In philosophy, specifically in metaphysics, we often speak of what is “possible” or “contingent” and what is “necessary”. If something is necessarily true, then it cannot possibly to be false. An example of necessary truth might be mathematical theorems. If something is contingent, then it’s true but possibly could have been false. We often talk…
Tag: psychology
Sympathy for the scammer
Recently, I’ve been watching YouTube videos on channels like Scammer Payback and Scambaiter. The idea is that a person pretends to fall for a scam, then uses the opportunity to hack into the scammer’s computer or even just make the scammer angry and waste their time. Refund scams One common type of scam goes like…
Jungianism and divination
The conscious and the unconscious An important part of Carl Jung’s philosophy is the separation of (and connection between) the conscious mind and the unconscious mind. Both are parts of the self, and this implies that there is a part of the self we have no awareness of. However, that does not make it inaccessible….
Don’t be a ruminant
The suborder Ruminantia includes nearly 200 extant species in six families (Tragulidae, Giraffidae, Antilocapridae, Moschidae, Cervidae, and Bovidae), and is the most important group of large terrestrial herbivorous mammals. Hernández Fernández and Vrba 2005, p. 270 Ruminants are a cosmopolitan group of even-toed ungulates (artiodactyls). They are often distinguished from other large herbivorous mammals by…
The present’s relationship to the future
Stop being so serious. It’s destroying my mental health. Evil Neuro The glass is already broken “You see this goblet?” asks [Ajahn Chah], the Thai meditation master. “For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns….
The paradox of incentive
If something is incentivized too strongly, it becomes disincentivized. Extrinsic motivation has important social utility. It can both drive prosocial behavior and inhibit antisocial behavior. In many cases, extrinsic rewards are natural. Praise is a natural response to someone doing something we want them to do, for example, as is expressing anger towards someone for…
The magic of assertive communication
One often hears about “communication problems” and “communication skills” in regards to relationships. What is it that makes communication effective or ineffective? First, we have to answer, “effective for what?” All communication has a goal. What that goal is varies by situation. It could be to convey information, to seek out information, to make someone…
The failure of manosphere terminology
The “manosphere” is a loose collection of movements, groups, and ideologies that are connected by certain views on masculinity, femininity, and relationships. It includes the Red Pill, the Black Pill (a more extreme version of the Red Pill), MGTOW (“Men Going Their Own Way”), incel subculture, pick-up artists (PUA), men’s rights activists (MRA), GamerGate, and…
There is a psychiatrist who believes in the evil eye (and what that can tell us about psychology)
The evil eye is a very ancient superstition. The basic idea is that looking upon another person with hatred or envy actually curses that person. Moreover, the beholder need not intend to cast a curse on their victim; rather, the curse is a natural consequence of the person’s emotionally charged gaze. The evil eye seems…
thoughts on mind 