Metamodern Meaning

Can we account for meaning and value in terms of thermodynamics and information theory? Complex systems thinker Artemy Kolchinsky thinks so. He joins me to explain how we can make the idea of “meaning” tractable in rigorous formal terms by filling in what’s been missing from classic information theory about what information is intrinsically meaningful for an entity. We discuss his seminal co-authored paper with David Wolpert on semantic information, then explore connections to John Vervaeke’s relevance realization model, learning, and AI. We also consider how this framework relates to evolutionary theory and the challenges of scaling it to measure meaning across various levels of complexity.
0:00 Introduction0:56 What is Meaning in Information Theoretic Terms?12:17 Measuring Meaning18:14 Meaningful Information and Relevance Realization26:33 Learning and Viability40:29 Meaning and AI Alignment48:58 Studying How Meaning Scales54:11 Semantic Information, Evolution, and Normativity1:05:23 Operationalizing Semantic Information Theory1:14:18 Conclusion



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Post-postmodern spiritual writer Steve McIntosh discusses his journey from the progressive spirituality scene of the 70s into the Spiral Dynamics and Integral scenes of the 90s and early 2000s, then his own philosophical development from there into the emerging forms that evolutionary spirituality is taking today. In the middle of all that, we go deep into the different approaches the current scene is exploring in terms of re-thinking value and meaning as intrinsic aspects of reality, comparing perspectives on this important topic. The conversation concludes with an assessment of the still rather fractured state of the contemporary movement and the imagined benefits of pluralistic cooperation toward shared goals of cultural transformation. 0:00 Introduction1:40 Steve’s Story up to Integral Consciousness (2007)11:43 Steve’s Story from Then to Now21:29 The Nature of the Emerging Worldview25:01 Value vs. Entropy in Cosmic Evolution36:24 The Metaphysics of Meaning: What is the Origin of Value?45:46 Transcendent vs. Immanent, Static vs. Relational Accounts54:48 The Evolution of Evolutionary Spirituality1:07:22 Conclusion


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90. Modern vs. Postmodern (vs. Metamodern) Philosophy w/ Stephen Hicks
Philosopher and professor Dr. Stephen Hicks returns for a discussion about integrating critiques of the modern project and the Enlightenment ideals on which it is based. Are postmodern challenges already contained within modern philosophy or do they represent a dialectical shift beyond it in some meaningful way? Is postmodernism defined by its skepticism or by the nature of the problems it poses? Is the modern narrative of Progress undermined by the reality of the global metacrisis or can modernity self-correct? A spirited discussion exploring these questions from a modern (Hicks) vs. metamodern (Dempsey) perspective.0:00 Introduction0:42 The Quality of Modern Enlightenment Thought7:14 Where is the Dialectic? Integrating Critiques of Modernity20:27 The Question of Epistemic Pluralism35:38 The Question of Power-Knowledge and Cultural Relativism45:35 Modern Progress and the Metacrisis1:00:27 The Modern Individual vs. a Relational World1:05:39 Conclusion


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Rufus Pollock of Life Itself explains what Life Itself is about before we dive into a deep and rich conversation about the heart of this new movement we're a part of that's dedicated to a different orientation to value and meaning. What is distinctly core and emergent about this new approach and way of seeing the world? Rufus speaks eloquently about this, articulating the spirit of a Second Renaissance with beauty and emotion. 0:00 Introduction1:47 What is 'Life Itself'?31:24 What are the Reeeeeeal Deep Structures?1:01:05 A New Kind of Deep Meaning Focused on the Primacy of Being1:27:15 Conclusion


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God'swill Osa joins me to talk about his doctoral work exploring identity-formation and group consciousness, specifically in the American political context. We discuss the idea of political group consciousness and the significance of individuation and self-awareness for moving beyond the simplistic binaries of culture war acrimony. How does the current system hijack identity concerns for political gain and what healthier, more adaptive ways of thinking about identity are possible?0:00 Introduction1:00 Identity and Group Consciousness7:45 Individuation and the Complexification of Identity14:30 Who Are You When? Identity and Context18:56 Survival Strategies vs. Self-Awareness25:51 The Political-Identity-Industrial Complex34:30 Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Influences: The Better and Worse Angels of Our Nature42:41 Adaptive Diversity, Fluid Identity53:46 Saving the American Experiment1:06:51 Conclusion


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