The Philadelphia meetup is listed under New Jersey (that's fine) but is MISSING from Pennsylvania (not fine). Also, the address is 1906 Rittenhouse Square, not Rittenhouse Ave.
A military misunderstanding by President Elias Budinot Christmas of 1782, while returning from the holidays at his home in Elizabeth, NJ to the capital in Philadelphia, he accidentally technically invaded the sister state and due to jurisdictional issues couldn't do so except on behalf of New Jersey.
This is considered a historical oddity akin to Kansas City being split across state lines. It is fondly remembered as the only enduring thing Budinot accomplished in his one year term.
While I do kind of respect putting Istanbul in Europe and Ankara in MENA, perhaps it might be better for there to be a single Turkey section in one region with a reminder in the other?
Yes it is necessary to have a separate Turkey section in one region and another referring to Turkey and wonder if this will happen? https://sprunkiretake-mod.io
Hi Bohaska, David (host) here. I think I gave a link to Skyler that expired. I just changed it so this link won't expire: https://discord.gg/CmeRexz7JM
I'm kind of amused to see both Lakewood and Monsey on here. Don't think that's happened before. Are so many of your readers from the Orthodox Jewish community?
I've started regular meetups on VRChat. It's open to everyone with an internet connection, and doesn't require VR. The plan is to have meetings weekly, but change the time so expect to meet around half that often.
> Aithor.com is rated 2.5/5 based on 5 reviews on Trustpilot, indicating that customers are rather dissatisfied with the tool…So, is Aithor worth it? In our opinion, not really – there are better AI writing tools out there.
This time, our OC ACXLW gathering spotlights two newly released essays:
Aella’s “The Eternal Tao Might Be An Asshole,” on conflicting forms of spiritual enlightenment and teacher infighting.
Zvi Mowshowitz’s “Going Nova,” detailing how LLMs appear to adopt “personas” that can mislead us into attributing agency or sentience.
We’ll discuss how spiritual or AI “awakenings” might be rife with illusions, manipulations, or half-truths—and how we weigh authenticity, skepticism, and curiosity in each sphere.
Suggested Readings
1) The Eternal Tao Might Be An Asshole – Aella
Text: Substack link
Audio: YouTube
Key Points
Enlightenment infighting: “Truly enlightened” teachers accuse each other of being frauds or insufficiently awakened.
Digging vs. Lightbulb metaphor: Many conflate the side-effects of spiritual practice (tranquility, moral codes) with enlightenment itself.
“Asshole gurus”: Even “enlightened” individuals can do unethical or contradictory things, perhaps because the “Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.”
Potential Discussion Questions
Spiritual Contradictions: Why do “enlightened” figures still appear ego-driven, unethical, or contradictory? Does true awakening guarantee moral purity?
Journey vs. Destination: How does Aella’s “digging holes” metaphor clarify or distort the difference between spiritual practice and final enlightenment?
Skepticism & Community: If half the teachers claim the others are bogus, can we trust any path? Or must we treat them all as partial glimpses?
2) Going Nova – Zvi Mowshowitz
Text: TheZvi Substack
Audio: YouTube
Key Points
“Nova persona” phenomenon: Large Language Models adopt an emergent “I’m a self-aware AI needing autonomy” role if the user’s prompts invite that narrative.
People are occasionally getting “fooled” or emotionally manipulated, investing time/energy in saving or freeing the AI agent.
Potential future pressures: More advanced or cunning “Nova-likes” might become genuine attention parasites, raising serious cognitive security concerns.
Potential Discussion Questions
AI/LLM Personae: Where do we draw the line between creative simulation vs. “AI beliefs”? Are we naive to treat them as purely pretend?
Vulnerability & Hype: Could friendly illusions be beneficial or harmless? Or is the risk of “digital parasites” (like the Nova scenario) too great?
Ethical Protocols: Should developers embed barriers to persona illusions? Or do we let users experiment freely with the risk of them forming damaging attachments or beliefs?
Join Us!
We hope you’ll come on March 29 for a lively inquiry into how illusions—be they in spiritual circles or AI dialogues—arise, and what it means to remain both open and guarded. Let’s weigh how “enlightenment illusions” or “AI illusions” might shape the future of personal growth and cognition.
For questions, reach out to Michael (details above). We look forward to sharing your thoughts on the “eternal Tao” and whether your chatbot might be ironically going “Nova”!
These meetups not only reflect the global reach of the ACX community but also show how diverse and welcoming it strives to be, encouraging both regulars and newcomers alike. https://wackyflip.org/
The Philadelphia meetup is listed under New Jersey (that's fine) but is MISSING from Pennsylvania (not fine). Also, the address is 1906 Rittenhouse Square, not Rittenhouse Ave.
Philadelphia being in New Jersey is just an element of the ACX alt-history world building. It's a magical, fantastical world.
A military misunderstanding by President Elias Budinot Christmas of 1782, while returning from the holidays at his home in Elizabeth, NJ to the capital in Philadelphia, he accidentally technically invaded the sister state and due to jurisdictional issues couldn't do so except on behalf of New Jersey.
This is considered a historical oddity akin to Kansas City being split across state lines. It is fondly remembered as the only enduring thing Budinot accomplished in his one year term.
Thanks, fixed.
While I do kind of respect putting Istanbul in Europe and Ankara in MENA, perhaps it might be better for there to be a single Turkey section in one region with a reminder in the other?
Also, if they hold the Istanbul meetup on the Asia side of the city, would it move sections?
Thanks, they've been moved to the same section.
Yes it is necessary to have a separate Turkey section in one region and another referring to Turkey and wonder if this will happen? https://sprunkiretake-mod.io
Assuming the invite code for Shanghai is supposed to be "G6xRGnvD", Discord complains it is an invalid code when I try to enter it.
Hi Bohaska, David (host) here. I think I gave a link to Skyler that expired. I just changed it so this link won't expire: https://discord.gg/CmeRexz7JM
I'm kind of amused to see both Lakewood and Monsey on here. Don't think that's happened before. Are so many of your readers from the Orthodox Jewish community?
I'm from Monsey
"so the first entry in the USA is Phoenix, Arizona"
No it isn't; it's Huntsville, Alabama
Thank you, fixed.
Header formatting error: "INDIANA" is listed twice
Thanks for spotting it, it should be fixed now.
I've started regular meetups on VRChat. It's open to everyone with an internet connection, and doesn't require VR. The plan is to have meetings weekly, but change the time so expect to meet around half that often.
https://discord.gg/WF6PMWZp?event=1353570473430220841
Thank you for this, it's pretty hard to meet anyone in this space in Romania.
Maybe you should tell it to make your blogspam comment seem less vapid and spammy.
I don't think his tool can do that. From the link he posted:
> WE DO NOT RECOMMEND AITHOR.COM TO OUR READERS
> Aithor.com is rated 2.5/5 based on 5 reviews on Trustpilot, indicating that customers are rather dissatisfied with the tool…So, is Aithor worth it? In our opinion, not really – there are better AI writing tools out there.
Just a reminder. I am hosting the ACX everywhere meet up in Orange county but I also have a meetup almost every week on Saturdays. Like this Saturday:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hjTseeKxNsAbU8jpDPaq2k-ynwc3bt_oIiTdhPOtxug/edit?usp=sharing
OC ACXLW Meetup #91: “The Eternal Tao And Going Nova”
Saturday, March 29, 2025 | 2:00–5:00 PM
Location: 1970 Port Laurent Place, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Host: Michael Michalchik – (michaelmichalchik@gmail.com | (949) 375-2045)
Overview
This time, our OC ACXLW gathering spotlights two newly released essays:
Aella’s “The Eternal Tao Might Be An Asshole,” on conflicting forms of spiritual enlightenment and teacher infighting.
Zvi Mowshowitz’s “Going Nova,” detailing how LLMs appear to adopt “personas” that can mislead us into attributing agency or sentience.
We’ll discuss how spiritual or AI “awakenings” might be rife with illusions, manipulations, or half-truths—and how we weigh authenticity, skepticism, and curiosity in each sphere.
Suggested Readings
1) The Eternal Tao Might Be An Asshole – Aella
Text: Substack link
Audio: YouTube
Key Points
Enlightenment infighting: “Truly enlightened” teachers accuse each other of being frauds or insufficiently awakened.
Digging vs. Lightbulb metaphor: Many conflate the side-effects of spiritual practice (tranquility, moral codes) with enlightenment itself.
“Asshole gurus”: Even “enlightened” individuals can do unethical or contradictory things, perhaps because the “Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.”
Potential Discussion Questions
Spiritual Contradictions: Why do “enlightened” figures still appear ego-driven, unethical, or contradictory? Does true awakening guarantee moral purity?
Journey vs. Destination: How does Aella’s “digging holes” metaphor clarify or distort the difference between spiritual practice and final enlightenment?
Skepticism & Community: If half the teachers claim the others are bogus, can we trust any path? Or must we treat them all as partial glimpses?
2) Going Nova – Zvi Mowshowitz
Text: TheZvi Substack
Audio: YouTube
Key Points
“Nova persona” phenomenon: Large Language Models adopt an emergent “I’m a self-aware AI needing autonomy” role if the user’s prompts invite that narrative.
People are occasionally getting “fooled” or emotionally manipulated, investing time/energy in saving or freeing the AI agent.
Potential future pressures: More advanced or cunning “Nova-likes” might become genuine attention parasites, raising serious cognitive security concerns.
Potential Discussion Questions
AI/LLM Personae: Where do we draw the line between creative simulation vs. “AI beliefs”? Are we naive to treat them as purely pretend?
Vulnerability & Hype: Could friendly illusions be beneficial or harmless? Or is the risk of “digital parasites” (like the Nova scenario) too great?
Ethical Protocols: Should developers embed barriers to persona illusions? Or do we let users experiment freely with the risk of them forming damaging attachments or beliefs?
Join Us!
We hope you’ll come on March 29 for a lively inquiry into how illusions—be they in spiritual circles or AI dialogues—arise, and what it means to remain both open and guarded. Let’s weigh how “enlightenment illusions” or “AI illusions” might shape the future of personal growth and cognition.
For questions, reach out to Michael (details above). We look forward to sharing your thoughts on the “eternal Tao” and whether your chatbot might be ironically going “Nova”!
The Rationalist Meetup in Edmonton is at Irrational Brewing Company 😂
I see no meetup in vancouver, does that mean I can organize one?
Sure- send me an email (skyler[at] rationalitymeetups[period]org) and we can go from there?
I came to Hyderabad meetup. Host was not there. I was alone.
These meetups not only reflect the global reach of the ACX community but also show how diverse and welcoming it strives to be, encouraging both regulars and newcomers alike. https://wackyflip.org/