Hello folks!
*On Rainy days, we may retreat to my house. Contact me directly for info.
I am glad to announce the fourth of a continuing series of Orange County ACX/LW meetups. Meeting this Saturday and most Saturdays. The first few meetings were great, and I hope to see many of you at this one.
Saturday, 9/10/22, 2 pm
1900 Port Carlow Place, Newport Beach, 92660
The Picnic tables outside the community clubhouse
33.6173166789459, -117.85885652037152
https://goo.gl/maps/WmzxQhBM2vdpJvz39
Plus code 8554J48R+WFJ
Contact me, Michael, at michaelmichalchik+acxlw@gmail.com with questions or requests.
Activities (all activities are optional)
A) Two conversation starter topics this week will be. (readings at the end)
1) Prediction Markets
2) Psychedelics.
B) We will also have the card game Predictably Irrational. Feel free to bring your own favorite games or distractions. This is a pet-friendly park and meeting.
C) There will be opportunities to go for a walk and talk about an hour after the meeting starts and use some gas barbeques if anyone wants to grill something. There are two easy-access mini-malls nearby with takeout hot food available. Search for Gelson's or Pavilions in the zipcode 92660. I will attempt to start getting snacks and food reimbursed, so free munchies and drinks (probably).
D) Share a surprise! Tell the group about something that happened that was unexpected or changed the way you look at the universe.
E) Make a prediction and give a probability and end condition.
F) Contribute ideas to the future direction of the group. Topics, types of meetings, activities, etc.
Conversation Starter Readings:
Suggested readings for this week are these summaries. These readings are optional, but if you do them, think about what you find interesting, surprising, useful, questionable, vexing, or exciting.
1) Prediction Markets
An intro to the general idea of prediction markets from Wikipedia. I concentrated more on the theory and accuracy sections. Where do you think prediction markets should be applied? Under what sorts of circumstances do you expect them to fail? What sort of “moral hazards” might they create? Can they be used to replace certain forms of regulation like drug approval and speed limits?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prediction_market
https://daily.jstor.org/how-accurate-are-prediction-markets/
2) For psychedelics:
I came across a video channel that does a good job describing the phenomenology of the psychedelic experience. This video covers the trippy topic of psychedelic entities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zFB5TvqodQ
Also featured in Scott’s story.
https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/04/21/universal-love-said-the-cactus-person/
Audio version:
https://unsong.libsyn.com/universal-love-said-the-cactus-person
This Journal article is interesting speculation on the role of psychedelics in human evolution. Not a hypothesis I generally favor but worth discussing. Did using psychedelics create a religious orientation to metaphysical themes that allowed new forms of culture to emerge that provided a selective advantage? Were cultural restrictions on the use of psychedelics necessary for larger coherent societies to form without too much lateral thinking? Are psychedelics a necessary catalyst for change and/or a disruptive factor in our current society? How will societies that allow widespread use of psychedelics compete against societies that don’t?
If you want a more general introduction to psychedelics, here is a book summary of the recent popular review of psychedelics. “ How to change your mind” by Michael Pollen
https://www.hustleescape.com/book-summary-how-to-change-your-mind-by-michael-pollan/
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