the philosopher William MacAskill in 2011. Critics of the rationalist & EA communities tend to accuse them of being "elitist" for drawing much of their membership from tech workers in Silicon Valley and academics. Critics also claim their tendency to focus on futuristic scenarios like "the Singularity" and "hostile AI" is akin to older Christian notions of the Rapture and the Apocalypse, and serves as a distraction from more important goals. Critics of EA often fault it for putting a bandaid on social problems through philanthropy rather than pushing for systemic change.

In the fourth section, we'll take a look at the field of "positive psychology", a new domain in academic psychology that began in 1998 when Martin Seligman chose it as the theme for his term as president of the American Psychological Association. Unlike most other domains of psychology which tends to focus on treating various forms of mental illness or social deviance, positive psychology focuses on nurturing talent and improving normal life. Although its formal founding was relatively recent, positive psychology built on the work done in the mid-20th century by Abraham Maslow, Rollo May, James Bugental and Carl Rogers in what was known then as the "humanistic psychology" movement. As we'll discuss, laypeople often mistakenly equate the field of positive psychology with the popular self-help method of "positive thinking" as expounded in the books of non-credentialed authors like Napoleon Hill and Norman Vincent Peele, and many journalists have focused on early concepts from the field of positive psychology or its precursors in humanistic psychology - notably Maslow's "hierarchy of needs" - without being aware they've been long since succeeded by more empirically based concepts. Positive psychology has grown considerably as a field in the last 20 years, and its major theories now include Martin Seligman's PERMA model which posits 5 elements of well-being (Positivity, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Achievement) and the "Values in Action Inventory of Strengths" (VIA-IS) which is a psychological assessment measure designed to identify an individual's profile of 24 "character strengths", organized in relation to 6 underlying "core virtues". However, as we'll see, critics within psychology have faulted the field for a weak evidential basis for some of its claims, as well as for mixing ethical philosophy and empirical science.

RELEVANT MATERIAL FROM PAST MEETUPS:

The 1st section of our meetup deals with mindfulness meditation, and we covered some material related to this back in January of 2019 in a meetup entitled "Is Secular Buddhism True?" We looked at the scientific evidence for meditation as a treatment for anxiety & depression as well as a way to encourage more empathy for others & curb violence. We also discussed whether meditation validated the "modular mind" theory, and whether the experience of "ego death" was a a positive experience or likely to lead to disassociation.

The 3rd section of our meetup deals with the rationalist community, and we looked at them before back in January of 2019 in a meetup entitled "Can Skeptics Fight Irrationality Without Succumbing To It?" We addressed some critiques of skeptic & rationalist movements for allegedly promoting "scientism" and "techno-utopianism", and we looked at claims that the recent decline in religiosity in the U.S. might lead to a "crisis of meaninglessness" and worsen political tribalism.

The 4th section of our discussion deals with the emerging field of "positive psychology", and back in January of 2018 we had a meetup entitled "The Science of Happiness" that addressed the results of research on what increases overall happiness for individuals. We reviewed Martin Seligman’s Five Elements of Well-Being from his "PERMA" model (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Achievement), and then discussed phenomena like hedonic set points, the hedonic treadmill, and the diminishing utility of wealth for happiness. We also looked at 3 paradoxes that have been discovered by happiness research: the paradox of choice, the friendship paradox, and the parenting paradox.

Although we won't address it in this meetup, it's worth mentioning that many self-help methods are based on Neuo-Linguistic Programming (NLP), a fringe branch of psychology that is often touted by proponents as valuable method for self-help, as well as sales tactics & dating advice. We covered it briefly back in February of 2019 in a meetup entitled "The Science of Hypnosis" -- see the 2nd section. As we discussed, NLP has not found much support for its claims over the past 40 years in the experimental literature, suggesting that it's probably best regarded as a pseudo-science, even though hypnosis has some evidence suggesting can be useful for several types of therapeutic interventions.

I had considered looking at Jordan Peterson's bestselling self-help book 12 Rules for Life as well as the mix of Jungian psychoanalysis and evolutionary psychology he promotes, especially since the psychiatrist Scott Alexander gave the books surprisingly good review over on his old blog, SlateStarCodex. However, it's worth remembering that back in March of 2020, we had a meetup entitled "Is Jordan Peterson (Kinda Sorta) Right About Religion?" where we discussed how Peterson's ideas relate to recent research in the fields of "neurotheology" and evolutionary psychology. In general, we concluded that while there's some evidence to suggest that human "spirituality" (for lack of a better term) may have a basis in evolved traits, Peterson's use of Jungian archetypes and his argument that civilization could collapse from secularization are not very evidence-based.

CAVEAT: The success of any self-help method depends not only on how effective it is for individuals, but also how likely it is to catch on with the general populace in a way that it continues to yield noticeable benefits when taught from a standardized curriculum by a wide variety of instructors. I have some doubts about whether or not self-help methods can scale up to a societal level, based on an earlier meetup we had entitled "A Skeptical Take on Education" where we looked at various reasons that educational interventions that appear to work in small trials typically can't be scaled up to work nationwide. The reason that new educational methods typically don't yield impressive results may also explain why we might not see big differences in outcomes at the population level if we look at widely taught self-help methods - i.e. there's heavy genetic components in individuals' IQ & Big Five personality traits. Most self-help systems promise improvements in mental prowess, creativity, self-discipline, controlling negative emotions, and relationships with other people, but these abilities all depend on relatively fixed traits, namely Intelligence, Openness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Extraversion & Agreeableness respectively.

There's also the problems of "learning loss" (for those who discontinue training) and "learning transfer" (for those who can't apply insights learned via one type of training to other areas of life). And when a training system proliferates, the quality of instruction often varies so much that on average it doesn't exceed self-study. That said, there's often a big difference between suboptimal study and no study at all when it comes to proficiency in specific skills, so we shouldn't discount the possibility that simply getting many people to try certain self-help methods might yield big benefits if even a significant fraction of them stuck with it.

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DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR OUR DISCUSSION:

The videos & articles you see linked below are intended to give you a basic overview of some of the approaches to psychological self-help that often appeal to skeptics & atheists. As usual, I certainly don't expect you to read all the articles prior to attending our discussion.

The easiest way to prepare for our discussion is to just watch the numbered videos linked under each section - the videos come to about about 54 minutes total. I realize that this is a bit more than I typically ask our members to watch, so just get through as much as you can. The articles marked with asterisks are just there to supply additional details. You can browse and look at whichever ones you want, but don't worry - we'll cover the stuff you missed in our discussion.

In terms of the discussion format, my general idea is that we'll address the topics in the order presented here. As you can see, I've listed some questions under each section to stimulate discussion. We'll do our best to address most of them. I figure we'll spend about 30 minutes on each section.

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I. SECULAR BUDDHISM AS A SECULAR LIFE PHILOSOPHY & ITS RELATION TO SELF-HELP METHODS:

  • ARE THE "FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS" EMPIRICALLY SOUND IN LIGHT OF WHAT PSYCHOLOGY STUDIES TELL US ABOUT THE "HEDONIC TREADMILL"?
  • DOES MINDFULNESS MEDITATION ONLY PROVIDE SHORT-LIVED STRESS RELIEF, OR DOES IT IMPROVE "EXECUTIVE ATTENTION" & DECREASE OUR DISTRACTIBILITY IN THE LONG TERM?
  • SHOULD MINDFULNESS MEDITATION BE SUPPLEMENTED WITH LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION? DOES THE LATTER HELP INCREASE EMPATHY & REDUCE ANGER?
  • ARE FLOATATION TANKS (A.K.A. SENSORY DEPRIVATION TANKS) A GOOD WAY TO SPEED UP ONE'S PROGRESS IN MEDITATION, SINCE FLOATING IN DARKNESS HELPS TUNE OUT EXTERNAL STIMULI?
  • ARE TAI CHI & YOGA EFFECTIVE FORMS OF "MOVING MEDITATION" FOR PEOPLE WHO STRUGGLE WITH SEATED MEDITATION? IF SO, CAN ANY REPETITIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT REQUIRES MENTAL FOCUS BE USED IN THIS WAY (E.G. RUNNING, GARDENING, ARCHERY, MARTIAL ARTS FORMS, JUGGLING)? OR DO TAI CHI & YOGA POSES & THEIR BREATHING METHODS HAVE ESPECIALLY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON MOOD & MINDSET?
  • WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE OF THE FACT THAT SAM HARRIS HAS EXTENSIVE TRAINING IN MEDITATION BUT ADMITS PROBLEMS WITH USING SOCIAL MEDIA? IS THIS A FAILURE OF "LEARNING TRANSFER" OR MORE RELATED TO HARRIS NEGLECTING THE BUDDHIST DOCTRINE OF "RIGHT SPEECH"?
  • WHY ARE MANY SCIENTISTS SKEPTICAL OF THE SILICON VALLEY FAD OF "DOPAMINE FASTS" - I.E. ABSTAINING FROM POTENTIALLY ADDICTIVE PLEASURES (I.E. VIDEO GAMES, SOCIAL MEDIA, SUGAR, ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, DRUGS, SEX/MASTURBATION, ETC.) TO "RESET" ONE'S ABILITY TO EXPERIENCE PLEASURE & HAPPINESS?
  • ARE "MINDFUL EATING" & "MINDFUL DRINKING" GOOD WAYS TO ENCOURAGE MODERATION BY SAVORING EACH BITE/SIP & MONITORING HOW FULL/TIPSY YOU ARE, OR IS IT BETTER TO ABSTAIN ENTIRELY FROM UNHEALTHY FOODS & ALCOHOL?
  • HOW BENEFICIAL ARE SILENT MEDITATION RETREATS? WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE OF THE REPORTS OF POTENTIAL HARMS TO PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH, PARTICULARLY INEXPERIENCED MEDITATORS?
  • IS "SPIRITUAL BYPASSING" A REAL PROBLEM - I.E. IS BUDDHIST TRAINING A POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY, SUCH THAT IT CAN MASK BUT NOT HEAL CERTAIN MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES LIKE PTSD? HOW ABOUT OTHER ISSUES, LIKE DEPRESSION & ANXIETY?
  • ASIDE FROM THE ETHICAL ARGUMENTS, ARE THERE PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS TO ADOPTING A VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN DIET AS MANY SECULAR BUDDHISTS DO? WHY HAVE SOME STUDIES LINKED NON-MEAT DIETS WITH DEPRESSION?

1a) Seeker, "Mindful Meditation: Miracle Cure or Media Hype?" (video - 3:12 min.)

1b) After Skool, "Dopamine Fasting 2.0 - Overcome Addiction & Restore Motivation" (video - 10:00 min.)

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II. MODERN STOICISM AS A SECULAR LIFE PHILOSOPHY & ITS RELATION TO SELF-HELP METHODS:

  • SHOULD ASPIRING STOICS START BY SEEING A CBT THERAPIST, OR CAN SELF-STUDY OF CBT PROVIDE THE SAME BENEFITS?
  • DOES "NEGATIVE VISUALIZATION" - I.E. IMAGINING WORST-CASE SCENARIOS, INCL. DEATH - RELIEVE OR PROVOKE STRESS? HOW DOES IT RELATE TO "MORTALITY SALIENCE"?
  • DO JAMES PENNEBAKER'S STUDIES OF "EXPRESSIVE WRITING" SUGGGEST STOIC JOURNALS CAN HELP INDIVIDUALS GAIN INSIGHT INTO THEIR PROBLEMS & PURGE NAGGING THOUGHTS?
  • CAN STOIC JOURNALS HELP WITH GOAL-SETTING & SELF-CRITICISM THAT WILL BOOST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE LONG TERM?
  • DO COLD SHOWERS & ICE BATHS PROVIDE PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS? IF SO, DOES IT DEVELOP "MENTAL TOUGHNESS" BY EXPOSING ONESELF TO DISCOMFORT, OR IS IT DUE TO SOMETHING ELSE, LIKE ALTERING BLOOD FLOW OR NERVE ACTIVITY? IS THE "WIM HOF METHOD" DOEVTAIL WITH THIS, OR IS IT PARTLY PSEUDO-SCIENCE?
  • DO OTHER METHODS OF EXPOSING ONESELF TO MINOR DISCOMFORT & REMAINING CALM (E.G. WEARING AN ITCHY WOOL SWEATER, SLEEPING ON A HARD FLOOR) HELP BUILD "MENTAL TOUGNESS"? OR IS THIS SORT OF THING A WASTE OF TIME WHEN YOU COULD SEEK DISCOMFORT BY CHALLENGING YOURSELF IN MORE PRODUCTIVE WAYS, LIKE EXERCISING, DOING USEFUL WORK & RESISTING THE URGE TO SCRATCH THE "DIGITAL ITCH" (I.E. CHECKING ONE'S SMART PHONE)?
  • IS INTERMITTENT FASTING A GOOD WAY TO PRACTICE SELF-CONTROL & LOSE WEIGHT, OR DOES IT POSE PHYSICAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL RISKS THAT SUGGEST MERELY FOLLOWING A HEALTHY DIET IS BETTER?
  • CAN SELF-SOOTHING TACTICS SOMETIMES SAP ONE'S MOTIVATION TO ACCOMPLISH DIFFICULT TASKS IF YOU QUASH YOUR REGRET AT NOT ACTING RATHER THAN YOUR RESISTANCE TO TAKING ACTION?
  • CAN A FLAWED UNDERSTANDING OF THE "DICHOTOMY OF CONTROL" LEAD PEOPLE TO ASSUME PROBLEMS WITHIN THEIR POWER TO CHANGE ARE JUST THINGS THEY HAVE TO LEARN TO ACCEPT, LEADING TO "LEARNED HELPLESSNESS"? CAN THE "TRICHOTOMY OF CONTROL" HELP PEOPLE REALIZE SITUATIONS WHERE THEY HAVE LIMITED CONTROL?
  • IS THE RECENT A.P.A. GUIDELINES FOR COUNSELING MEN THAT MENTIONED "STOICISM" AS AN ELEMENT OF "TOXIC MASCULINITY" AN INDICTMENT OF STOIC PHILOSOPHY OR JUST THE COMMON MEANING - I.E. EMOTIONAL SUPPRESSION?

2a) University of Exeter, "Workshop about Stoic philosophical therapy and its modern uses" (video - 7:06 min, start at 2:00)

2b) Andrew Kirby, "3 Problems With Stoicism" (video - 8:32 min, start at 0:56)

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III "APPLIED RATIONALITY" & "EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM" AS SECULAR LIFE PHILOSOPHIES & THEIR RELATION TO SELF-HELP METHODS:

  • CAN "COGNITIVE DEBIASING" TRAINING REDUCE COGNITIVE BIASES IN THE LONG TERM? IF SO, CAN IT BE DONE THROUGH SELF-STUDY?
  • IS THE KEY TO AVOIDING COGNITIVE BIASES MOSTLY JUST REMINDING YOURSELF TO JUST SLOW DOWN SO YOU CAN USE WHAT DANIEL KAHNEMAN CALLS "SYSTEM 1" RATHER THAN "SYSTEM 2" (DELIBERATIVE RATHER THAN INSTINCTIVE THINKING)?
  • IS "KEEPING YOUR IDENITY SMALL", AS PAUL GRAHAM SUGGESTS, GOOD ADVICE? HOW DOES IT RELATE TO WHAT JOHN NERST CALLS "COGNITIVE DECOUPLING" - I.E. ISOLATING VARIABLES FROM THEIR BROADER CONTEXT TO FORMALIZE HYPOTHESES & DETERMINE CAUSALITY? CAN NOT ASSOCIATING SPECIFIC SELF-HELP MEASURES (E.G. QUITTING A BAD HABIT, TRYING A NEW DIET OR EXERCISE REGIMEN, ADOPTING NEW SPENDING & SAVING HABITS, GETTING A NEW JOB) WITH YOUR OVERALL IDENTITY HELP ALLEVIATE FEARS OF "SELLING OUT"? CONVERSELY, CAN CREATING A NEW IDENTITY & JOINING A NEW SOCIAL CIRCLE SOMETIMES BE BENEFICIAL FOR STICKING WITH SELF-HELP MEASURES?
  • WHAT EVIDENCE DO WE HAVE THAT CFAR'S SEMINARS ARE EFFECTIVE? IS IT NECESSARY TO REINFORCE THE SKILLS LEARNED AT SEMINARS BY ATTENDING WEEKLY OR MONTHLY RATIONALITY MEETUPS?
  • ARE CFAR'S SEMINARS MOSTLY AIMED AT UPPER-LEVEL BUSINESS EXECS & TECH INNOVATORS WHO HAVE CONSIDERABLE AUTONOMY AT WORK & STRIVE TO BE MORE EFFICIENT & BETTER AT PROBLEM-SOLVING? CAN LOWER-TIER WORKERS STILL APPLY CFAR'S METHODS AT WORK? IF NOT, COULD THEY USE CFAR'S METHODS FOR PERSONAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, OR REACHING HEALTH & WELLNESS GOALS?
  • IS THE RATIONALIST COMMUNITY WRONG TO PROMOTE BAYESIAN INFERENCE FOR CASES WHERE THERE AREN'T GOOD STATS TO USE FOR PRIOR PROBABILITY - IS THIS JUST "GARBAGE IN - GARBAGE OUT"? OR DOES PHILIP TETLOCK'S "GOOD JUDGEMENT PROJECT" PROVIDE A PROOF OF CONCEPT FOR THE USEFULNESS OF BAYESIAN INFERENCE & UPDATING POSTERIOR PROBABILITIES (I.E. AT LEAST AS IT APPLIES TO GEOPOLITICAL FORECASTING)?
  • CAN RATIONALITY TRAINING PRODUCE ARROGANT "LOGIC BROS" BY ENABLING CONFIRMATION BIAS, OR DOES IT TEND TO ENCOURAGE EPISTEMIC HUMILITY?
  • CAN RATIONALITY TRAINING LEAD TO A NEGLECT OF EMOTIONAL NEEDS, POOR SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE, OVER-QUANTIFICATION (McNAMARA FALLACY) AND/OR "ANALYSIS PARALYSIS", OR IS THIS JUST THE "STRAW VULCAN" STEREOTYPE?
  • DOES THE OCCASIONAL DISCUSSION OF "SCI-FI" TOPICS LIKE THE SINGULARITY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, CRYONICS, THE SIMULATION HYPOTHESIS, ETC., DISCREDIT THE RATIONALIST COMMUNITY AS A "QUASI-RELIGION", OR DO THESE TOPICS SEEM "WEIRD" MERELY BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE ARE IGNORANT OR IRRATIONAL WHEN IT COMES TO THINKING ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY?
  • ARE DREAMS OF TECHNOLOGICAL UTOPIAS BENEFICIAL? CAN THINKING OPTIMISTICALLY ABOUT THE SOCIETAL BENEFITS OF INNOVATION HELP MAKE PEOPLE MORE HAPPY, ESPECIALLY IF THEY WORK IN A STEM-RELATED FIELD?
  • DOES "EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM" HAVE BENEFITS FOR SELF-HELP? IS HELPING OTHERS A NECESSARY COMPONENT OF FINDING A SENSE OF MEANING & PURPOSE IN ONE'S LIFE, OR ONLY FOR PEOPLE WITH HIGH LEVELS OF EMPATHY & AGREEABLENESS?
  • DOES APPLYING THE "COLD" RATIONALITY OF "RETURN ON INVESTMENT" METRICS TO CHARITIES MAKE GIVING LESS REWARDING, OR DOES IT GIVE DONORS MORE ASSURANCE THEIR MONEY IS ACTUALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE?
  • DOES THE E.A. STRATEGY OF "EARNING TO GIVE" - I.E. PURSUING A HIGH-EARNING (AND PROBABLY HIGH-STRESS) CAREER & GIVING MOST OF IT TO CHARITY - MAKE MOST PEOPLE UNHAPPY? IS IT PSYCHOLOGICALLY MORE REWARDING TO DO LESS STRESSFUL WORK THAT DIRECTLY BENEFITS OTHERS?
  • DOES THE PHILOSOPHY OF EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM ASK TOO MUCH & PRODUCE GUILT IN THOSE WHO WON'T OR CAN'T ACCEPT VOLUNTARY POVERTY? WOULD A MODERATE FORM OF EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM THAT BALANCED HELPING OTHERS WITH SELF-ACTUALIZATION BE BETTER?
  • DOES EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM UNDERCUT SELF-WORTH & SELF-CARE, OR CAN ALTRUISTS LEARN TO BALANCE THEIR OWN NEEDS WITH THOSE OF OTHERS?

3a) Luke Muehlhauser, "The Core Theories of Rationality" (video - 22:39 min, listen to 9:10)

3b) Bret Weinstein & Heather Heying, "Effective Altruism is like Catholic indulgences on steroids" (video - 7:59 min.)

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IV. POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENTIFIC FIELD & ITS RELATION TO SELF-HELP METHODS:

  • IS THE FIELD OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY WHOLLY RELIANT ON SELF-REPORTS FOR MEASURING HAPPINESS & WELL-BEING, OR CAN IT BE VERIFIED & MEASURED IN OTHER WAYS BY LOOKING AT PROXIES THAT USUALLY MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY (E.G. INCOME, RELATIONSHIPS, FREE TIME, ACHIEVEMENTS, HEALTH METRICS)?
  • IS THE V.I.A. SURVEY OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS COMPARABLE TO THE D.S.M., OR IS IT LESS RELIABLE BECAUSE IT'S BASED ON SELF-REPORTING RATHER THAN DIAGNOSIS?
  • DID THE DEBUNKING OF THE THEORY BEHIND THE "CRITICAL POSITIVITY RATIO" - AN EXACT RATIO OF POSITIVE-TO-NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES (2.9013) THAT DISTINGUISHES "FLOURISHING" FROM "LANGUISHING" PEOPLE - CAST ALL OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY INTO DOUBT, OR JUST THAT ONE STUDY?
  • WHY ARE MANY PSYCHOLOGISTS CRITICAL OF MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS? DOES HAVING ALL OUR BASIC NEEDS MET PREDISPOSE US TO BECOMING JADED OR EVEN DEPRESSED?
  • CAN SAVORING EXERCISES (E.G. SAVORING WALKS, TEA MEDITATIONS) & "GRATITUDE JOURNALS" COUNTERACT HEDONIC ADAPTATION PROMPTING US TO APPRECIATE SMALL PLEASURES? DO THEY EVENTUALLY BECOME REPETITIVE & LOSE THEIR EFFECT?
  • DOES EXPRESSING GRATITUDE (VIA LETTERS OR VISITS) GENERALLY MAKE PEOPLE HAPPIER, OR CAN IT BACKFIRE & PROMOTE FEELINGS OF GUILT FOR NOT HAVING SAID "THANK YOU" EARLIER OR MAKING PEOPLE FEEL OBLIGATED TO RETURN FAVORS?
  • DOES BODY LANGUAGE HAVE A FEEDBACK EFFECT, SO THAT CAN MAKE YOURSELF HAPPIER THROUGH "EXPANSIVE POSTURE" & SMILING? IF SO, WHY DID "POWER POSES" FAIL TO INSPIRE CONFIDENCE IN FOLLOW-UP STUDIES?

4a) Kurzgesagt, "An Antidote to Dissatisfaction" (video - 10:01 min, start at 6:07)

4b) Stephen Tallett w/ Nash Popovic, "Positive Psychologist critiques Positive Psychology" (video - 6:43 min.)

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Mindfulness Meditation
Positive Psychology
Self-Help & Self-Improvement
Rationality and Reasoning
Stoicism

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