SSC
Mysticism and Pattern-Matching
Scott Alexander hypothesizes that mystical experiences, hallucinations, and paranoia might be linked to an overactive pattern-matching faculty in the brain.
13 min read 2,008 words
A thread through the archive
mysticism
Essays tagged “mysticism”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on mysticism
4 essaysSSC
Book Review: On The Road
Scott Alexander critically reviews 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac, highlighting its problematic glorification of irresponsible behavior and flawed philosophy.
25 min read 3,819 words
SSC
Against Anton-Wilsonism
Scott criticizes the approach to mysticism popularized by Robert Anton Wilson, arguing it provides false rewards and promotes harmful dabbling instead of genuine practice.
10 min read 1,501 words
LW
Crowley on Religious Experience
Scott presents Aleister Crowley's rationalist approach to mysticism and religious experience, arguing that Crowley's empirically-focused system for achieving enlightenment offers valuable insights that both religious and rationalist perspectives typically miss.
6 min read 881 words