Dd

An objective, external world is a non-falsifiable assumption.

• The prevailing theory is that our subjective experiences correspond to an external reality. However, they may simply be subjective through and through.

• That which we claim to be evidence of external reality is actually subjective experience, which may or may not have an external and objective cause.

• Any test devised to prove objectivity is evaluated within subjectivity and therefore does not require objectivity to explain the result.

• Some object to this, claiming that the consistency of experience is best explained by an external world. However, consistent experience does not require any external mechanism, let alone the specific one we have assumed.

• Claiming that belief in an external world is simpler is like claiming that belief in God is simpler; in truth we are inventing something vast and complex without evidence and agreeing not to question it. This is not science, it is a substitute for epistemic humility.

• Much as dreams appear consistent while dreaming, that which we consider waking experience may not actually be as consistent as we believe. However, questioning this is unproductive reasoning because it undermines the value of reason itself. We must assume our experiences are rational and consistent, or else give up thinking altogether.

Experience is the only reality which is detectable.

• Whatever experience is, it is real and directly perceptible, unlike objectivity.
• Claims that experience is an illusion presuppose an objective world to which experience does not correspond.
• Pragmatic truth is supportable, correspondence is not. If an objective world can’t be proven, neither can we prove that knowledge does or does not correspond with it.
• That which produces a consistent effect in experience is useful in influencing experience in the desired way, therefore science is useful.

Materialism is religious faith.

• Just as we once invented a spirit world to help explain our experiences, we invented an objective world for which there is similar quality evidence. Both are assumed to explain experience, yet neither is directly known.
• The assertion that matter gives rise to experience is no more compelling than the assertion that experience gives rise to matter.
• The assumption of an external world has zero explanatory power, as consistent experience does not require it.
• Materialism is superior to classical religions in that it responds to pragmatic truth, but it still accepts unsupportable metaphysical claims and regards them as unquestionable.
• By contrast, noting that we have experiences does not require extrapolation or invention.

Modern civilization is optimizing materials, not experiences.

• Focus on economic metrics has allowed us to make tremendous progress in reducing starvation and otherwise improve the experience of the least fortunate. Nonetheless, the subtle error of conflating material improvement with improvement in well-being has consequences.
• In advanced societies, increases in abstract indicators of material wealth like GDP have been accompanied by negative changes in consciousness: stress, social disconnection, and increased suicide.
• The materialist assumption that improving external conditions will always trickle down to better experiences is demonstrably unreliable. Often, this assumption results in methods which improve economic indicators by reducing experiential well-being, and in these cases it is worse than nothing.
• In addition to misallocating its priorities, modern civilization also conditions people to feel powerless over their own well-being. As materialist structures (corporations, governments, economic systems) become more dominant, individuals are increasingly absorbed into mechanisms designed to optimize external conditions rather than subjective experience. People come to believe that their quality of life is dictated by forces beyond their control.
• The best way to improve experience is to optimize it directly.

The only rational goal is maximizing satisfaction.

• Long-term positive changes in consciousness are what is best in life.
• If a person achieves material or hedonistic aims but is unsatisfied in the long term, they are having a negative experience and are working against themselves.
• Secure, nourish, nurture, and build yourself and your community. Seek what is satisfying and aesthetic—that which feels good and true and beautiful. Unlike materialist assumptions, this requires no external faith, only a direct commitment to improving the reality we actually experience.

I ship products fast by owning every step: strategy, design, and front end code, plus leading the dev team through shipping. Availability for new projects begins in January (but reach out now). Tell me what you’re working on!