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my best experience in the previous course was feeling validated as kabbalah aligns greatly with my existing world view. i hope to learn a more formal methodology to what i previously have done intuitively.
i found the entire course inspiring as it aligns greatly with the world view i had before studying kabbalah. this not only validated my reasoning thus far, but also indicateskabbalah is the path for me.
i hope others find it calls to them the way it does to me.
the reason i am studying kabbalah is because it is the closest match to that which i had already deduced. i am currently looking for the differences, and arguments for and against those differences, so that i may better refine my world view.
do kabbalists believe the in reality?
i believe the free will discussion is better phrased in terms of determinism. as stated in the videos, our dna (out of our control) determines our brain’s internal wiring and proclivities towards a life of crime or spiritual experiences. our initial state is formed by prenatal care, cultural experience, geographic location, etc. none of it in out control. neuroscientists have mapped out brain regions, how neurons trigger and retard currents, and even how memories are formed and accessed. every one of these processes follows deterministic cause and effect. every state we perceive relies on the state prior. therefore, you can’t build a free will device, along any axis, from deterministic components. note that these things don’t just influence our decisions, but are 100% responsible for making them.
how then can one “choose” to study kabbalah or “choose” an intent? such a “choice” must be as pre-determined as everything else. to believe in reality and free will, even a single axis of free will, falls into the “ghost in the machine” argument.
of course that argument assumes reality exists and consciousness and free will are illusions. alternatively, one could argue that reality does not exist, and that the “ghost in the machine” argument is is built upon the fallacy of the “delusional gamer” who believes the “matrix” is reality. hoffman’s work on a collective consciousness projecting “reality” and nima arkani-hamed’s work on the amplituhedron which suggests that time and space are emergent, both support such a notion.
what does kabbalah have to say on the topic?
does reality exist, and if so, where is the mechanism for the free will of intent.
my experience with the previous course was tainted by the requirement to complete 100% of the course before being able to access other course materials. i guess it was a lesson in the lack of free will. i am hoping this course will explain more about where the mechanism for that degree of freedom resides.
