So, while we don’t have any scientifically valid theory about what such “energy” could be—all traditional explanations of it make no sense to the modern understanding of physiology—we can bring a certain empirical sensibility to our experiences anyway. We can become spiritual pragmatists. We can accept “energy” and its various traditional maps in a... See more
chakras in the west is funny because you have so many disbelievers who have no experience with it and so many professed believers who also have no investment, knowledge, or experience with it
If you’re looking for a good entry point into woo land, I recommend this book as a practical way to investigate the territory for yourself. It makes no big claims about reality. It just gives you some linguistic games to play that highlight the boundaries of the simulation. https://t.co/gRRXdX3E6Y
my go-to definition, that comfortably dismisses much the nonsense that often gets caught up in ‘woo’, is “experiences that cannot be articulated by the part of the mind that can only understand experiences by articulating them”
when we tell stories about magic but coat those stories with a layer of "btw magic is impossible" we are saying that having power and helping people is impossible
The hippie world & the science world can be reconciled, here's how to do it:
1. Take a break from arguing over mechanism/metaphysical assumptions (HIPPIE: It works because of mystical energy! RATIONALIST: There's no such thing!)
2. Empirically test whether there are... See more