7.08.2015

Reflections upon Deep Dream Neural Netting

A recent post that caught my eye by Michael Mcamis on the FB page of the Psychedelic Salon. His questions / thoughts / reflections pretty much sum up the impact of these images - essential questions especially if you are an artist, neuroscientist, psychonaut, philosopher, Buddhist, or simply schizophrenic. Deep Dream imagery will change you forever. It's a blue pill.

After this new wave of googles neural network.. We have to start questioning things. 
Why does this look like DMT land or the LSD overlay? 
Are we really encountering beings? Going to strange lands? 
Our brain's are very magical. I am convinced that we can just see all the layers that it takes to create our world. When we are in altered states, we are in direct communication with our brain and anything it creates. 
[...]
We run simulations for EVERYTHING in our small super computer that is more powerful than all the computational power on the planet. It is capable of creating an entire universe just because you want to go to the store.
[...] 
You are indeed a dream within a dream...
[...] 
You never met god, you never seen an alien.. You have met yourself and have made up a simulation with aliens in it... It's just not real.

Although this outlook might seem Solipsistic in the extreme, it can serve as a reminder to always question question question our thoughts, our dreams, our experiences - especially those within altered states. If we do build our reality moment-by-moment within our heads, then surely we should strive to create one that is full of joy, wonder, curiosity, the unexpected. We should strive to be be respectful and compassionate to all beings, whether self-generated, imaginary or not.

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