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Philip Dhingra
Philip Dhingra

616 Followers

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Published in

Philosophistry

·Aug 21

There Is No Fire Alarm for Alien Invasion, Either

Imagine a hundred spaceships come out of warp near Alpha Centauri, 4.5 light years away. Our smartest astrophysicists believe the ships are approaching Earth, and that they will arrive within our vicinity between 10 and 70 years from now. …

Ai Safety

2 min read

There Is No Fire Alarm for Alien Invasion, Either
There Is No Fire Alarm for Alien Invasion, Either
Ai Safety

2 min read


Published in

Philosophistry

·Aug 14

Confusing Plausibility with Probability in AI-Safety

Is there an analog of the Lizardman’s Constant, but for scenario estimation? If someone tells you a plausible scenario that has no outside view, what is the immediate probability that your heart assigns? Is it 5%? The problem with the standard AI Extinction line is that there is no good…

AI

2 min read

Confusing Plausibility with Probability in AI-Safety
Confusing Plausibility with Probability in AI-Safety
AI

2 min read


Published in

Philosophistry

·Aug 13

How to Build a Universe

Is there a name for “unifying theories of the Universe”? For example, I’m a fan of the free energy principle, which roughly states that human brains — and by extension, the Universe — are trying to reduce uncertainty. …

Philosophy

2 min read

How to Build a Universe
How to Build a Universe
Philosophy

2 min read


Published in

Philosophistry

·Jul 17

Do animals share our sense of beauty? What about causality?

There is a book making the rounds, An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us. But what if the opposite of the subtitle is true and animals share the same world as us? If we could talk to animals, would we find out that they also…

Animals

2 min read

Do animals share our sense of beauty? What about causality?
Do animals share our sense of beauty? What about causality?
Animals

2 min read


Published in

Philosophistry

·May 8

Diffing the DSM

Is talk therapy on the “right side of history”? — Imagine that it’s 1980, and you find out hysteria has been finally removed from the DSM (The Diagnostic Statistical Manual, i.e., the tome psychiatrists use to determine what is and isn’t a disorder). You high-five your friend and say, “At last, this sexist stigma has been banished from the psychiatric…

Psychiatry

5 min read

Diffing the DSM
Diffing the DSM
Psychiatry

5 min read


Published in

Philosophistry

·Mar 17

Can You Be Addicted to NOT Taking Drugs?

The short answer is yes. Consider these statements: “I don’t know. My mind feels more clear.” “Honestly, I just feel more alive.” “This is my body, and I can do what I want with it.” These could be the words of a cocaine addict, but they could also be of…

FDA

2 min read

Can You Be Addicted to NOT Taking Drugs?
Can You Be Addicted to NOT Taking Drugs?
FDA

2 min read


Published in

Philosophistry

·Feb 17

Could Humans Develop Blowholes by the Year 4000?

An introduction to fractal evolution — In one of my favorite scenes from Waterworld, Kevin Costner’s character is wrestled to the ground while one of his captors pulls aside his right ear to reveal that — gasp — he has gills! I saw Waterworld when I was 13, and a question has stuck with me ever…

Evolution

10 min read

Could Humans Develop Blowholes by the Year 4000?
Could Humans Develop Blowholes by the Year 4000?
Evolution

10 min read


Published in

Philosophistry

·Oct 11, 2022

Is the media getting more violent, or are we getting more violent?

The Mass Transparency Hypothesis — Content warning When I was 14, my 13-year-old cousin showed me porn on his computer. Instinctively, I put my hands up to block the image. There were no parents around, yet I still felt the need to shelter myself. Fast-forward to today. I polled a random group of friends: “In…

Violence

6 min read

Is the media getting more violent, or are we getting more violent?
Is the media getting more violent, or are we getting more violent?
Violence

6 min read


Aug 25, 2022

Introducing Rep Your Area Code

What’s in an area code? Phone numbers that were once easy to get, such as 212, 310, and 415, are now increasingly scarce. These numbers are just as much a part of their respective cities as are the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Hollywood Sign. And…

Nft

2 min read

Introducing Rep Your Area Code
Introducing Rep Your Area Code
Nft

2 min read


Aug 7, 2022

About Landemic

One of the first virtual land projects — In 2019, I founded and sold Landemic, an early pioneer of virtual land. On our marketplace, you could buy tiles from a map of the Earth, where each tile covered approximately 275 x 275 m² or about the size of an acre. The most expensive tile sold was the Petronas…

7 min read

About Landemic
About Landemic

7 min read

Philip Dhingra

Philip Dhingra

616 Followers

Author of Dear Hannah, a cautionary tale about self-improvement. Learn more: philipkd.com

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