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Meta-Modernism: Embracing Complexity

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Key Questions

  • How can we navigate the complexities and ambiguities of modern life?
  • What role do technology and neuroscience play in shaping reality?
  • How can we address global challenges in an interconnected world?
  • How do we mitigate existential threats given rapidly evolving technology?

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Philosophical Tools

  • Oscillation between Paradigms: Balancing optimism and skepticism, sincerity and irony.
  • Interdisciplinary Integration: Merging insights from philosophy, science, art, and technology.
  • Embracing Ambiguity: Accepting uncertainty as a fundamental aspect of existence.
  • Predictive Modeling: Anticipating outcomes to make informed decisions.
  • Systems Thinking: Understanding phenomena as interconnected parts of larger systems.

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Conceptual Frameworks

  • Predictive Processing: Viewing the brain as a prediction machine that models reality.
  • Self-Models: Conceptualizing entities that perceive, act, and adapt.
  • Hyperobjects: Objects or systems so vast in time and space that they transcend traditional understanding (e.g., climate change).
  • Network Theory: Understanding complex systems through connections and relationships.

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Evolution of Thought

Meta-modernism emerges as a response to both the certainty of modernism and the skepticism of post-modernism. It embraces complexity, seeking to integrate diverse perspectives. Philosophers like Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin van den Akker describe it as an oscillation between opposing poles, combining sincerity and irony. Hanzi Freinacht emphasizes personal and societal development through integrated approaches.

Contemporary thinkers like Daniel Schmachtenberger focus on addressing existential risks and fostering collective intelligence. Donald Hoffman proposes that our perceptions are user interfaces shaped by evolution, not direct representations of reality. Michael Levin explores bioelectricity and the intelligence of cellular networks, challenging traditional views of consciousness.

Integrating predictive processing with AI allows us to model both subjective experiences and objective realities. This integration is essential for developing technologies that are responsive, adaptive, and aligned with human values.

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Key Philosophers

  • Timotheus Vermeulen & Robin van den Akker: Coined “meta-modernism,” highlighting cultural shifts that oscillate between modernism and post-modernism.
  • Hanzi Freinacht: Explores meta-modernism in social evolution, advocating for integrated approaches to complex problems.
  • Karl Friston: Developed the Free Energy Principle, influencing our understanding of the brain’s predictive nature.
  • Andy Clark: Works on embodied cognition and predictive processing, linking neuroscience with philosophy.
  • Daniel Schmachtenberger: Focuses on complexity, existential risks, and collective intelligence.
  • Donald Hoffman: Proposes that reality is not as we perceive it, emphasizing evolutionary fitness over accuracy.
  • Michael Levin: Researches bioelectricity and the collective intelligence of cells, redefining cognition.
  • Yanis Varoufakis: Economist and philosopher advocating for transparency and addressing systemic economic issues.
  • Mark Fisher: Explored cultural phenomena and coined “capitalist realism,” critiquing neoliberalism.
  • Slavoj Žižek: Combines psychoanalysis, Marxism, and Hegelian philosophy to critique contemporary culture.
  • Forrest Landry: Philosopher and systems thinker focusing on ethics, metaphysics, and the principles governing complex systems.