Dax Oliver

Working as a writer on philosophy and medical issues. Photos of my foraging finds, especially mushrooms. MA, Philosophy; MA, Data Visualization, CUNY

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

My paper got published
I discuss why positive mood should not be used to determine if experiences feel "mystical" (despite the belief of many in the psychedelic community)
#published #psychedelic #therapy #philosophy #mystical #meq @of_psychedelic
https://t.co/ssfUHo18BF

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@CankayKoryak No such thing as too many mushrooms 🙂

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@CoolestGeekJBS I can give you some delicious hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, if that's what you're looking for :)

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@SuebeeTexan Yes, I know I had trouble sometimes as the youngest in my class. Holding back a child might be the best move sometimes, but I think it should depend on the child, not on trying to hack the system

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

"Redshirting" kindergartners means purposely waiting an extra year to enroll them, so they have developmental advantages over classmates. Does this prioritize peer competition over individual growth?
#redshirt #redshirting #kindergarten #mind #body #children

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@SuebeeTexan @CankayKoryak I like that image! And think of how far the roots spread hidden beneath the ground

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

I generally value non-human animals more if I empathize with them. Intelligence is one of the qualities that triggers that empathy, though not the only one (and certainly not an indication of my own intelligence 🙂)
#philosophy #psychology #intelligence #animals

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

I love the new action-comedy movie "Hit Man" and not just because the main character is a philosophy professor. But that didn't hurt 😃
#philosophy #professor #hitmanmovie #hitman #movie #glenpowell

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@CankayKoryak Interesting to think of plants cultivating the human nurturing impulse. I wonder if (how) the human desire to grow gardens is connected to parental emotions

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@NiccoloTribolo Yes, both the left and right have had terribly destructive cults of personality. I find both sides worrisome, but the right wing in the U.S. seems more problematic at the moment. That could easily change, though!

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

People on the political left often seem okay calling themselves "left-wing", but I don't hear people on the right using "right-wing" much. Does it sound too dark for them? They seem to prefer softer words like "conservative" or "patriot"
#psychology

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@SIUChasmite Do you mean living without trying to find hard principles?

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@BarbaraRybolt @julianjpotter Was that program for 5-year-olds designed for redshirting kids?

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@iambryaen Thanks! There seem to be many beneficial bacteria and other microorganisms that are part of our bodies. Should we think of these differently from the cells of our organs?

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@arntzgray1 @PeterIsztin At least to some degree, does having a society with more productive people also mean reducing debt burdens if they rise past a particular point? You make good points about the negatives of loan cancellation, but maybe a compromise is possible if the impact on society is very high

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@jolielives Thanks, Jolie! How have you been doing?

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

Our immune systems attack cancer cells with almost identical DNA to our other eukaryotic cells, but not free-floating mitochondria or many benevolent gut bacteria, despite their different DNA. This seems to say something about the "self" but I'm still not sure what
#cancer #philosophy #self #immune #biology #bacteria #mitochondria

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@iambryaen It seems like a lot of different creatures live in each temple. Does a temple belong to all of them?

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@maggie_by Well, some metaphors seem much more accurate than others 🙂

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@CankayKoryak @maggie_by There are some scientists who consider ant colonies (and maybe also slime molds) to be like "liquid brains":
https://t.co/gKhK0QwHsc

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@CankayKoryak Well, now that you mention it, I think it says something about consciousness too 🙂. The immune system as a whole seems able to recognize self & friends vs rebels & enemies. Or are those "friends" like benevolent bacteria really "self" somehow?

[Dax Oliver @DaxOliverWriter]

@SuebeeTexan She looks like she's scanning for a waiter!