Qualia Computing

Now would be a good time to get Gwern's excellent and interesting study out again [0] and i'll also take the opportunity add a further link [1], the content of which I found extremely interesting and thought provoking given both my experimental history with substances (including both micro and macrodosing LSD) and my background in Biochemistry and as a Doctor. [1] looses almost all credibility in my beliefs when they say micro-dosed LSD makes you (believe it or not) too creative for most paying jobs

I don't believe there is any evidence for microdosing making you more creative.
What I do believe I got out of microdosing however was the incredibly mischievous feeling that I was doing something so naughty, that it lifted my whole day and mood.

So kids, don't waste your cash (or acid) on microdosing (unless you really want to, but don't be under any illusions this is going to subtly or radically change your life in any way shape or form outside of the placebo component) it's the modern day snake oil and per [3] I would suggest that the comment It seems that the “ubersmart twentysomething set” is looking for a “healthy” alternative to Adderall is pretty on-point.

[0] http://www.gwern.net/LSD-microdosing
[1] https://qualiacomputing.com/2016/08/20/wireheading_done_right/
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2015/11/27/lsd-microdosing-the-new-job-enhancer-in-silicon-valley-and-beyond/#59a54323188a

Hello IIAOPSW!

I think you are thinking about it in exactly the right way! Have you not, perhaps, been consuming content from the Qualia Research Institute? :-)

Seriously - at QRI we think quite similarly. Please reach out if you'd like to have a chat. See my comment on the main thread for some useful links. I'll add as well that indeed repetition is the building block of cognition, and this is due to harmonic resonance!

In particular, we have taken steps to actually quantify empirically the properties of various visual tracer effects on psychedelics as a proof of concept for how to quantify harmonic resonance in the brain.

See: "Modeling Psychedelic Tracers with QRI’s Psychophysics Toolkit: The Tracer Replication Tool" - https://qualiacomputing.com/2020/10/09/modeling-psychedelic-tracers-with-qris-psychophysics-toolkit-the-tracer-replication-tool/

And also, you may find quite insightful to read: "On Dark Rooms, Jhanas, Ecstasy, and the Symmetry Theory of Valence" - https://qualiacomputing.com/2021/10/31/on-dark-rooms-jhanas-ecstasy-and-the-symmetry-theory-of-valence/

This latest link is my response to Scott Alexander writing about our theories.

Infinite bliss! :-)

Hi AstralStorm,

You may want to check out some of the background research to get a sense of what this piece is trying to do-- I can recommend:
- Atasoy's YouTube talk on CSHW (as linked and transcribed here: https://qualiacomputing.com/2017/06/18/connectome-specific-harmonic-waves-on-lsd/ )
- Carhart-Harris and Friston's REBUS model: http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/content/71/3/316/tab-article-info
- More recently, Friston's Waves of Prediction:
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000426

Likewise, a great paper for understanding why a story focused on e.g. glial cells, cell types, and such is unlikely to produce substantial results about e.g. psychedelics: https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005268

Beyond that, I would suggest the most helpful criticism is specific. If you don't agree with something, good to point out exactly what you disagree with. :)

I've heard from multiple people now that a dose of LSD brought their smell back. Reasoning theoretically, any 'neural annealing'[1] or 'neuroplasticity-promoting' activity may have the same effect. Try engaging in sensuous, pleasing activities (meditation, music, spa revery, gentle play in nature) where you temporarily lose yourself and let your brain discover new connections.

In other words, if you don't take psychedelics, try cultivating vibes like [2] or [3] in your life, or whatever your version of that looks like. Certain films are also a good pointer, like [4] and [5].

[1] https://qualiacomputing.com/2021/05/08/healing-trauma-with-neural-annealing/

[2] https://www.youtube.com/c/cnliziqi/videos

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL49M0WkcLc

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrAz1YLh8nY (Terrence Malik)

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRW_GgqUzjU (Tarkovsky)

A lot of people are quite unhappy with it, yes, but... Consciousness is still very much still a philosophical problem. Think of Marr's levels, functionally, LLMs and humans are quite similar, but algorithmically? How about the implementation layer? There are still many, many mysteries to be solved in the realm of philosophy of mind and LLMs should serve as reminders that Consciousness and Intelligence are not the same.

May I suggest this reading? https://qualiacomputing.com/2022/06/19/digital-computers-will-remain-unconscious-until-they-recruit-physical-fields-for-holistic-computing-using-well-defined-topological-boundaries/

Currently reading Philip K. Dick's "Exegisis," which are his letters and diary entries about his descent (ascent?) into something similar, before he died of a stroke.

I'm reading it because after reading about other great minds chased down a similar theme where they seemed to discover something later in life and retreated from the world to explore it. I wanted to see what a set of reference points might look like.

The end of this article references something called "wireheading," which seems to be a deeper explanation of why the article was written. https://qualiacomputing.com/2016/08/20/wireheading_done_right/