The Meaning Code

Tayo, from the UK, had the opportunity to attend the Quest for a Spiritual Home conference in Chino last month. Finding a family in the community that makes up this corner of the internet, Tayo is especially thankful for Estuary groups and the commitment of friendship within the groups. See Timestamps below for topics covered. Timestamps 00:00 Intro and Tayo's life story 16:00 How Tayo found the corner 19:30 Finding a church 24:00 Talking about Estuary 33:45 Speaker's Corner 38:00 The experience of the Estuary at Chino, the "as if" feeling, the assumption of trust 45:00 John Vervaeke and his 4 P's of knowing 49:30 Another conception of Estuary. Its telos is friendship and the freedom to play. Is there an "out of bounds"? 52:00 Tayo's description of The Meaning Code channel as a place for scientists to "play" with ideas. 55:50 A discussion of a previous conversation with Justin Wells, art and narrative structure 1:02:05 The Meaning Code builds a bridge to bring new ideas into the corner 1:04:00 Getting corn plants to generate their own nitrogen 1:07:00 Tayo's illustration of John Vervaeke's emanation/emergence dance! 1:11:00 The autodidact space 1:13:00 N. T. Wright's role in Tayo's journey 1:27:30 Seeing demotion as an opportunity, the frame of gratitude and humility 1:31:45 God has got His reasons A link to the Justin Wells conversation that Tayo mentions enjoying so much: Documentaries with Justin Wells: Looking Down to Look Up: https://youtu.be/XqOhjRS072Y

Lucas Vos was introduced to Karen Wong's channel through his brother and was interested in her conversations with Wolfgang Smith and John Vervaeke. He was born in 2001 and grew up in a rural area in the Netherlands with a Protestant church-going family. Not interested in church, drinking and partying in high school drove him to ask how his parents still offered unconditional love. His own desire to better himself led him to the self-help section of Youtube, which eventually led him to Jordan Peterson. Links below timestamps: Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:15 Lucas details his journey from rebellion to faith, his interest in history, philosophy and Eastern and Christian worldviews. 12:25 Exploring the Impact of Self-Help and Psychedelic Experiences on Faith 12:35 Self-help as a gateway to Jordan Peterson 16:20 Psychedelics and Christianity 24:58 The asymptote 28:00 The impact of Participatory Practices, Ayahuasca and John Vervaeke 34:20 The power of having a grounded tradition instead of just a spiritual experience 39:00 The benefits of boundaries and commitment in relationships 50:18 The journey toward marriage 53:20 Egyptology - Joe Rogan and Graham Hancock, Immanuel Velikovsky, war in the heavens and a worldwide flood 1:01:47 The Relationship between Jesus, the Bible, and the Truth, the Way, and the Life. Truth found in Chinese characters and artifacts in other languages and cultures.1:07:00 Discussion of Monotheism and Polytheism in Ancient Egypt 1:12:26 Lucas asks Karen about how she became a Christian (conspiracy theories and fear v. Faith and peace) 1:26:10 Transforming through faith 1:28:06 Introducing Lucas’ new YouTube channel on meaning and metaphysics. If you have an idea for a title, drop it in the comments:-) Karen's talks with Paul VanderKlay, a good introduction to The Meaning Code channel. Art, Chaos, Information, Jesus is the Axis: https://youtu.be/HlMgGkwWUNY From Hippie Prepper to Christian Artist: https://youtu.be/ZC03aNsPHOQ Immanuel Velikovsky - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Velikovsky&crid=21KJX4MQQK5Z4&sprefix=velikovsky%2Caps%2C140&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 Links from Lucas: His Ayahuasca experience: https://youtu.be/oGW8piXqFao Lucas' channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Lucasvoz The song we talked about, In the Valley, He Restoreth My Soul - various versions This one because the comments below the video are awesome: https://youtu.be/TunsbrLBxiA This one is fresh and young:-). https://youtu.be/WXJvNfoxskU Including this one because the lyrics and many wonderful verses are in the description section below the video: https://youtu.be/r_a014JObkI And for those who prefer a male voice: https://youtu.be/LL90MDww5Ew The vertical and horizontal discussed on The Meaning Code with Jeremy Firth: Jeremy on Structure and Flexibility, The Two Great Commandments: https://youtu.be/6IfWU3zQRjI

Jump to 3:20. If you want the intro of my guests, start at the beginning. Episode is also on YouTubeDr. Michael Levin, developmental biologist and pioneer in the area of morphogenesis and regenerative possibilities meets with Matthew Segall, a philosopher who sees Alfred North Whitehead's cosmology as a way forward in healing the rift between philosophy and science. They discuss the role of behavior, environment, time and necessity in shaping life. Timestamps and links follow description. The relationship between philosophy and science is tied together now by the work in developmental biology. Advances in science can help to sharpen philosophical categories. Plato's static view of forms and Aristotle's great chain of being need to be revolutionized to account for the emergence of forms in evolutionary history. Mechanistic science has been successful in terms of instrumental knowledge, but has left out formal and final causes. Whitehead's view of evolution as an accumulation of facts in the past and a field of possible forms in the future was discussed, as well as the agency that is needed to search this field of possibilities. Perhaps the environment is massively underdetermined, but pattern memory can be visualized and rewritten. Finally, Levin posited that "proof of humanity" must be related to the level of compassion, ability and existential struggles that humans have. Timestamps are from YouTube video and will be off by 15 seconds.Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:20 Question regarding Michael Levin's view of the relationship of philosophy and science. 06:15 Developmental biology is the key to looking at the relationship between philosophy and science. 22:30 Whitehead's injunction to take self-organization seriously 28:30 Free energy principle and the agency of the environment 28:50 The environment is massively under-determined 32:45 Engineering protocols. What do I need to know in that spacetime environment to most optimally relate to that system? 33:45 How Whitehead might relate to the idea of cognitive light cones 47:55 Anomaly 51:30 Determinism is a side effect of the deistic hangover of Newton and Descartes The Observer is within the world being observed, and has an impact on it. 55:40 Mechanistic cosmology is deism, basically. We need a new metaphysic. 58:30 We are more than just perceiving beings 1:01:45 Every cell is trying to behavior shape its neighbors 1:11:00 The Logos as ordering principle 1:13:20 Ingression of relevant novelty The relationship between perception, agency, and intelligence as collective efforts. 1:16:10 Does the prompting of the oak tree leaf presuppose that the subroutine that creates the gall is already present in the leaf? 1:20:00 When a salamander regrows a limb, is that a memory capacity? 1:22:50 Energetic transmission is a kind of vector feeling (Whitehead) What is the Place of Thinking, Feeling, and Willing in Nature? 1:23:50 The project is the sentience of physics and the physics of sentience 1:24:34 The distinction between control and relationship The Paradigms of Control v. Relationship The Spectrum of Persuadability Levels of Controllability 1:28:50 Ethical considerations and the movement from force to persuasion Michael Levin's website: https://allencenter.tufts.edu Matthew Segall's website: https://footnotes2plato.com Books by Matthew Segall: https://footnotes2plato.com/books/ Michael Levin's TAME paper (scroll down for Figure 1): https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2022.768201/full

Balazs Kegl, a computer scientist with a PhD in AI joins today for a discussion about recognizing the danger inherent in the fears that surround the rapid development of AI. Also available on Youtube.A wide ranging conversation that includes ideas that come from the following resources: Balazs Kegl's Substack: https://balazskegl.substack.com/p/the-case-for-aligning-the-ai-scientist The AI Dilemma: https://youtu.be/xoVJKj8lcNQ Alignment experiments, here both the text and the video are vital. https://community.openai.com/t/agi-alignment-experiments-foundation-vs-instruct-various-agent-models/21031 John Vervaeke on AI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-_RdKiDbz4 Quote from Martin Shaw: "Limit is the difference between growth and death."

Matt Segall weaves together the thought of Descartes, Kepler and Alfred North Whitehead in a deep synthesis with biology, physics, cognitive science and theology. Timestamps in comments. Matt Segall's website is full of great resources, videos, articles, online classes, etc. https://footnotes2plato.com/about/ His article, the Universe as a Work of Art: Images of the Cosmos in Plato Descartes and Kepler: https://footnotes2plato.com/2011/08/16/the-universe-as-a-work-of-art/ Matt's conversation with John Vervaeke from 2020: https://youtu.be/FHkIi1KZ_qk Karen's discussion of sacrifice, actuality and potential: https://youtu.be/6cbq4u2C8dk Books by Matt Segall: The Re-Emergence of Schelling https://www.amazon.com/Re-Emergence-Schelling-Philosophy-Time-Emergency/dp/3659524247/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1YUDK81UL6L8H&keywords=Matthew+Segall+books&qid=1659564534&sprefix=matthew+segall+books%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-5 Physics and the World Soul https://www.amazon.com/Physics-World-Soul-Whiteheads-Adventure-Cosmology/dp/1948609363/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2KBIGXS0BZ3YN&keywords=Matt+Segall&qid=1659564377&sprefix=matt+segall%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-4 The simplification of Wolfram's Theory by Mark Jeffery: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX6kNQ9Kt3LL6kLd4hC7sQ/videos

Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 05:32 Geeky Kid to Engineer: Ian Glendinning's Journey Ian Glendinning is an engineer from the northeast of England who has had a long career in the energy business. He grew up as a geeky kid, reading Jacob Bronofsky's Ascent of Man and excelling in STEM subjects. 14:41 Exploring the Complexities of Information Management Ian Glendinning and Karen Wong discuss the complexities of information management, from the physical technology mismatch between office-based design and hands-on construction to the need for digital twins and sophisticated models to capture the relationships between physical items. They also explore the challenges of using AI to discover patterns and relationships in free-form text. Managing Information23:41 Exploring the Difference between a Spade and a Shovel and how this difference can be used to illustrate the complexity of writing specifications. They also explore the implications of this complexity in the civil engineering and aerospace industries, and how it has led to a shift in thinking about physical models of the world. 28:09 Exploring the Concepts of Cybernetics and Systems Thinking, including the differences between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd order thinking, the role of feed forward and feedback loops, and the functional relations between internal and external systems. The application of these concepts to the example of a watch, and the difficulties of multitasking with multiple screens. Cybernetics 35:03 Exploring the Relationship between Physical and Functional Relationships including the idea that physical relationships are better thought of in terms of what they do, rather than what they physically are. They explore the concept of scalability, and how it applies to metaphysics and pre-intellectual societies. They also discuss the idea of mutuality in experiencing, and how it relates to observer disturbance. Functional Relationships 43:11 Examining the Relationship Between Actions and Beliefs Values are betrayed by one's actions, and that in the last few hundred years, people have become more focused on intellectual identification than on direct participatory actions. They also discuss the importance of understanding the intent behind a piece of information, and the potential for hidden agendas. 46:43. Comparing the Perspectives of Iain Mcgilchrist and Mark Solms on Brain, Mind, and Consciousness They note that the two are friends, but have not referenced each other's work in any published paper or book. Ian Glendinning suggests that the two are both right, but have slightly different perspectives on the matter. They also discuss the scalability of this kind of thinking and how it relates to industrial information modeling..

Karen and Matt discuss reality, transhumanism, attention and habit formation. The Mary Harrington video clip starts at around 25:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufy9t-VLrzU&t=1503s The video w Jonathan Pageau, beginning at about 18:00, but the whole thing is great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbZk_YDex2E&t=2s The video on bacteria I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXWurAmtf78 The prayer book Matt mentioned, Orthodox Christian Prayers: https://stmpress.com/ Maximos the Confessor, The Ambigua, Volume 1: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674726666

Matt and I explore the concepts of rootedness versus stuckness, and discuss how these might work out in the idea of marriage, not just the covenant of marriage, but the way that the idea of marriage is near the very beginning of everything. The summary from AI.Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:21 Discussing the Concepts of Being Rooted and Stuck00:06 Karen Wong and Matthew Dean Allison discuss two concepts that have come up in the last month since they last talked: being rooted and being stuck. They bring up a video that Matthew sent to Karen to illustrate the concept of being stuck and discuss how it relates to a parable from the Bible. They then decide to focus on the concept of being stuck and how it applies to their lives. 11:19 Exploring the Benefits of Marriage Over Cohabitation Karen - the advantages of marriage over cohabitation, with Karen sharing her own experience of a difficult first ten years of marriage and the helpful teachings of Bill and Annabelle Gilham on the sandpaper principle. They also explore the idea of making a vow to a partner as if it were a vow to God, and how relationships can be functional and essential like a tree in a thunderstorm. The Advantage of Being Stuck The purpose of marriage and how it helps each partner grow into who they are created to be. 20:24. Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Marriage & relationship Matt and Karen discuss the implications of social media on marriage, using the analogy of the WWE and chair shots. They explore how social media often only shows the "froth" of a marriage, and how this can lead to unrealistic expectations. They also discuss how in the past, private matters were kept private, but in the 21st century, this is no longer the case. 23:40. The importance of pursuing one's highest good in marriage and life. Discussing the importance of pursuing one's highest good in marriage and life. Mattemphasizes the importance of patience and practice in preparation for marriage, and the need to be aware of the dangers of social media in creating unrealistic expectations. 36:40 Exploring the Hierarchy of Values and the Marriage of Heaven and EarthThe hierarchy of values and the marriage of heaven and earth. They explore the idea of a meta space, where evolution can search for what it needs, and the concept of teleology. They also discuss the idea of marriage as a crucible, where two disparate things can come together to form something new. Finally, they consider the idea of the feminine archetype providing the question, and the masculine archetype providing the answer, and how this puts the horse in front of the cart. Hierarchy of Values 56:54. Exploring the Benefits of Discipline and Precision Matt discusses the importance of discipline and precision in achieving one's goals, comparing the process of lighting a candle to the rigors of a boot camp. He suggests that both approaches can be beneficial, and that everyone should strive to find their own path to realizing their own dignity. 1:00:12. Qualifying Human Interaction with the Veil of the Tabernacle Testimony Matt discusses the significance of the lighting of the lamps in front of the testimony or in front of the tent of testimony in Leviticus. He explains that the law exists to help us become aware of our human dignity and to approach the limit between us and God with qualification, drawing a comparison between this and the story of the wise and foolish virgins in the New Testament, noting that the foolish virgins were missing something important. 01:05:32. They discuss the importance of maintaining quality in life and how it is connected to creating energy. Chaos theory and the value of a root in its place. They explain that if you give up on quality, you start to degenerate and that it is important to build habits into your life that keep you on a quality track

Sevilla and Karen consider some of the main points from the recent conversation with D C Schindler and how his work may relate to the work of Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance). Here's the AI summary:-) Karen and Sevilla King discussed the idea that love is the source of all being, and that beauty is the interface with reality that allows us to recognize and love God. They discussed how beauty changes us inwardly and how it is received and transforms the appetite. How the left and right hemispheres of the brain work together to select from the menu of the universe. They also consider the difference between the visceral experience of love and the act of love, with Karen citing Scott Peck's book The Road Less Traveled to explain the biochemical and neurological response of cathexis. The idea of love is different for each person, and it is important to develop trust in order to stay in a relationship. Karen and Sevilla delve into the difference between being and becoming, and how God's love is an example of pure love that does not ask anything in return. They also discuss the idea of perfection and how it is an asymptotic relationship, and how the sophists believed in excellence above everything. They also touched on the challenges with striving for excellence, the personal God versus postmodernism, and the concept of projective geometry. The idea of the yoke, which is a symbol of a voluntary relationship between two people, and how it relates to striving for excellence. Timestamps 00:00 Intro 20:59 What is the sense that Schindler means by beauty? 55:23 How do we differentiate the love of God from the human experience of love? 01:19:28 What Was It About the Sophists That Makes Us Use the Word as a Pejorative? 01:35:03 What is the best way to go in a particular situation?

Karen and Ryan continue their discussion of Dorothy Sayers' classic, The Mind of the Maker, using Chapters 7 and 8 as a starting point. Here's the AI summary of the talk. Timestamps0:00 IntroReflections on a message about the hunger for righteousness and how it relates to impostor syndrome. How the law intensifies sin and how Eve chose to fill her hunger for righteousness with the knowledge of good and evil instead of companionship with God. How impostor syndrome can have both a good and bad side, and how it can be used to build the future. 12:46 An example journey of Resolving Resentment and Reconciliation In The Adam Project (a movie), Adam travels back in time to rescue his wife, but instead finds his twelve-year-old self. Through his journey, Adam learns to reconcile his resentment towards his father and to love his younger self. 19:35 God's Love in a Time of Need. Karen recounts a time four years ago when she experienced God's love in a time of need. She carried the scar as a wound of honor for a long time. This story serves as a reminder of God's love and protection in times of need. Exploring the idea of good and evil in the process of human creation