Lake Theory - aka deadwaste has an epiphany

DeadwastePrime

DeadwastePrime

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Feb 28, 2015
There was this idea that came to me within a dream, almost like a revelation. I couldn't remember the name I came up with for this concept during the dream, so I gave it one that felt appropriate. I called it Lake Theory (working name. I don't care for it all that much). The idea was simple. There are three types of people at the lake: those who are not submerged within the lake, those who are only half submerged within the lake, and those who are fully submerged. Those not submerged within the lake know nothing about the subject at hand. Those who are half submerged know a bit about the subject, but not the full knowledge about it. The fully submerged are the people most knowledgeable in the subject at hand and understand it completely.

But therein lies the issue at hand. By being fully submerged within the lake, they're much less likely to be seen by those who are only half submerged or not submerged at all. So the people who get the most attention are those only half submerged in the lake. Even if their information is only partly correct, due to how little they know compared to the fully submerged, they will get more attention and will come across as more reliable sources than the fully submerged. They also get most of their information from others only half submerged in the lake, rather than getting it firsthand from the fully submerged.

Over time, this creates a feedback loop of misinformation and poor sources being viewed as better ones because they're more visible, with people only half submerged getting most of their information from each other, further entrenching misconceptions. And more people join the half submerged, thinking that they understand a subject completely when really they only have limited knowledge on it. You may have the occasional person who manages to see through the bullshit and gain the knowledge needed to realize just how deep the water gets. But most won't, and some people don't even want to know. All the while, the truly knowledgeable drown within the depths, ignored by most of society, their voice drowned out by all the noise made by the people only partially submerged within the lake.
 
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This is why the government has to spike the water supply with heavy metals to prevent us from harnessing our psionic potential! Don't take your pills OP, open the gate behind your soul and welcome the powers from beyond.
 
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Oh, this looks like fun.

If you're submerged in the lake, you are fully experiencing what it is to be submerged in the lake. You know it on such a level that you realize it cannot possibly be explained. It can only be experienced if one truly wishes to understand. No amount of talking to others fearful on the shore (as the half-ins would do) or..writing books about it or podcasting or whatever else will ever come close to just simply experiencing submersion. One must take the plunge of their own free will and without fear before direct knowing can be achieved.

Now, if you want to take it one step further to describe reality itself: everyone in this scenario is already in the lake, and have simply forgotten they're pretending to be otherwise. Can't see the water droplets for the lake, to borrow a forest/trees metaphor.

Life really does have a touch of divine humor to it.
 
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Knowledge is like a circle. The larger you make the circle, the greater the area (what you know) is. However, it must also, necessarily, increase the circumference, the frontier, what you know that you don't know.

But never forget, the ratio of the circumference to area is 2/r. The boundaries of your knowledge may become more and more apparent, but the significance of it relative to your own knowledge will fall.

A foolish man would worry only about not being seen as unknowledgeable, and their circle would stay small and comfortable. A wise man would understand that their growing list of questions and mysteries is a sign of how much they've grown, and their circle is mighty and expansive.
 
This sounds similar to one of the main ideas behind Nation of Islam, with 85% of the population being blind to truth and easily manipulated by the 10% who profit off of their lack of wisdom, with the last group the 5% who try to lead the manipulated away from the trickery of the profiteers. NoI is of course just race baiting to make black hate non-blacks and stir division, but the sentiment shares the same principle I think.

The reality I think is that the idea of a trichotomy of knowledge has truth to it, and is easy to demonstrate but its been a constant through probably most of civilization similar to the allegory of the cave like @Bonesjones mentioned.
 
I dont know. I think if, anything, it's a good analogy for how knowledge is coveyed on the internet. The lake would be the topic at hand, those submerged the autists abnormally obsessed with this subject, how deep they are reflecting how much they know and care about it; and "beach goers" being the normal people who have better things to do with their lives and are only looking to the lake out of simple curiosity.

Those most visible to the beach goers -- your popular content creators on Youtube or elsewhere -- are the ones who will be viewed as trustworthy sources, simply by their widespread precense. It doesn't matter if what they know is limited (or just flat-out wrong). What matters is they've made a good impression of the subject onto the beach goers. And they will consider the partially submerged as trustworthy, simply because they have no other viewpoint to look from (without entering the lake, of course).

Those deeper within are the more dedicated autists, gathering in more and more obscure corners of the internet discussing... Whatver it is, it's well and truly beyond our simple normie understandings. Maybe discussing the merits of the universe, or some deep shit like that.

Maybe that's why anime was invented. To distract the autists of the world with false lakes to dive into and get forever lost in. To keep them from the true lakes, from uncovering the secrets of the world and taking their rightful place as the rulers of universe, masters of knowledge, and havers of girlfriends.

What a wonderful world that would be.

And somehow they'd still be trading cp.
 
I have a theory that information itself exists as a substrate of the universe much like space and time.

I'm sure I'm far from the first to think that, but I haven't seen anyone else say anything close without immediately following it up with schizo-babble.
 
I like the lake theory. The component I find the most curious is the social evaluation of submersion. Suppose you are at school or work - you are encouraged to keep moving forward, to become fully submerged.
But, when it comes to general understanding of the world, philosophy, theology, schizo theories - it doesn't work like this. People often move to some comfy depth, and then they stop - for a bit, or forever. They're content with what they understand, but they don't want their knowledge to stand in way of other things - wealth, status, comfort. They don't want to change their perception of a sufficient level of submersion. "up to my knees is good, going any further is pure insanity and not practical".
Anything more than that, and they would have to go through ego destruction and existential crisis. And as a consequence, the productivity would be lowered. GDP would decrease. If the society would comprise of Nietschzes and Kierkegaards - could it function? Uncle Ted was a genius when he was a milkable member of society in Harvard. But as soon as he left to the woods, to ponder the world in his little shed - he became obsolete. His genius was now a lunacy.
Could it be that the reason why modern world is so unbelievably boring, and the society so stagnant, is because the schizos and big thinkers are ostracised and discouraged from submersion? If we could think and talk big and crazy thoughts, and forget all about productivity and utilitarianism - where would we be now, what depths would we reach?
 
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