Beware anyone who mentions the E word. Common, and generally solid advice in spiritual circles. I use it here due to a lack of good alternatives, but I might suggest that we come up with some. Apologies if I have already triggered your cringe response.
Two questions I think may be worth considering for EAs:
1 - What if enlightenment is real?
2 - What if there are reliable ways to precipitate it that are yet to be discovered?
1 - What if enlightenment is real?
What is enlightenment? And what do I mean by real?
The thing that I think may be worth looking into for EAs is not supernatural. It is the idea that it is possible to notice something, either continually or on demand, about our interface with the world that can reduce personal suffering and dramatically increase personal wellbeing. These ‘noticings’ have long been in the realm of the spiritual and religious.
By real I mean that the difference between the enlightened and the unenlightened would be starkly noticeable with various methods of wellbeing research.
2 - What if there are reliable ways to precipitate it that are yet to be discovered?
If enlightenment is real, then it is very likely that there are better and worse ways to precipitate it. Which methods have been tried in the past? Which have been the most successful? Why were they more successful? Could new technologies provide better success rates? Can we put it on the blockchain?
Summary
This would be available to almost anyone
It could dramatically increase the wellbeing of those who have the insight
Methods to precipitate it may well be cheap or free to distribute once they have been refined
There would very likely be positive secondary and tertiary effects to having more ‘enlightened’ people in the world
It may have been neglected due to supernatural associations
I’d love to know any thoughts anyone has one way or the other. I’m particularly keen to know whether this comes across as too unscientific, or maybe too intractable.
Enlightenment How?
Beware anyone who mentions the E word. Common, and generally solid advice in spiritual circles. I use it here due to a lack of good alternatives, but I might suggest that we come up with some. Apologies if I have already triggered your cringe response.
Two questions I think may be worth considering for EAs:
1 - What if enlightenment is real?
2 - What if there are reliable ways to precipitate it that are yet to be discovered?
1 - What if enlightenment is real?
What is enlightenment? And what do I mean by real?
The thing that I think may be worth looking into for EAs is not supernatural. It is the idea that it is possible to notice something, either continually or on demand, about our interface with the world that can reduce personal suffering and dramatically increase personal wellbeing. These ‘noticings’ have long been in the realm of the spiritual and religious.
By real I mean that the difference between the enlightened and the unenlightened would be starkly noticeable with various methods of wellbeing research.
2 - What if there are reliable ways to precipitate it that are yet to be discovered?
If enlightenment is real, then it is very likely that there are better and worse ways to precipitate it. Which methods have been tried in the past? Which have been the most successful? Why were they more successful? Could new technologies provide better success rates? Can we put it on the blockchain?
Summary
This would be available to almost anyone
It could dramatically increase the wellbeing of those who have the insight
Methods to precipitate it may well be cheap or free to distribute once they have been refined
There would very likely be positive secondary and tertiary effects to having more ‘enlightened’ people in the world
It may have been neglected due to supernatural associations
I’d love to know any thoughts anyone has one way or the other. I’m particularly keen to know whether this comes across as too unscientific, or maybe too intractable.