Holy fuck Michael! The way you tied the experience with that equation and your calculator together with your doubt — was incredible. The piece concluded with such a poignant and powerful point. I realised just as I was reading the last line where you was going with it and I was like ‘wow!’ You brought it altogether so well.
There were a lot of lines in this piece that resonated with me, but none more so than this one — “obsessing over three tiny moments in an otherwise successful day marks my default state.” — I wish I didn’t relate to this so much but I do. Ohh how I do haha. Stay strong bro, keep challenging that doubt!
Also, I really like maths and numbers, but I dropped out of school well before I learnt about the stuff you was talking about in this piece. And when I went back to uni it was for philosophy not math. So I was wondering about something you said, so please correct me if I’m wrong.
But the term ‘asymptotic’ — would I be stretching to the metaphor too far if I was to say something like: “it’s possible that humanity will actually never figure out consciousness because although it appears as if we’re making progress towards understanding it, given our position as consciousness trying to figure itself out, that progress is asymptotic in nature. In that we will never actually get there no matter how much we progress.”
I know it’s a math term, but would that be a fair way to use the term outside the realm of maths? (Sorry, I know that’s a hell weird question, but the philosopher in me couldn’t help but ask haha)
I’m glad you enjoyed it. I knew my starting and ending places—that decades-later realization about computational cost—but it took me a few days to bridge it properly. I was just talking with my friend last night about this was a funny one because it is using something mathematical as a metaphor, but also it just kinda starts as math. I’m glad it wasn’t alienating.
Your use of asymptotic is perfect. I read your passage as, “Our understanding of consciousness will keep getting better and better always, but by tiny little bits, forever approaching a comprehensive grasp, but never actually touching it.”
I really appreciate this comment. Your excitement really landed. Somedays, math sure doesn’t seem exciting, but I loved trying to bridge a nitty gritty concept from it into something meaningful in a broader sense. I feel better about it now. Thanks Michael!
I think you did great to use maths to bridge the concept. I found myself intrigued when it started out with nitty gritty math stuff because I was like “where is he going with this?” And so, to see it all come together was very satisfying.
And wonderful, I’m so glad I’ve grasped the meaning of the word asymptotic! Now all I have to do is find a way to use it in my writing hehe
Holy fuck Michael! The way you tied the experience with that equation and your calculator together with your doubt — was incredible. The piece concluded with such a poignant and powerful point. I realised just as I was reading the last line where you was going with it and I was like ‘wow!’ You brought it altogether so well.
There were a lot of lines in this piece that resonated with me, but none more so than this one — “obsessing over three tiny moments in an otherwise successful day marks my default state.” — I wish I didn’t relate to this so much but I do. Ohh how I do haha. Stay strong bro, keep challenging that doubt!
Also, I really like maths and numbers, but I dropped out of school well before I learnt about the stuff you was talking about in this piece. And when I went back to uni it was for philosophy not math. So I was wondering about something you said, so please correct me if I’m wrong.
But the term ‘asymptotic’ — would I be stretching to the metaphor too far if I was to say something like: “it’s possible that humanity will actually never figure out consciousness because although it appears as if we’re making progress towards understanding it, given our position as consciousness trying to figure itself out, that progress is asymptotic in nature. In that we will never actually get there no matter how much we progress.”
I know it’s a math term, but would that be a fair way to use the term outside the realm of maths? (Sorry, I know that’s a hell weird question, but the philosopher in me couldn’t help but ask haha)
I’m glad you enjoyed it. I knew my starting and ending places—that decades-later realization about computational cost—but it took me a few days to bridge it properly. I was just talking with my friend last night about this was a funny one because it is using something mathematical as a metaphor, but also it just kinda starts as math. I’m glad it wasn’t alienating.
Your use of asymptotic is perfect. I read your passage as, “Our understanding of consciousness will keep getting better and better always, but by tiny little bits, forever approaching a comprehensive grasp, but never actually touching it.”
I really appreciate this comment. Your excitement really landed. Somedays, math sure doesn’t seem exciting, but I loved trying to bridge a nitty gritty concept from it into something meaningful in a broader sense. I feel better about it now. Thanks Michael!
I think you did great to use maths to bridge the concept. I found myself intrigued when it started out with nitty gritty math stuff because I was like “where is he going with this?” And so, to see it all come together was very satisfying.
And wonderful, I’m so glad I’ve grasped the meaning of the word asymptotic! Now all I have to do is find a way to use it in my writing hehe
Thanks Michael :)