Attention is First Philosophy
Philosophers have been worrying about distraction at least since the time of the ancient Greeks, who saw it less as a matter of external interruptions and more as a question of character – a systematic inner failure to use one’s time on what one claimed to value the most. Their reason for treating distraction so seriously was straightforward, and i
... See moreOliver Burkeman • Four Thousand Weeks
Never forget this: the nature of our attention affects the nature of our experience.
Rory Sutherland • Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life
It means realizing that the world is three-dimensional and multi-sensory and that, like it or not, we will be influenced by our environment, so our best bet is to take control of that influence by paying attention to everything that surrounds us. We may not be able to emerge with the entire situation in hand, and we may end up making a choice that,
... See moreMaria Konnikova • Mastermind
I am just as sceptical of the naïve idealist view, espoused by some post-modernists, that reality is all in our heads – we make it all up. For one thing there would be no point in my writing this, since you don't exist to read it. I take it that we bring about a world in consciousness that is partly what is given, and partly what we bring, somethin
... See moreIain McGilchrist • The Divided Brain and the Search for Meaning
Complete attention,” Weil declared, “is like unconsciousness.” As such, it is a state that does not entail a particular action or stance, but instead suggests a form of reception, open and nonjudgmental, of the world.