Awakening from the Meaning Crisis
Ep. 2 - Flow, Metaphor, and the Axial Revolution
Feb 6, 2019
Explore the fascinating connection between shamanism and flow states as tools for enhanced consciousness and meaning-making. Discover how rock climbers and jazz musicians achieve peak performance through flow and implicit learning. Delve into intuition's role in recognizing complex patterns and how external influences shape our thinking. Finally, consider how literacy transforms cognitive processes, fostering self-awareness and moral responsibility in personal and societal growth.
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Quick takeaways
- Flow states induce enhanced cognition, insight, and restructuring of thinking, leading to improved adaptation and survival.
- Implicit learning supplements intuition, enabling the detection of complex patterns without conscious awareness, enhancing problem-solving and decision-making.
Deep dives
The Upper Paleolithic Transition and Meaning-Making
During the Upper Paleolithic transition, humans experienced a radical change in how they utilized their cognition. Shamanism played a significant role in altering states of consciousness and enhancing meaning making. Shamanic practices involved disruptive strategies like sleep and sex deprivation, psychodics, chanting, and dancing to induce flow states. Flow states, characterized by being in the zone and having demands just beyond one's skill level, were deeply positive and connected to meaning in life. Flow states enhanced cognition, insight, and the ability to restructure thinking, leading to improved adaptation and survival.
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