DavidM comments on Meditation, insight, and rationality. (Part 1 of 3) - Less Wrong

35 Post author: DavidM 28 April 2011 08:26PM

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Comment author: DavidM 29 April 2011 12:20:45PM *  3 points [-]

Do you have statistics or studies concerning the claim that Buddhist physicists are not advantaged in science? How would you even begin to rationally approach the issue? It seems complicated---you'd have to adjust for education levels, the possibility that meditators are inclined to pursue subjects other than physics, the fact that meditation takes up time that could otherwise be devoted to studying physics, different cultural backgrounds of meditations vs. controls...

Intuitively, I think your claim is likely to be true, but I can't really see how you can rigorously support it. Data on the % of Buddhist physicists, if it even exists, would only be scratching the surface of what you would need to support your claim. (Not that I want to debate the claim. But if you feel it's important, I want a non-handwavey argument.)

A better model for enlightenment, meditation and rationality, I'd say, is that these things give you tools that allow you to be more rational if you're so inclined. As with everything in life, it's your own goals and inclinations that determine what you do with them.

An analogy is drinking coffee. Paraphrasing Paul Erdos, a mathematician is one who turns coffee into theorems. Do coffee drinkers have a special advantage in mathematics? Probably not. So perhaps Erdos was wrong; perhaps having to empty one's bladder more often actually interferes with being a good mathematician? Again, probably not. Most likely, drinking coffee leads to mathematical productivity for people who are interested in increasing mathematical productivity.

Comment author: novalis 29 April 2011 05:47:55PM 1 point [-]
Comment author: [deleted] 30 April 2011 01:46:11AM *  1 point [-]

A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems.

Attributed to both Alfréd Rényi and Paul Erdős

Comment author: [deleted] 29 April 2011 06:12:59PM 1 point [-]

Heh, coffee (and caffeine in general) is such an ingrained part of the culture here.