Brenden's Labyrinth Brenden's Labyrinth

There’s this clip of Sam Harris discussing consciousness and free will that went a bit viral on Twitter. I wanted to comment on it… so here it is. I hope you enjoy it.
Stay curious.


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The quote that motivated this episode….
“Central to Hermetic thought was the tenet: ‘As above, so below.’ Everything is connected, from the movement of the stars and the planets to the internal workings of an insect. Understanding these secret connections, and harnessing them, was the key to a successful magician’s art. Central, too, was the occult nature of the mage’s knowledge. The mage saw things, and connections, that ordinary or uninitiated people could not.
Whoever shapes the perception of others, in order to get what they desire, is practising magic.
As above, so below’, in this context, refers less to the relationship between, say, plants and planets, than to the relationship between the human psyche and human cultural life. Change one person’s mind – and you might change the world.
Like the old witches’ bargains of eras past, we agree to sell parts of ourselves – our eyeballs – in exchange for certain illusory fulfilments of desire packaged up by powerful corporate tech titans and memetically gifted shitposters capable of ‘going viral’ with a perfectly worded image or tweet. Memes, in this telling, become the modern interpretations of the magician’s sigil: a magical image empowered to convey the magician’s desired energy.” — Tara Isabella Burton

What better way to maintain the validity of your simulated world than to draw people into the hyperreality that you perceive?
Stay curious.



This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe

This is the audio version of my previous essay and I’ve also linked the Youtube version as well.
“But now I'm not so sure I believe in beginnings and endings. There are days that define your story beyond your life. Like the day they arrived.”
“And "purpose" requires an understanding of intent. We need to find out, do they make conscious choices or is their motivation so instinctive that they don't understand a "why" question at all. And-And biggest of all, we need to have enough vocabulary with them that we understand their answer.” — Arrival
One does not see an alternative cosmos, a cosmic folklore or exoticism, or a galactic prowess there - one is from the start in a total simulation, without origin, immanent, without a past, without a future, a diffusion of all coordinates (mental, temporal, spatial, signaletic) - it is not about a parallel universe, a double universe, or even a possible universe - neither possible, impossible, neither real nor unreal: hyperreal - it is a universe of simulation, which is something else altogether.
— Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation
"One has only to throw away the deterministic model of 'objective necessities' and obligatory 'stages' of development? One has thus to sustain a minimum of anti-determinism: nothing is ever written off, in an 'objective situation' which precludes any act, which condemns us fully to biopolitical vegetation. There is always a space to be created for an act—precisely because, to paraphrase Rosa Luxemburg’s critique of reformism, it is not enough to wait patiently for the 'right moment' of the revolution." — Slavoj Zizek
"The past does not cause one present to pass without calling forth another, but itself neither passes nor comes forth. For this reason, the past, far from being a dimension of time, is the synthesis of all time of which the present and the future are only dimensions." — Gilles Deleuze


This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe

This has a few changes and rewording but this is an audio and podcast version for my recent essay.
Stanley Kubrick's cinematic masterpiece, 'A Clockwork Orange', paints a vivid picture of orchestrated aggression. But what's the real message behind the film? From the Korova Milkbar to the depths of psychological conditioning, 'A Clockwork Orange' is a journey into the human psyche.
Article it’s based on…
Stay curious.


This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.com/subscribe

Some excerpts…
"We pull from the external world to formulate our own narratives, yet they're never truly our own."
"Narratives become our masks, and over time, we become consumed by them."
"In the vast digital landscape, we're both the authors and the characters of our stories, constantly shaping and being shaped."
"The uncertain interplay with the external world continuously evolves us, forcing us to navigate and find our place anew."
"Stories, myths, narratives—they act as symbols that drive us, resonating deeply within our core."
"Even the move towards authenticity online is still a curated image, a symbol of something else."
"Narratives are more than stories; they're the blueprints of our existence, shaping our perceptions and defining our identities."
"Despite our differences, narratives remind us we're all part of a larger story, intricately woven by shared experiences and aspirations."
"We imagine events in our lives as moments in a story, seeking meaning, repositioning ourselves within evolving narratives."
"In relationships, we see the interplay of influences, the pivot points in the web we build in tandem with another."

Longer Excerpts
Narratives shape our perception of information. Consider the conventional story we tell about Earth's history. We often frame it as a sequence of dominant species or dynasties taking their turns to rule the planet. This narrative suggests that Earth's history is marked by power shifts, with one dominant species succeeding another. It's why we're so captivated by extinction events. We see them as moments when an old ruler is dethroned and a new one rises.
For instance, we frequently discuss the asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs. This event is often framed as paving the way for the age of mammals, which eventually led to our current era dominated by humans. Now, we've built skyscrapers and can instantly connect with someone on the other side of the world through our earbuds.
However, this narrative of power shifts and dominance oversimplifies the intricate details of Earth's history. It strips away the nuance and complexity of what truly transpired. Viewing historical events merely as power transitions between dominant species is a distortion. This perspective is likely influenced by our human-centric view, where we see ourselves as the reigning dominant species and draw parallels between past extinctions and potential threats to our own supremacy.
We're constantly crafting narratives, not just individually but in conjunction with everything around us. This includes our interactions with ourselves, our loved ones, our communities, and even the media we consume. Your narrative isn't solely your own; it's an intricate webbed interaction with the world around you, an ongoing interplay that's inescapable.
This dynamic becomes especially evident in intimate relationships. Perhaps it's most palpable there, or maybe that's just my perception. When you're deeply connected with someone, you can clearly see how both of you influence and shape the story of your relationship.
Reflect on a time when you were, or perhaps still are, in love. We often view love not as a fleeting emotion, but as a profound force. When reminiscing about a current or past love, you might recall specific moments that held significant meaning within the broader narrative of your relationship. These moments can be turning points: realizing the depth of your love, recognizing a desire to spend your life with them, or understanding the uniqueness of your feelings for them. The list is endless.
Conversely, relationships also have their challenging moments. These pivotal instances, like intense disagreements or realizations that things might not work out, force us to reassess. They're turning points, moments that reshape the narrative web you're co-creating with another person.

A Hemmingway quote that I was reminded of thinking about this episode….
“You did

(Transcript edited for readability.)
Amidst dusk, I stood alone in a sprawling, chaotic marketplace. Stalls stretched endlessly, selling sleek, high-tech smartphones. The crowd was full of anticipation. I grabbed a device. Its screen lit up, flooding me with flashes and buzzing alerts. Each ping of my phone further itching my curiosity. But it was a hollow thrill, only to be replaced by a curiosity for more.
I found a tent with shifting, shimmering fabrics. The sign above read, "Future Fashion Today." The clothing was hanging in the tent, whirling in the wind, transforming with each gust.
My nose caught a scent. I arrived at a food stall. A blinking flashing sign read "Sleep your way to slim in the all-natural way."
Further down the path, I found myself walking past various portals that appeared to lead to other lands. Signs all around them were promising exotic adventures. But each entrance unveiled a similar scene: crowds of empty faces vying for those oh-so-necessary ideal shots of renowned landmarks.
Everyone was trapped in some unending cycle, chasing an ideal of envisioned joy hollowed out by marketing ploys.
The marketplace faded away. I found myself drifting in space while in front of a massive screen overlooking a massive forest of bamboo.
We live in an age of information overload. And with that, brings the paradox of choice.
We have choice paralysis.
Choice is abound. From streaming options, relationship swiping, and endless new products, we are faced with decision fatigue and hesitation due to the fear of missing out on other alternatives.
Our environments, especially urban ones, are full of distractions providing us with sensory overload.
Social media only amplifies this experience of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). The continuous stream of others' experiences induces restlessness and discontent as our urge to compare ourselves to the filtered lives of others becomes inevitable.
Downtime is diminished, shamed even. In a productivity-focused culture, constant activity leaves little room for reflection.
Do we truly wonder why the diagnosis of anxiety and depression continues to rise? Time for reflection allows us to declutter and understand our inner emotional state, but overstimulation guides us toward distraction, leaving us unexamined, moving with society's external stimuli.
Okay, but let's consider how this overstimulation we experience can lead us to become desensitized...
We are constantly bombarded with intense stimuli, guiding us towards our next click, our next purchase, but maybe more importantly: our next story. We live with an endless news cycle that pushes tragic story after tragic story, inevitably leaving us with lowered experience of the intensity of the emotional pull they should cause.
Just think about how fast the news moves past the latest mass shooting.
The desensitized person's perception loses depth and subtlety. We become numb. And the numbed individual no longer perceives the world with the same nuance.
Are we inevitably facing a diluted experience of reality?
Deleuze and Guattari's concept of assemblages connects well with this I think. Assemblages are these dynamic networks of connections, or interconnections, and interactions that create our societal structures. They come in multiple forms. A city is a form of assemblage, with its buildings, roads, inhabitants, and cultural practices, all contribute to the functioning and identity of the city. A piece of art, be it film, a painting, or a sculpture, is an assemblage of various elements that come together to convey a message or evoke emotions. Our bodies are an assemblage.
And us being in a society, while being a desiring machine, makes our very desire and drives an assemblage, where everything comes together into a structure that guides, dictates, and even oppresses how individuals relate to the world and themselves.
Now, these structures are not static; they are fluid and malleable, constantly reshaping and adapting to o