Rough and Smooth
The author introduces the concept of 'texture-of-experience' as an axis from 'rough' to 'smooth', where rough experiences are information-rich and smooth experiences are simplified. The post explores examples of this dichotomy and questions the inherent value of roughness.
Episodes
Chapters
01Texture of Experience
Texture-of-experience is a rough-to-smooth axis where rough experiences carry multi-level information and are distinct from wireheading.
1:37Original02Smooth Bird Identification
Merlin to identify birds provides only the species information, making it a smooth experience that screens off other details.
1:05Original03Against Rat-Style Reviews
Rat-style reviews are ill-suited for fiction because they reduce complex narratives to brief summaries and miss prose, character development, and higher-level themes.
1:07Original04Rough Experiences and Growth
Rough experiences provide high information density and help build resilience, so one should assess their experiences along the rough–smooth axis and consider increasing rough experiences if possible.
1:24Original