<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div>"At a high level of abstraction everything is<br>
predictable."<br><br></div>Ben, could you clarify what the above sentence means? What is "a level of abstraction"? How does it relate to prediction?<br><br></div>Ciao,<br></div>Murat<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, May 13, 2015 at 2:06 PM, B. Bogart <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ben@ekran.org" target="_blank">ben@ekran.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">----------empyre- soft-skinned space----------------------<br>
Thanks for jumping in Lyn!<br>
<br>
You write: "...in anticipation, it requires a moment where expectation<br>
of an event is delayed beyond our expectations."<br>
<br>
In the framework I'm thinking through in this discussion (where boredom<br>
is the state when the external world appears to match our predictions<br>
and offers no surprise, at some level of description and arousal is the<br>
state where the external world violates our predictions) then it seems<br>
anticipation is a prediction where the predicted event is desired.<br>
<br>
The notion of delay is interesting here. We continue to expect the event<br>
to occur, but it does not (immediately) and yet we continue to expect<br>
it. It seems anticipation is an edge between perceiving signals<br>
indicating our prediction is correct, and yet does not immediately<br>
materialize. There also seems to be some degree of abstraction involved<br>
here, not just expecting that an event will occur, but that it will<br>
occur within a particular period of time.<br>
<br>
I would expect that focusing away from the signals that reinforce our<br>
prediction (mind wandering during anticipation) would reduce the<br>
investment in the desired event. I think anticipation then would depend<br>
on continuously expecting and fantasizing the desired event.<br>
<br>
I'd like to get a little deeper into this idea of lack and boredom. In<br>
the framework above, boredom is independent of the value we attach to<br>
events that occur or not. We are bored when we are simply not<br>
experiencing anything beyond our expectations. Perhaps lack is related<br>
to abstraction. At a high level of abstraction everything is<br>
predictable, while a low level of abstraction makes everything novel and<br>
unpredictable. It seems we could think of lack as a shift towards higher<br>
level abstractions where more and more becomes predictable because of<br>
the lack of attention to details.<br>
<br>
Later you write:<br>
> meditation sometimes is applied to overcome need, to overcome lack,<br>
> to overcome desire. (In buddhism, desire is linked to the root of all<br>
> suffering). If we were to apply meditative practices as an antidote<br>
> to boredom, we find a different problem, particularly as boredom is a<br>
> primary obstacle in overcoming itself. I think if this very<br>
> abstractly as a lack cycle.<br>
<br>
I can see how meditation removes the values we attach to events,<br>
thoughts, etc. but if we consider boredom as a state where reality and<br>
exceptions agree, then it seems meditation would be an acceptance,<br>
rather than 'antidote' to boredom. How would you define boredom?<br>
<br>
I can imagine that meditative focus on self-control and detachment to<br>
predictions could be an antidote to lack. This could be manifest by<br>
shifting the level of abstraction in other other direction; moving<br>
attention to smaller and smaller details that emphasize the uniqueness<br>
of each moment and each individual.<br>
<br>
Lyn, could you elaborate on this notion of a "lack cycle"?<br>
<br>
Thanks again Lyn; I really appreciate your comments, and I think this<br>
link with meditation brings the discussion to some interesting territory.<br>
<br>
Ben<br>
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