Building a Science of Consciousness

In this episode, we discuss the idea of developing a "psychedelic language" based on QRI paradigms and recent experience reports. We suggest that a fruitful strategy for pointing at a whole family of psychedelic effects comes in the form of "field operators" that change the qualitative properties of our experiential fields. We provide a detailed description of what we call the "world-sheet" of exp...

In this episode, we explore the difference between happiness and meaning, and why so many people believe that meaning is better than happiness. We discuss the concept of "the tyranny of the intentional object", which refers to the tendency for the mind to believe that what it wants is semantically meaningful experiences. In reality, what we want under the surface is to avoid negative valence and a...

In this episode, we discuss some states of consciousness in which the individual has more control over the contents of their experience. We explore the idea of having an "experience editor" which would enable more conscious exploration of our possible states. We also consider the implications of knowing everything about our world-simulation, and how this knowledge does not have to lead to boredom.

In this episode, we take a serious look at the question of why there is something rather than nothing. We explore the idea of Zero Ontology, which postulates that the multiverse is implied by the preservation of "zero information". In order to understand Zero Ontology, we need to do some conceptual groundwork. We walk the listener through several concepts that make the question go from "impossible...

In this episode, we explore the idea that there are many undiscovered states of consciousness that are unique and irreducible. We discuss how this framework can help us understand unique scents, and how the receptor affinity profiles of drugs, drug cocktails, and drug schedules can give rise to unique states of mind. We also reflect on how a productive mindset is likely to be High Entropy Alloy-li...

In this episode, we explore sleep paralysis and some of the strange experiences that can occur during this state. We also share tips for how to get out of a sleep paralysis if you find yourself trapped in one.

In this episode, we explore the universal plot of reality, which is the highest level of narrative that determines what is "relevant to the plot" at any given point in time. We discuss how this framework allows us to re-interpret and unify all previous "scales of moral/conceptual development". In turn, it makes solving disagreements in a principled way possible.

In this episode, we explore how graph analysis can be used to control the spread of contagious diseases. We discuss the difference between the aesthetic of pure math vs. applied statistics when it comes to making sense of graphs, and how this can be applied to identifying people with a high centrality in social networks. We also talk about the Klout score, and how it can be used to prioritize who...

In this episode, we explore the question of why DMT feels so real. We explain that it has to do with the way that DMT alters our senses and emotions, as well as our ability to organize models of reality. We also discuss the fact that DMT can give us powerful hallucinations in every modality, which can make it seem like we are experiencing a completely different reality.

What would it be like to have a scent-based medium of thought, with grammar, generative syntax, clauses, subclauses, field geometry, and intentionality? How do we go about exploring the full state-space of scents (or any other qualia variety)?

In this episode, we explore the concept of "phenomenal time", which is the feeling of time passing. We discuss how this is different from physical time, and how Albert Einstein's discovery of the connection between space, time, mass, and gravity has led to a greater understanding of the ways in which time can manifest. We also explore the idea of "exotic phenomenal time" experiences, which include...

In this episode, we discuss the ways in which tolerance to benzodiazepines can develop, and how this can lead to extremely difficult withdrawals. We argue that the commonly held view of drug tolerance is delaying promising research avenues, such as "anti-tolerance drugs". We think that NAD+ IV therapy and flumazenil show promise for treating benzodiazepine withdrawal, and encourage people to share...

In this episode, we explore what it means to be responsible and sensible when confronted with the fact that pain and pleasure follow a long tail distribution? When discussing ultra-painful or ultra-blissful experiences one needs to take off the glasses we use to reason about "room temperature consciousness" and put on glasses that actually take these states with the seriousness they deserve.

Topics covered: Non-Duality, Symmetry, Valence, Neural Annealing, and Topological Segmentation. https://QRI.org/blog/5-meo-dmt-vs-dmt