Episode Details

Steven is trying to discover the next culture that’s emerging to replace conventional western culture and is also trying to be part of its formation. In this episode, we talk about order, blockchain, decentralization, media, information, eastern spirituality, and much more. 

You can reach out to Steven on Twitter @_StevenFan

1:30 - What is the relationship between top-down and bottom-up influences when it comes to the formation of culture? 

1:59 - Is the universe itself inherently bottom-up? Is order built up or pressed down? 

6:44 - What is a cultural membrane? How do they influence a culture?

13:15 - As the world becomes more of a global village, is the decentralization of the internet possible with the current model of the internet? Should decentralization even be a goal?

18:15 - In the quest for decentralization, are languages like Solidity (Ethereum’s programming language) useful for creating large-scale applications, like Twitter, for example?

26:49 - How centralized technology can trap us in an information bubble. 

28:57 - What is meant by the phrase, “the medium is the message?”

34:32 - What is the salience network and how does it influence how we perceive and process information?

36:35 - How paying attention to the salience network can lead to spiritual experiences

41:58 - Does consciousness exist beyond the brain or body?

48:07 - How does the brain create the unitary perception of reality? Is the brain even the actual mechanism behind this unitary perception of reality?

51:48 - What is information?