Comments on: A Mathematically Proven Way to Achieve Happiness http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/ Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:25:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 By: Gowtham Gundu http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-160 Gowtham Gundu Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:17:40 +0000 http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/?p=193#comment-160 Nice read. Nice read.

]]> By: Carter http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-62 Carter Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:26:25 +0000 http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/?p=193#comment-62 Thank you for your insight, Venu. I can't tell you how exciting it is to garner reactions and perspectives from such interesting places. I can feel my own state space expanding as a result :). <br><br>I'm curious how you find out about this blog?<br><br>Regarding reincarnation, I think that it is a great way to view life, since we should always be trying to create value for the world to inherit once we are gone. Likewise with karma, I think it is the optimal framework for how we treat others. However, beyond using these concepts as a way to make decisions in life, I see no evidence that reincarnation is physically possible. Is that what you're suggesting? I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Thank you for your insight, Venu. I can't tell you how exciting it is to garner reactions and perspectives from such interesting places. I can feel my own state space expanding as a result :) .

I'm curious how you find out about this blog?

Regarding reincarnation, I think that it is a great way to view life, since we should always be trying to create value for the world to inherit once we are gone. Likewise with karma, I think it is the optimal framework for how we treat others. However, beyond using these concepts as a way to make decisions in life, I see no evidence that reincarnation is physically possible. Is that what you're suggesting? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

]]> By: Venu Gopal das http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-61 Venu Gopal das Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:06:43 +0000 http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/?p=193#comment-61 I am a monk living in a bhakti-yoga ashram in India. <br>Interesting thoughts my friend. Because landscapes in the world are so variegated, this provides a rich metaphor with a lot of possibilities. <br>Regarding trying to come to full happiness within this lifetime, I agree we should strive for that. Of course, I'm sure you're aware, being interested in meditation, that the general consensus in the eastern part of the world is that this is not our only life, and that just as we sleep every evening and renew our activities the next day, we die at the end of every life and continue the trend of our activities in the next. According to this conception, we can continue our work within our consciousness in our next life where we left off in this one. (although being born again is said to be a bit of a hassle) I am a monk living in a bhakti-yoga ashram in India.
Interesting thoughts my friend. Because landscapes in the world are so variegated, this provides a rich metaphor with a lot of possibilities.
Regarding trying to come to full happiness within this lifetime, I agree we should strive for that. Of course, I'm sure you're aware, being interested in meditation, that the general consensus in the eastern part of the world is that this is not our only life, and that just as we sleep every evening and renew our activities the next day, we die at the end of every life and continue the trend of our activities in the next. According to this conception, we can continue our work within our consciousness in our next life where we left off in this one. (although being born again is said to be a bit of a hassle)

]]> By: danielkahneman http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-53 danielkahneman Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:34:52 +0000 http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/?p=193#comment-53 <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_riddle_of_experience_vs_memory.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_ri...</a> http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_ri...

]]> By: Jonathan Wegener http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-24 Jonathan Wegener Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:25:25 +0000 http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/?p=193#comment-24 Interesting post -- reminded me very much of <a href="http://cdixon.org/2009/09/19/climbing-the-wrong-hill/" rel="nofollow">http://cdixon.org/2009/09/19/climbing-the-wrong...</a> <br><br>Both similar and powerful ideas on applying math to life philosophies. Interesting post — reminded me very much of http://cdixon.org/2009/09/19/climbing-the-wrong...

Both similar and powerful ideas on applying math to life philosophies.

]]> By: Carter http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Carter Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:47:53 +0000 http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/?p=193#comment-23 Yes, it's very true that to model our state space more accurately we could<br>add in properties such as communication. Another very important property<br>that we have which ping pong balls don't is memory.<br><br>But of course all these additional properties come at a cost and complexify<br>our model.<br><br>Instead, the actions of communicating with people and the property of memory<br>can instead be considered as components of a state. So instead of adding<br>more rules to our state space, we just redefine our state space as taking<br>into account these actions and these properties.<br><br>So for example, the action of observing other people and asking them why<br>they're happy means you have explored into different states that correspond<br>to these actions.<br><br>In this way we have re-mapped our state space, and are now back to the<br>simple original problem of solving for the global minimum. The beauty of<br>abstraction :). Yes, it's very true that to model our state space more accurately we could
add in properties such as communication. Another very important property
that we have which ping pong balls don't is memory.

But of course all these additional properties come at a cost and complexify
our model.

Instead, the actions of communicating with people and the property of memory
can instead be considered as components of a state. So instead of adding
more rules to our state space, we just redefine our state space as taking
into account these actions and these properties.

So for example, the action of observing other people and asking them why
they're happy means you have explored into different states that correspond
to these actions.

In this way we have re-mapped our state space, and are now back to the
simple original problem of solving for the global minimum. The beauty of
abstraction :) .

]]> By: steve http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-22 steve Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:33:26 +0000 http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/?p=193#comment-22 hey. I like your formulation of the problem of happiness. "A mathematically proven way to find.." is a bit deceptive though, I think you mean "a mathematically justified technique..." <br><br>In either case, I think you are throwing away some useful information though. If you wanted to know your future happiness with some new situation in life, looking at a person in a similar situation would be a better predictor than your own guess for yourself. Since one thing we, as people, have that ping-pong balls do not is the ability to communicate, we do not have to undergo this search alone. There are actually many many slightly different ping-pong balls and they can more or less tell each other about their local space. (In fact their spaces may even be a partially relative or interdependent property...)<br><br>In reality if you wanted to find the lowest (or highest) pt. in a conventional physical geography, you probably wouldn't just bounce around, exploring. You would see where other people have been and you would make or get a map of the terrain. Why can't you do this with happiness?<br><br>Actually I am trying to do this. I have only just started, but please look at my sight and tell me about your space or how you think this map could be made... <a href="http://33dsoul.com" rel="nofollow">33dsoul.com</a> hey. I like your formulation of the problem of happiness. “A mathematically proven way to find..” is a bit deceptive though, I think you mean “a mathematically justified technique…”

In either case, I think you are throwing away some useful information though. If you wanted to know your future happiness with some new situation in life, looking at a person in a similar situation would be a better predictor than your own guess for yourself. Since one thing we, as people, have that ping-pong balls do not is the ability to communicate, we do not have to undergo this search alone. There are actually many many slightly different ping-pong balls and they can more or less tell each other about their local space. (In fact their spaces may even be a partially relative or interdependent property…)

In reality if you wanted to find the lowest (or highest) pt. in a conventional physical geography, you probably wouldn't just bounce around, exploring. You would see where other people have been and you would make or get a map of the terrain. Why can't you do this with happiness?

Actually I am trying to do this. I have only just started, but please look at my sight and tell me about your space or how you think this map could be made… 33dsoul.com

]]> By: Michael Heinrich http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-21 Michael Heinrich Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:13:31 +0000 http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/?p=193#comment-21 Awesome blog Carter and agree with some of the comments from Miro: this shows mathematically through simulated annealing that happiness is not found it's a process of you being in the moment and the moment taking you to the global minimum :) Awesome blog Carter and agree with some of the comments from Miro: this shows mathematically through simulated annealing that happiness is not found it's a process of you being in the moment and the moment taking you to the global minimum :)

]]> By: Tweets that mention A Mathematically Proven Way to Achieve Happiness | A State Space Traveler -- Topsy.com http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-20 Tweets that mention A Mathematically Proven Way to Achieve Happiness | A State Space Traveler -- Topsy.com Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:11:06 +0000 http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/?p=193#comment-20 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by itscomplicated, armact, Faisal Sethi, Caroline Lau, DoGood Headquarters and others. DoGood Headquarters said: A Mathematically Proven Way to Achieve Happiness via @carterac http://ow.ly/12Cmb [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by itscomplicated, armact, Faisal Sethi, Caroline Lau, DoGood Headquarters and others. DoGood Headquarters said: A Mathematically Proven Way to Achieve Happiness via @carterac http://ow.ly/12Cmb [...]

]]> By: Miro http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/a-mathematically-proven-way-to-achieve-happiness/comment-page-1/#comment-19 Miro Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:37:55 +0000 http://www.astatespacetraveler.com/?p=193#comment-19 True happiness lies within. When we stop searching for it in external objects or expectations, happiness is the natural state of being. Seekers will always be seekers, and finders will always be finders. Mathematics is a beautiful thing, and it can be a metaphor for the internal as well as the external. Mind made belief systems, ego identities, and thought patterns are like abstract parameters in an infinite dimensional space. Annealing can be thought of as metaphor for transcending these mind made hindrances to ultimate realization. This is a creative piece of work. Wisdom doesn't know time or age. It finds those who are ready, youth and aged alike. Let us all respect one another, whatever stations in life we may occupy! Be healthy, happy and loving, Miro True happiness lies within. When we stop searching for it in external objects or expectations, happiness is the natural state of being. Seekers will always be seekers, and finders will always be finders.

Mathematics is a beautiful thing, and it can be a metaphor for the internal as well as the external. Mind made belief systems, ego identities, and thought patterns are like abstract parameters in an infinite dimensional space. Annealing can be thought of as metaphor for transcending these mind made hindrances to ultimate realization. This is a creative piece of work.

Wisdom doesn’t know time or age. It finds those who are ready, youth and aged alike. Let us all respect one another, whatever stations in life we may occupy!

Be healthy, happy and loving,
Miro

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