You've Been Pressing That Button Your Whole Life
5 hours ago
- The article draws a parallel between a Meeseeks from 'Rick and Morty' and human suffering, where desires create temporary selves that dissolve once fulfilled.
- It introduces parts work (e.g., Internal Family Systems) as a model where the mind consists of multiple 'parts' or mini-selves, each with protective roles, echoing ancient philosophies.
- Buddhism and IFS both describe the self as a collection of transient selves, with suffering arising from identification with these parts; healing comes from compassionate awareness.
- The author describes personal experiences of dis-identifying from parts, leading to profound insights about the nature of self and suffering.
- Alignment—harmonizing disparate parts or agents—is compared to the spiritual path, requiring compassion rather than force.
- The article connects these ideas to AI alignment, suggesting that recognizing the self in others (open individualism) may underpin ethics.
- Historical and clinical references show the concept of a multiple self across cultures, from Egyptian papyri to modern trauma theory.