Think Forward.

Philosophy

Agentic AI Beyond Benchmarks: Meta-Agents & the Future of AI Evaluation with Khalil Mrini 2546

Tariq Daouda, 15 d.
I recently sat down with Khalil Mrini to talk about his work and international experiences. He has spent time in Marrakech, Switzerland, India, and the United States, each place influencing his perspective in different ways. We also mentioned his visit at the UM6P, his experience of the university, students and innkvative AI curriculum. Khalil presented his new paper on agentic AI. The paper focuses on the use of autonomous agents to evaluate and benchmark other agents: essentially, systems that can test one another’s capabilities. He described how this approach could provide a more dynamic and optimal method for measuring progress in AI research. We ended the conversation by discussing AI ethics. Our exchange raised open questions about responsibility, transparency, and how the field can ensure that increasingly autonomous systems align with human values.
youtu.be/zE7PKRjrid4

Chapter 5: Synthesis- The Consilience of the Framework 2684

Satta Abraham, 17 d.
The evidentiary power and utility of this integrated framework—Orbits, Latticework, Pipeline—lies in its consilience. It weaves breakthroughs from wildly disparate fields into a single, coherent explanatory tapestry, revealing a universal pattern of successful inquiry. From Ballpark to Trading Floor: The narratives of Moneyball and The Big Short are isomorphic: Both begin with a philosophical reframing of value (what makes a baseball player valuable; what is the true risk of a mortgage bond). Both proceed through scientific, data-driven discovery of a massive market inefficiency (OBP vs. price; real default risk vs. AAA ratings). Both culminate in the formulation and execution of a winning model (a roster of undervalued players; a portfolio of credit default swaps). They are the same story, told in different arenas. From Sideline to Boardroom- José Mourinho’s Tactical Objectivity: The strategic success of football manager José Mourinho, particularly in his early career at Porto, Chelsea, and Inter Milan, can be precisely deconstructed through this lens. Lacking a storied playing career, he was unburdened by the sport’s internal, dogmatic "ways of knowing." His Outer Orbit philosophy was defined with stark clarity: winning is the sole aesthetic. His Middle Orbit work became legendary: obsessive, scientific analysis of opponents, involving countless hours of video to identify specific tactical vulnerabilities in individual players and systemic gaps in team shape. His Inner Orbit genius was in formulation: he would design rigorous, often defensively-oriented game models tailored to exploit those precise weaknesses, demanding robotic discipline from his players. His famous 1-0 victories, frequently derided as "anti-football" or "boring," were direct, logical products of pursuing objective victory over subjective aesthetic approval. He demonstrated that objectivity often requires enduring backlash from a consensus invested in a different, more romantic model of the game. From Factory Flow to Protein Fold: Taiichi Ohno’s andon cord and Demis Hassabis’s AlphaFold: Both are profound interventions based on latticework understanding. Ohno designed a human-technological system to make local truth (a defect) instantly global, optimizing a physical manufacturing lattice. Hassabis built a computational system to infer the spatial relationship lattice of amino acids from evolutionary data, optimizing our understanding of the biological lattice. One is mechanical and human, the other digital and abstract, but both are solutions born from seeing a problem as a network of relationships to be modeled and managed. The Contemporary Imperative-The Age of the Synthesist: The historical drift of knowledge since the Enlightenment has been from integration toward fragmentation. The Renaissance ideal of the uomo universale (universal man) gave way to the Industrial Age’s demand for the hyper-specialist. The 20th century perfected the silo. The 21st century, however, presents us with a stark imperative that demands a synthesis, a return to integrated thinking, but now armed with powerful new tools and facing problems of unprecedented scale. Two convergent forces make the orbital, latticework methodology not merely beneficial, but essential for competent navigation of our time. The Nature of Our Tools: Our most powerful analytical engines—Artificial Intelligence (particularly machine learning and large language models) and, on the horizon, Quantum Computing—are inherently cross-orbital and lattice-native. Deploying AI effectively on any complex problem, from drug discovery to climate modeling to ethical dilemma resolution, requires precise philosophical framing (defining objectives, values, and constraints to avoid perverse outcomes), robust and curated scientific data grounding, and exquisite mathematical formulation of the model architecture and training paradigm. These tools fail, often catastrophically and insidiously, with fragmented, siloed, or philosophically unexamined input. They demand, and therefore will select for, synthesist thinkers who can navigate all three orbits and think in terms of interconnected systems. The Nature of Our Challenges: The existential problems that define our epoch are quintessential latticework challenges. They cannot be contained within academic departments or government agencies. They are not "physics problems" or "economics problems." They are system problems. The specialized intellect, trained to dig ever deeper into a single vertical silo, is architecturally unequipped to even properly define them, let alone solve them. These challenges demand minds capable of orbital thinking across the lattice, minds that can hold multiple models, trace second- and third-order consequences, and formulate strategies that are robust across multiple domains of reality. Objectivity as the Foundational Operating System. The pursuit of objective truth is not a passive state of receiving revealed wisdom. It is an active, disciplined, and often confrontational chase. It requires the moral courage to question foundational premises in the Outer Orbit, the intellectual rigor to map reality without favor or illusion in the Middle Orbit, and the creative potency to formally synthesize understanding in the Inner Orbit. It demands that we see the world not as a collection of unrelated events, but as a vast, dynamic lattice of interlocking causes and effects. And it is best navigated with the structured, self-correcting protocol of the Objectivity Pipeline. This framework proposes objectivity not as the cold, emotionless province of a narrow scientism, but as a universal operating system for understanding, a scalable, rigorous, and ultimately humane methodology applicable with equal force to the equations of a physicist, the ethical calculus of a jurist, the investment thesis of a historian, the innovation of an engineer, and the strategy of a state. Subjectivity is the fog of un-modeled complexity. The Orbits Model, the Latticework Theory, and the Objectivity Pipeline constitute the navigation system—the charts, the compass, and the piloting protocol. In an epoch defined by overwhelming information, pervasive misinformation, and tools of god-like power whose misuse carries existential risk, mastering this chase is no longer an intellectual luxury or a philosophical pastime. It is the essential meta-skill, the foundational logic upon which reliable judgment, effective action, and meaningful progress depend. The choice before us is not between a subjective world and an objective one, but between wandering in the fog and building a lighthouse. The architecture for the lighthouse is here. The materials are the disciplines of thought we have inherited and refined. The builders must now be us.

Chapter 4: The Objectivity Pipeline- A Sequential Protocol for Execution 2697

Satta Abraham, 17 d.
A theoretical framework, no matter how elegant, remains an intellectual curiosity unless it can be translated into a practical, repeatable protocol. The Orbits Model and the Latticework Theory converge into a disciplined, sequential, and recursive process I call ‘The Objectivity Pipeline’. This seven-stage pipeline provides the operational scaffolding to move from a nebulous, subjective problem to an objective, actionable solution. Define: Articulate the core problem, obstacle, or Wildly Important Goal (WIG) with surgical, unambiguous precision. Vague, multifaceted, or emotionally charged aims guarantee vague, conflicted outcomes. This is a pure Outer Orbit activity. Identify Variables: Catalog the key agents, forces, constraints, and measurable factors involved in the system. Move into the Middle Orbit. What are the inputs, outputs, and actors? Distinguish between independent variables (potential levers) and dependent variables (outcomes). Map Relationships: Diagram the causal, correlational, inhibitory, and influential links between the identified variables. This is the cartography of the latticework. Tools include causal loop diagrams, systems maps, influence diagrams, and process flows. The goal is to visualize the system's structure, revealing feedback loops, bottlenecks, and leverage points. Model: Construct a formal representation of the mapped system. This is the decisive leap to the Inner Orbit. The model can take many forms: a set of statistical equations, a system of differential equations, an agent-based computer simulation, a Bayesian network, or even a rigorously structured qualitative framework. The model is a simplified but functional analogue of reality, designed for manipulation and testing. Simulate: Run the model. Conduct experiments in silico. Test scenarios, stress-test assumptions under extreme conditions, and observe the range of potential outcomes the system logic produces. This stage provides a safe, low-cost environment for failure and learning before committing real-world resources. Verify: Return to the Middle Orbit. Collect new, out-of-sample empirical data—data not used to build the model—and check the model’s predictions against this observed reality. Does the world behave as the model forecasts? If not, the error is not in "reality"; it lies in an earlier stage of the pipeline. The process must recursively return to Definition, Variable Identification, Relationship Mapping, or Model Formulation for correction. Optimize: With a reasonably verified model, adjust the controllable variables within it to find the most efficient, effective, or robust path to achieve the goal defined in Stage 1. This is the stage of generating prescriptions and strategies. The Four Disciplines of Execution (4DX): The corporate strategy framework developed by McChesney, Covey, and Huling (The 4 Disciplines of Execution, 2012) is a streamlined, commercialized instantiation of the Objectivity Pipeline, designed for team-level implementation. Define: Focus on the Wildly Important Goal (WIG)—no more than one or two overwhelming priorities. Identify Variables: Differentiate between Lag Measures (the ultimate outcome metrics, like revenue or customer satisfaction) and Lead Measures (the predictive, influenceable activities that drive the lag measures, like sales calls or quality checks). Map Relationships: Create a Compelling Scoreboard that is simple, public, and visually maps, in real-time, the relationship between lead measure activity and progress toward the WIG. Model & Cadence: Establish a recurring Cadence of Accountability, a short, rhythmic meeting (e.g., weekly) where team members report on commitments, review the scoreboard, and plan new commitments. This cadence functions as a live, human-powered simulation, verification, and optimization loop, embodying stages 5-7 of the pipeline in a behavioral rhythm. The Lucas Paradox and the Anatomy of Perceived Risk: The Lucas Paradox, introduced by Nobel Prize winning economist Robert Lucas in 1990, refers to the persistent empirical observation that capital does not flow from capital-rich countries to capital-poor countries at the scale predicted by neoclassical growth theory, despite higher marginal returns to capital in poorer economies. This phenomenon is not a failure of investor rationality, nor is it primarily a behavioral anomaly. It is a failure of overly narrow models of risk and return. In its simplest form, the canonical model assumes that capital responds to differences in marginal productivity adjusted for measurable risk. Under those assumptions, capital should flow aggressively toward emerging and frontier markets. It does not. The paradox arises because the model omits structural variables that dominate realized outcomes in cross-border investment. The conventional framing treats the problem as one of portfolio optimization under uncertainty, focusing on variables such as growth rates, inflation, fiscal balance, political stability indices, and currency volatility. These variables are necessary but insufficient. Empirical research following Lucas has repeatedly shown that capital flows are far more sensitive to institutional quality, property rights enforcement, legal predictability, capital controls, sovereign credibility, and the risk of expropriation than to marginal productivity alone. Once these variables are incorporated, much of the paradox dissolves. A latticework-consistent approach does not redefine the problem as “exploiting irrational fear.” It reframes it as identifying structural wedges between theoretical returns and realizable returns. The relevant distinction is not between perceived and actual risk in a behavioral sense, but between modeled risk and true system risk, much of which is institutional, legal, and political rather than financial. A pipeline-compliant analysis therefore proceeds differently. It defines the problem as understanding why expected returns fail to materialize when capital is deployed across jurisdictions. It expands the variable set to include enforceability of contracts, durability of political coalitions, susceptibility to policy reversal, credibility of monetary and fiscal regimes, depth of domestic financial markets, and exposure to global liquidity cycles. It models the interaction between these variables, recognizing that risk is not additive but multiplicative. Weak institutions amplify shocks, truncate upside, and skew return distributions through tail events rather than through mean variance alone. Failing to be conscientious in pursuing objectivity using pipeline steps can have severe consequences at a global level making it an approach valid for consideration and study.

Chapter 3: The Latticework Theory- Reality as an Interdependent, Multi-Layered System 2779

Satta Abraham, 18 d.
The conceptual framework commonly referred to as “Latticework Theory” integrates formal ontological analysis with applied epistemic reasoning. Willard Van Orman Quine’s analytic ontology, as outlined in "On What There Is" (1948), establishes rigorous criteria for identifying entities, categories, and relations within complex systems, providing a foundation for understanding which elements and interactions are structurally significant. Charlie Munger’s notion of a “latticework of mental models,” as articulated in his speeches and compiled in "Poor Charlie's Almanack" (2005), complements this by advocating for the disciplined integration of knowledge across domains to improve strategic decision-making under uncertainty. Together, these perspectives underpin a framework in which authority, information, and incentives propagate across layers of agents and institutions, producing outcomes that cannot be inferred from the isolated properties of components. Deviations at any node can be corrected when feedback is accurate, timely, and actionable. Failures occur when feedback is impaired, misaligned, or ignored. This framework provides a lens for analyzing industrial operations, national governance, financial systems, and technological risk in a unified, empirically grounded manner. The Toyota Production System (TPS), developed by Taiichi Ohno and detailed in "Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production" (1988), exemplifies this framework at the operational level. TPS integrates authority, information, and incentives to align local actions with system-level objectives. The andon system, which allowed assembly line workers to halt production upon detecting defects, transmitted local observations directly to organizational decision nodes, enabling immediate corrective action. Empirical analyses, including studies of manufacturing efficiency, demonstrate that this configuration reduced defect propagation, accelerated problem resolution, and increased overall reliability compared to designs that optimized individual workstations independently. For instance, companies implementing TPS principles have reported defect rate decreases of around 60 percent, reflecting the structural alignment of authority, information, and incentives rather than isolated interventions. Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew illustrates the same principle at the national level. Between 1965 and 2020, per-capita GDP rose from approximately $517 to $61,467 in current U.S. dollars. By 2020, public housing coverage reached approximately 78.7% of resident households. Scholarly analyses attribute these outcomes to a central coordinating constraint: administrative meritocracy combined with credible enforcement. Recruitment and promotion emphasized competence and performance, anti-corruption measures ensured policy credibility, and social and industrial policies aligned skill formation, investment, and housing. These mechanisms were mutually reinforcing, producing system-level outcomes that cannot be explained by any single policy instrument but rather by ontological reasoning. Financial markets and strategic advisory practice demonstrate analogous dynamics. Many successful hedge fund managers and macro investors, such as George Soros (who studied philosophy with a strong historical focus) and Ray Dalio (who emphasizes historical pattern recognition in his investment principles), draw on deep historical expertise. Studies and industry insights highlight the value of humanities backgrounds in finance, with hedge funds actively recruiting liberal arts graduates for their ability to provide broader contextual understanding. This expertise enables pattern recognition across interacting variables, resource constraints, institutional incentives, technological change, political legitimacy, leadership behavior, and stochastic shocks, while facilitating analogical judgment about systemic regimes. George Soros’s concept of reflexivity formalizes the empirical reality that market prices and participant beliefs mutually influence one another. In feedback-dominated systems, quantitative models fail unless interpreted in historical and structural context. Historical insight therefore provides an advantage in long-horizon investing, geopolitical risk assessment, and capital allocation, as evidenced by the track records of such practitioners. The Boeing 737 MAX incidents of 2018 and 2019 provide a negative case that clarifies the ontology’s conditions. Investigations revealed that the MCAS system relied on single-sensor inputs, information about its behavior and failure modes was inconsistently communicated to operators, and engineering authority was constrained by commercial and schedule pressures. Incentives prioritized rapid certification and cost containment over systemic reliability. Local anomalies propagated to produce two hull-loss accidents with 346 fatalities. Analysis demonstrates that robust interconnection alone is insufficient. Outcomes depend on the alignment of authority, accurate information, and incentive structures that empower corrective action. Across manufacturing, national governance, finance, and technology, the same structural principle emerges: effective outcomes require the alignment of authority, information, and incentives, with feedback channels possessing sufficient fidelity and remedial capacity. Misalignment in any dimension produces fragility and amplifies errors. The Orbits Model operates within this substrate, with inner orbits requiring empirical validation and outer orbits constrained by systemic coherence. Empirical evaluation relies on archival records, institutional data, and observable system outcomes, providing a unified framework for analyzing complex adaptive systems. The Latticework framework thus integrates ontology, applied epistemics, and structural empirics, combining theoretical rigor with practical observation across domains.

Theosophy 2848

Tupan, 18 d.
Theosophy is a spiritual movement that emerged in the late nineteenth century with the ambition of bringing religion, philosophy, and science into a single, coherent vision of truth. Drawing on both Eastern and Western mystical traditions, it promotes the idea of a timeless or “perennial” philosophy underlying all world religions. Central to this outlook is the belief that the soul evolves over long cycles of reincarnation and karma, gradually awakening to deeper spiritual realities. The movement was formally established in 1875 by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) and her collaborators with the founding of the Theosophical Society, and it went on to shape many of the spiritual, philosophical, and artistic currents of the modern era. At the heart of Theosophical thought is the idea of a divine, impersonal Absolute that lies beyond the limits of human understanding—an idea comparable to the Hindu concept of Brahman or the Neoplatonic One. From this unknowable source, all levels of existence are said to unfold, descending through a hierarchy of spiritual planes and beings until they manifest in the material world. This cosmological vision reflects strong influences from Indian philosophy, especially Vedanta and Buddhism, while also incorporating elements of Western esoteric traditions such as Neoplatonism, Hermeticism, and Kabbalah. A defining feature of Theosophy is its emphasis on spiritual evolution. In The Secret Doctrine (1888), Blavatsky’s most influential work, she presents an elaborate account of planetary and human development governed by the laws of karma and reincarnation. According to this framework, humanity is currently passing through the fifth of seven “root races,” each representing a stage in the unfolding spiritual and psychic capacities of the species. The ultimate goal is a conscious return to divine unity, achieved through inner transformation and esoteric knowledge. Blavatsky maintained that her teachings were not purely her own but were inspired by highly advanced spiritual beings known as the Mahatmas or Masters. Said to live in remote regions of the world, these adepts were described as guardians of ancient wisdom and exemplars of humanity’s spiritual potential. Whether understood literally or symbolically, they expressed the Theosophical ideal of enlightenment and supported the Society’s mission of awakening latent spiritual capacities in all people. The influence of Theosophy reached well beyond the boundaries of the Theosophical Society itself. It played an important role in introducing Western audiences to ideas such as karma, reincarnation, and subtle energy systems, and it helped spark broader interest in Eastern religions. Its impact can be seen in the work of artists like Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), composers such as Gustav Holst (1874-1934), and spiritual thinkers including Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), who later founded Anthroposophy, and Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986), who was once proclaimed a World Teacher before ultimately distancing himself from the movement. Despite internal disagreements and the often complex nature of its teachings, Theosophy laid important groundwork for the later New Age movement and for modern forms of spiritual pluralism. Its effort to present a shared mystical heritage across cultures anticipated contemporary conversations linking science and spirituality, psychology and mysticism, and Eastern and Western worldviews. In this sense, Theosophy is more than a historical curiosity. It represents an ambitious attempt to reinterpret ancient wisdom for a modern world, grounded in the belief that spiritual truth is universal and that humanity’s deeper purpose lies in awakening to its own divine origins.

Chapter 1: Core Premise 3008

Satta4959, 19 d.
I observe a pervasive but rarely examined habit in contemporary thought: human inquiry is arranged along an implicit spectrum of objectivity. Physics, chemistry, and formal mathematics are placed at one extreme, treated as paradigms of certainty grounded in measurement, reproducibility, and invariant law. This placement arises not from intrinsic epistemic superiority but from historically contingent access to precise measurement, tractable variables, and high signal-to-noise environments, which permit cumulative knowledge to develop rapidly. At the opposite extreme, the humanities and much of the social sciences are relegated to a realm of supposed subjectivity, governed by interpretation, cultural contingency, and perspective. This relegation is enforced institutionally and socially, producing professional hierarchies that shape curricula, research funding, and the perceived legitimacy of knowledge. Between these poles sit disciplines that trouble the classification itself, including economics, management, medicine, and the biological sciences, which are alternately criticized as insufficiently rigorous or regarded as scientific yet compromised by complexity, variability, and ethical constraint. These hybrid domains demonstrate that epistemic rigor is not a function of disciplinary label but of methodological discipline, computational capacity, and explicit assumption. When this hierarchy is treated as natural, it imposes lasting intellectual costs. Entire domains are exempted from the expectation of cumulative, model-driven understanding, while others are placed under perpetual suspicion. This work advances a precise claim: the pursuit of objective understanding constitutes a single methodological enterprise across all domains of inquiry, including the humanities and social sciences. What varies is not epistemological kind but the sharpness of feedback, the density of noise, the degree of reflexivity, and the number of interacting causes. Across domains, the foundational sequence is constant: assumptions and value premises must be made explicit; relevant variables must be operationalized; formal models must be constructed to generate discriminating implications; and these models must be tested, revised, and compared against empirical and practical constraints. Recent advances in computational power, large-scale data availability, causal inference, machine learning, and large language models expand the frontier of tractable analysis, allowing patterns, structures, and regularities to be extracted from domains previously dismissed as irreducibly interpretive. All phenomena—physical, social, abstract, or experiential—can, in principle, be made objective. Subjectivity is transient, caused by incomplete models, missing information, or limited computation. Closing these gaps allows objectivity to emerge. Mastery of this principle enables the solving of any problem at any scale. Philosophy, science, and mathematics function as concentric orbits guiding this process: philosophy frames questions, establishes principles, and explores meaning; science observes, measures, and maps relationships; mathematics and computation formalize, predict, and optimize outcomes. Inquiry begins at the periphery, where concepts are clarified and commitments articulated. It moves inward through observation and measurement, where claims encounter resistance from reality, and converges through formalization, where ambiguity is reduced to structure. Truth functions as a limit rather than a possession. Progress is measured by the narrowing of plausible explanations rather than by rhetorical victory. Subjectivity arises when models omit variables, when data under samples reality, or when available methods cannot discriminate among competing models. Bias and intuition are temporary artifacts, not permanent human limitations, and their systematic reduction across domains is a procedural goal. Reality itself is a lattice of interdependent facts and relationships; knowledge emerges by mapping these connections rather than through siloed disciplines. Abstract, social, and physical phenomena obey universal principles of causality and interdependence. Truth can be formalized without stripping meaning or emotion from human experience. Framing the right question is the first step toward convergence, and philosophy provides principles and direction that prepare for empirical investigation. Observation across atomic, molecular, neural, societal, and abstract layers uncovers interdependent patterns and reveals leverage points. Probabilistic, chaotic, and quantum systems remain tractable under formal modeling, and extreme human phenomena such as beauty, creativity, morality, and emotion can be represented as multi-layered functions connecting biochemistry, cognition, and culture. Insight arises from cross-layer, interconnected modeling, not from adherence to disciplinary silos. Observation, therefore, is universal; patterns are extractable across domains once measurement, computation, and lattice connections are sufficient. Formalization then converts observation into quantifiable prediction and optimization. The objectivity pipeline proceeds as follows: define, identify variables, map relationships, model, simulate, verify, and optimize. Framing from philosophy guides the science layer, while mathematics converges all domains into predictive structures. Algorithms, AI, simulation, and probabilistic reasoning serve as tools of universal objectivity. Multi-layer latticework modeling connects human, natural, and abstract systems, transforming observation into scalable, actionable insight. This pipeline ensures that domains previously deemed “interpretive” achieve the same procedural rigor as classical sciences. Applications demonstrate the universality of this approach. Supply chains, healthcare, infrastructure, climate, poverty, geopolitical strategy, ethics, cognition, and AI alignment are analyzable as interdependent networks. Objectivity identifies leverage points missed by siloed approaches. Bias, both cognitive and institutional, becomes a transient artifact rather than a limiting factor. Knowledge functions as infrastructure: scalable, auditable, and self-improving frameworks for human and organizational reasoning. The final proposition is simple and universal: objectivity is a meta-method, a universal operating system for truth, creativity, and progress. It is scalable from the smallest ethical dilemma to planetary-scale systemic challenges. Convergence toward truth is procedural, measurable, and general. The pursuit of objectivity is not limited by domain, disciplinary prestige, or cultural convention; it is constrained only by the current state of models, data, and computation. The following chapter establishes this framework, embedding all concepts, thinkers, and orbits into a single, cohesive narrative of rigorous inquiry.
bluwr.com/chasingtruth/chapter-1...

Magickal Paths 3972

Tupan, 27 d.
In magick, “right-hand path” (RHP) and “left-hand path” (LHP) name two different orientations toward power and the sacred—not simple good/evil lanes. The RHP aims at theurgy: purifying the self, aligning with a transcendent order, and uniting with something higher—the Godhead, Nous, Holy Guardian Angel, True Will. Authority flows downward through lineage, consecration, and rule. You clean the vessel first—banishings, abstinences, prayer, graded initiations—then invoke to become more transparent to the divine. The ethic is about humility, service, and character. Power’s legitimate when it’s bound by vow and used to heal, protect, and teach. That’s one posture. The LHP, by contrast, aims at apotheosis—exalting and individuating the magician until the self becomes its own godform. Authority here flows outward, from the practitioner’s will, forged through ordeal, trance, pacts, and direct negotiation with spirits. Rather than shun taboo currents, the LHP learns to contain and integrate them—to harvest force from desire, fear, rage, or eros and bind it to a chosen aim. You don’t surrender ego so much as refine and weaponize it, ideally with awareness of cost. Ethics turn on accountability: you pay what you promise, own your collateral, and live with your bargains. Both paths draw from the same toolbox—banishing, centering, consecration, circles and triangles, timing, offerings, divination—but sequence and intent differ. An RHP working might banish, consecrate, invoke a solar intelligence, make a petition aligned with vow, and then give thanks and charity. An LHP one might cross a boundary—graveyard, crossroads—under wards, evoke a chthonic spirit, strike a contract with careful terms, and pay every offering to the letter. In the RHP, spirits stand as teachers in a hierarchy; in the LHP, they’re contractors in a negotiated economy. You can see echoes of this back in Tantra—dakṣiṇācāra (conventional) vs. vāmacāra (heterodox)—and in the Western split between theurgy and goetia. Rosicrucian and Golden Dawn rites leaned toward theosis; other traditions, from Crowley’s “True Will” to explicitly LHP currents, tilt toward sovereignty and self-deification. Modern magicians mix freely. A Thelemite might invoke the Holy Guardian Angel on Sunday, then perform an uncrossing at a graveyard Tuesday night. Chaos magicians switch hands almost by instinct, tailoring each operation to its need. Every approach has hazards. The RHP can fall into moralism, spiritual bypass, or dependence on external authority. The LHP can slide into narcissism, thrill-seeking, or treating everything—people included—as currency. That’s why mature practice always builds guardrails: divination before and after; clarity of aim; wards; records; fulfillment of obligations; aftercare for the psyche and for relationships touched by the work. A small litmus test helps: Does the working increase lucidity, steadiness, and the capacity to keep one’s word without needless harm? If not, change the method. It’s all experiment, after all. Choosing which hand to use isn’t about belonging to a tribe—it’s about the task. Healing old patterns, steadying life, and cultivating virtue thrive in RHP containers. Breaking paralysis, reclaiming agency, confronting shadow material, or working under pact lean LHP. Most of us end up ambidextrous anyway: vow on Sunday, crossroads on Tuesday, always with a ledger of costs—and enough honesty to pay when the bill comes due. Both paths can sanctify or corrupt. The art is knowing which hand opens which door—and closing it properly when you are done.

My five witnesses of love 3955

Boucharfou, 27 d.
Of this love that I have for you I have five witnesses: My frail body which has lost its plumpness! My hot tears despite your good care!! My hands that tremble when you are far away!!! My poor heart beating very hard in its little corner!!!! And the hope of meeting you, one day, a few minutes…. at least !!!!! ​Dr Fouad Bouchareb All rights are protected

My Father's Pen 3584

Boucharfou, 1 mon.
​I have known it since I was young. My late father, then a school principal, gave me my first pen when I passed my primary school certificate in June 1966, to replace my dip pen, penholder, and inkwell. ​He taught me how to hold it between my thumb and index finger and how to improve my handwriting in both Arabic and French. ​He taught me to choose the best verb, the best sentence to express my feelings and reveal my emotions of the moment. He instilled in me the art of juggling with the taxonomy of verbs and, subsequently, the choice of the best tense for conjugating them. He never stopped repeating to me that the solemnity of the moment required a faithful reflection of the recount of events, whether actually experienced or imagined. He taught me to reflect on what I was going to write before drafting and consulting. ​He had the art and manner of transmitting his knowledge to me with passion and love. He took all the time for this patiently, never reprimanding me for a spelling mistake or when I rolled my Rs. He knew that by doing so, he succeeded in setting me on the right path for drafting, narration, pronunciation, and written and oral expression. ​I often used to lock myself in my studio, which was located in the garden of our staff housing at the Sidi Amr school in Meknes. ​This is how I began to write short stories, poems, and even love letters to an imaginary beloved. ​I also kept my personal diary. ​My French teacher in the first year, called the observation class, at Moulay Ismail High School, Mr. Rossetti, encouraged me to write. ​My pen was a precious tool for me, allowing me to express everything I felt at that time of my life. For me, it was a way not only to entertain myself but also to consolidate a gift for writing and composing poems. My father supervised what I produced in writing from a distance and had the art and manner of correcting my essays while encouraging me to move forward. ​My "vocabulary" capital grew day by day. ​I had gotten into the habit of writing in one go, without resorting to a draft. ​Now that I am nearing seventy, I continue to write with a disconcerting ease that surprises those around me. ​For me, there is nothing surprising, because I possess genes transmitted by my father, an outstanding teacher and school principal who officiated for more than forty years and who, like me and my brothers and sisters, trained hundreds and hundreds of students. ​May he rest in peace and know that his pen is in good hands. ​Dr. Fouad Bouchareb All rights reserved November 27, 2025

My Father's Pen 3538

Boucharfou, 1 mon.
​I have known it since I was young. My late father, then a school principal, gave me my first pen when I passed my primary school certificate in June 1966, to replace my dip pen, penholder, and inkwell. ​He taught me how to hold it between my thumb and index finger and how to improve my handwriting in both Arabic and French. ​He taught me to choose the best verb, the best sentence to express my feelings and reveal my emotions of the moment. He instilled in me the art of juggling with the taxonomy of verbs and, subsequently, the choice of the best tense for conjugating them. He never stopped repeating to me that the solemnity of the moment required a faithful reflection of the recount of events, whether actually experienced or imagined. He taught me to reflect on what I was going to write before drafting and consulting. ​He had the art and manner of transmitting his knowledge to me with passion and love. He took all the time for this patiently, never reprimanding me for a spelling mistake or when I rolled my Rs. He knew that by doing so, he succeeded in setting me on the right path for drafting, narration, pronunciation, and written and oral expression. ​I often used to lock myself in my studio, which was located in the garden of our staff housing at the Sidi Amr school in Meknes. ​This is how I began to write short stories, poems, and even love letters to an imaginary beloved. ​I also kept my personal diary. ​My French teacher in the first year, called the observation class, at Moulay Ismail High School, Mr. Rossetti, encouraged me to write. ​My pen was a precious tool for me, allowing me to express everything I felt at that time of my life. For me, it was a way not only to entertain myself but also to consolidate a gift for writing and composing poems. My father supervised what I produced in writing from a distance and had the art and manner of correcting my essays while encouraging me to move forward. ​My "vocabulary" capital grew day by day. ​I had gotten into the habit of writing in one go, without resorting to a draft. ​Now that I am nearing seventy, I continue to write with a disconcerting ease that surprises those around me. ​For me, there is nothing surprising, because I possess genes transmitted by my father, an outstanding teacher and school principal who officiated for more than forty years and who, like me and my brothers and sisters, trained hundreds and hundreds of students. ​May he rest in peace and know that his pen is in good hands. ​Dr. Fouad Bouchareb All rights reserved November 27, 2025

My Father's Pen 3514

Boucharfou, 1 mon.
​I have known it since I was young. My late father, then a school principal, gave me my first pen when I passed my primary school certificate in June 1966, to replace my dip pen, penholder, and inkwell. ​He taught me how to hold it between my thumb and index finger and how to improve my handwriting in both Arabic and French. ​He taught me to choose the best verb, the best sentence to express my feelings and reveal my emotions of the moment. He instilled in me the art of juggling with the taxonomy of verbs and, subsequently, the choice of the best tense for conjugating them. He never stopped repeating to me that the solemnity of the moment required a faithful reflection of the recount of events, whether actually experienced or imagined. He taught me to reflect on what I was going to write before drafting and consulting. ​He had the art and manner of transmitting his knowledge to me with passion and love. He took all the time for this patiently, never reprimanding me for a spelling mistake or when I rolled my Rs. He knew that by doing so, he succeeded in setting me on the right path for drafting, narration, pronunciation, and written and oral expression. ​I often used to lock myself in my studio, which was located in the garden of our staff housing at the Sidi Amr school in Meknes. ​This is how I began to write short stories, poems, and even love letters to an imaginary beloved. ​I also kept my personal diary. ​My French teacher in the first year, called the observation class, at Moulay Ismail High School, Mr. Rossetti, encouraged me to write. ​My pen was a precious tool for me, allowing me to express everything I felt at that time of my life. For me, it was a way not only to entertain myself but also to consolidate a gift for writing and composing poems. My father supervised what I produced in writing from a distance and had the art and manner of correcting my essays while encouraging me to move forward. ​My "vocabulary" capital grew day by day. ​I had gotten into the habit of writing in one go, without resorting to a draft. ​Now that I am nearing seventy, I continue to write with a disconcerting ease that surprises those around me. ​For me, there is nothing surprising, because I possess genes transmitted by my father, an outstanding teacher and school principal who officiated for more than forty years and who, like me and my brothers and sisters, trained hundreds and hundreds of students. ​May he rest in peace and know that his pen is in good hands. ​Dr. Fouad Bouchareb All rights reserved November 27, 2025

Reflection 3070

Boucharfou, 1 mon.
​Throughout my life, what I ignored as covetousness came to me willingly, without effort. And everything I sought to possess ultimately slipped away from me, despite reinforcements. Life only shows its generosity towards the one who doesn't care and goes without, It humiliates the one who clings to it and holds on relentlessly. The fire that burns the soul is soothed and eventually extinguished by detachment... So detach yourself, for the one who lets go easily ends up possessing. ​Dr. Fouad Bouchareb November 24, 2025 All rights reserved

Reflection 3182

Boucharfou, 1 mon.
​🧘 ​Throughout my life, what I ignored as covetousness came to me willingly, without effort. And everything I sought to possess ultimately slipped away from me, despite reinforcements. Life only shows its generosity towards the one who doesn't care and goes without, It humiliates the one who clings to it and holds on relentlessly. The fire that burns the soul is soothed and eventually extinguished by detachment... So detach yourself, for the one who lets go easily ends up possessing. ​Dr. Fouad Bouchareb November 24, 2025 All rights reserved

Reflection 3200

Boucharfou, 1 mon.
​ ​Throughout my life, what I ignored as covetousness came to me willingly, without effort. And everything I sought to possess ultimately slipped away from me, despite reinforcements. Life only shows its generosity towards the one who doesn't care and goes without, It humiliates the one who clings to it and holds on relentlessly. The fire that burns the soul is soothed and eventually extinguished by detachment... So detach yourself, for the one who lets go easily ends up possessing. ​Dr. Fouad Bouchareb November 24, 2025 All rights reserved

Going Forward: An Exercise in Focus. 3625

GiANTS Game Philosophy, 1 mon.
- Lifestyle - Philosophy -
1.9 min read.
It has been half a year since finishing the design and “publishing” my first modest game. Find the link to the actual game at the bottom of this article. It's free, no download necessary. The aftermath of Creating this game can be summarized simply: I still play and enjoy my game. Nobody else plays it since I didn’t go to any lengths to advertise its existence. Which doesn’t bother me at all. But it does go deeper than that. The exercise of creating the game, writing down the rules and having people test it, along with the task of building upon the feedback with refined iterations of the rules, it all forced me to make a choice between my comfort zone and what lies outside of it. I very much had the option to keep a functioning game recorded exclusively in my mind, and to keep to myself about it (or maybe blog about it). But instead I disciplined myself to produce a product that others can experience in their own way and on their own time. There are two main take-aways from this choice: 1) Regardless of whether others do play the game or not, I have created something that can “be pointed at.” Something tangible, observable and measurable. This feels like hopping over a fence; I had made nothing before, and now I have made something. Going forward from here, this fact will not change regardless of what course of action I choose next. 2)I have felt the feeling of reaching outside of my comfort zone and subsequently expanding it by the smallest increment. Which means that going forward from here, while I may have unfamiliar territory ahead of me, the act of crossing into unfamiliar territory is becoming familiar. This is a great personal improvement overall and just like the first point, regardless of what I choose to do next, this will not change. The next highly uncomfortable step for me at this time will be to promote and maybe even market something of my making. I do have a batch of ideas in that regard that are just waiting to be put into action: - “try before you buy” weekly evening events at one of my local board games shop, which have the kindness of allowing people to self-promote their homebrew games. - Attempt to contact Mark on YouTube (Riffle Shuffle and Roll) to see if he’d be willing to feature Bully Takedown on his channel. - Another game I’m working on (ooh secret project) could be packaged as a prototype and pitched at conventions. - The secret project could be, gasp, pitched to a publisher once it’s finished and packaged as a prototype. - Eventually maybe I could even start posting on some socials, wincing merrily along the way. Any of these steps are unspeakably uncomfortable for me. Maybe that’s appropriate for pitching to a publisher or at a convention, but the others seem more accessible despite the disproportionate feeling of discomfort regarding those options. This is where it all becomes an exercise in focus. Clearly anxiety is hijacking my imagination and taking me into mental headspaces I have no business being in. As a wise fictional character in an animated movie once said: “focusing on what I can control here and now” will be the key to going forward. I will be starting a dev log soon for the aforementioned secret project, to keep track of the creation of such a thing as a prototype. Let’s call it Project Contraption for now. As for the game I published, here it is below. It's called Bully Takedown.
medium.com/@giantsgamedesign/bul...

The Value of Authenticity 3713

Boucharfou, 2 mon.
​This is our problem. 👌 ​What value does friendship have without sincerity? What value does reading have without understanding? What value does writing have without evoking emotions? What value do words have without meaning? What value does discussion have without logic? What value does a smile have without pure intentions? What value does a commitment have without loyalty? ​Too often, we make friends without being sincere, we love without being faithful, we talk a lot without acting, and we promise without keeping our word. ​Dr Fouad Bouchareb All rights reserved Agadir, November 15, 2025

Quimbanda 4908

Tupan, 2 mon.
Quimbanda is a living, urban spirit-religion that took shape in Brazil’s port cities over the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, drawing on Central-West African Bantu cosmologies, Indigenous American practices, popular Catholicism, and Kardecist spiritism. Where Umbanda is often described as the “right hand” (linha da direita) that emphasizes healing and moral elevation, Quimbanda is commonly called the “left hand” (linha da esquerda): it faces the gritty realities of desire, conflict, work, sex, money, and protection in the world as it is. Its spirits—above all Exus and Pomba Giras—are not devils in the Christian sense but powerful agents of the crossroads who negotiate paths, open and close roads, and mirror human passion with startling clarity. Historically, Quimbanda emerged alongside rapid migration, police repression, and racialized poverty. In this setting, its spirits became specialists in boundary spaces: thresholds, bars, markets, street corners, cemeteries—places where rules bend and deals are made. A gira (ceremonial circle) is noisy and social: drums mark the cadence, songs call the lines of spirits, smoke and perfume signal shifts in presence, and mediums incorporate to dance, speak, and counsel. Offerings are direct and sensorial—cachaça (distilled fresh sugarcane spirit), cigarettes, red wine, roses, roasted corn, spicy foods—because Quimbanda is about exchange: you give, you ask, you fulfill what you promised. Exu in Quimbanda is not the trickster-devil of missionary caricature, nor merely the messenger of Candomblé. He is a class of spirits with names, histories, and personalities—Exu Tranca-Ruas, Exu Sete Encruzilhadas, Exu Caveira—who work at specific “crossroads” (cruzamentos, encruzilhadas). Pomba Gira, often misunderstood through misogynistic stereotypes, is the sovereign of female desire, elegance, and cunning—Maria Padilha, Sete Saias, Cigana—teaching about autonomy, charisma, and the dangers and power of seduction. Together they deal with what is hard to sanctify in polite spaces: jealousy, breakups, court cases, job blocks, spiritual attacks, and the tangled ethics of obligation. Quimbanda’s ethic is pragmatic and accountable rather than abstractly moralistic. The spirits are not fooled by pompous speeches; they expect clarity, reciprocity, and follow-through. If a petition succeeds, you pay your offering. If you promised a mass for a soul, you schedule it. If you sought a binding or a separation, you accept the web of consequences that comes with bending social ties. Because of this directness—and because outsiders often conflate “left-hand” with “evil”—Quimbanda has long been stigmatized. In Brazil, racist and classist stereotypes have linked it to criminality and evangelical demonization has fueled persecution. Practitioners preach that Quimbanda is a sophisticated technology of negotiation with the spirit world, grounded in community, memory, and results. Lineages vary. Some houses are fiercely traditional, keeping a tight separation from Umbanda and Candomblé; others are “mixed,” with mediums who serve lines across religions. Some houses work almost entirely with Exu and Pomba Gira; others include male and female “people” of the cemetery, the sea, the forest, or the gypsy caravan—reflecting broader Brazilian spirit vocabularies. There are also differences in cosmology: a few lineages place Exu within a Bantu-inspired schema of forces (kalunga, the line between worlds; nkisi-like principles); others frame him more through Catholic and Spiritist lenses, emphasizing masses for souls, prayers, and moral counsel. What unites these forms is a shared grammar: crossroads as cosmological hub, offerings as contracts, incorporation as communication, and the conviction that spiritual power answers the problems of daily life. The sacred here is not faraway transcendence; it is the friction and flow of human bonds. In recent decades, global interest has created exported and hybrid forms of “Kimbanda/Quimbanda,” sometimes trimmed to a grimoire system for private ritual. Practitioners in Brazil often welcome exchange but worry about decontextualization—losing the songs, the humor, the streetwise etiquette that make the spirits feel at home. Many houses respond with public education: teaching that Exu is not the devil, that offerings belong in appropriate places and times, that consent and responsibility matter, and that tradition adapts without abandoning its roots. To meet Quimbanda is to meet a mirror. It does not promise virtue; it promises clarity about what you want and what it will cost. Its spirits love laughter and flamboyance, but they are exacting accountants of exchange. If Umbanda teaches the balm of light, Quimbanda teaches the courage to walk at night: to stand at the crossing, name your need, make your pact, and carry your word. If you do, the road opens—not because the world became pure, but because you learned how to move through it.

Managing Science is not a numbers game 5667

Tariq Daouda, 2 mon.
More people in science does not necessarily mean better results: there is an equilibrium to find, a sweet spot. There is a fundamental difference between technology, industry and science. In an industrial setting, production is mostly defined by how many units of production you have, and how much ressources are available for production. As long as input ressources are available, you can in theory scale production somewhat geometrically. Double the number of factories, double the output. Science works differently. Historically groundbreaking scientific discoveries and theories have been made in times of small tight knit communities. The most famous example being the iconic photograph from the Fifth Solvay Conference in 1927, held in Brussels, often referred to as "the most intelligent photo of all time". All the great minds that defined modern physics from relativity to quantum mechanics fit in one single photograph. In science, instruments are not the means of production, they are the tools used to assess theories. Doubling the money and the people does not imply doubling the output. Science is not about producing stuff it's about producing new ideas. Science thrives when highly intelligent individuals, extremely passionate about a single topic, get to meet to exchange often and freely over a long period of time. A hyper focused kernel driven by a similar passion. Adding more people dilutes the potential of highly meaningful interactions. That's the first reason why more people can lead to less groundbreaking discoveries. Even if the constituents of that kernel exists, it can never crystallized and reach it's full potential. Too many people to talk to, too many papers to read and too many unaligned objectives. This also promotes the apparition of dogmatism and "consensus thinking". When there are too many ideas to assess, it is tempting to go with what the majority thinks. However for science, freedom is more important than consensus. Consensus is a political tool used by human beings to govern themselves in matters of opinions. This is irrelevant to science because science is empirical. It doesn't matter how many people think something if it can be demonstrated to be false. Freedom of thought, on the other hand is the essential mechanism that keeps on generating new ideas and points of view. A necessary part of scientific development.

The Parental Home 5194

Boucharfou, 3 mon.
The Parental Home My parents’ house is permanently closed. The doorbell remains curiously silent. There is no longer Mom to welcome me with open arms and her wonderfully legendary smile. There is no longer Dad to tell me about his many travels, to share his famous jokes and give me advice about my job and career. There are no more magical smells coming from Mom’s kitchen, making my mouth water in anticipation of a good feast and delicious dishes of which only she knew the secret. My parents were so proud to see me become a doctor. They had no idea that once they became ill, I would be the one watching over them and their unfortunate fate! Since their passing, the peaceful atmosphere that reigned in our home is gone. There is no more joy of living. And, so to speak, even the hands of the wall clock have stopped moving. And the swing has ceased its endless back and forth. No more tick-tock, no random music. There are no more heated debates between my brothers and sisters, debates that only Dad had the art of settling with wisdom, favoring no one. He taught us how to discern things, to compose poetry, verses, and prose. He amazed his audience with his funny stories. Now, there are no more guests in the house. A divine silence reigns, like a sacred communion. Time first suddenly stopped on October 3rd, 1996. It froze forever on December 5th, 2018. From now on, I am left only with prayers, that their souls may rest in peace. Dr. Bouchareb Fouad Agadir, August 21st, 2022 All rights reserved

Candomblé 5592

Tupan, 3 mon.
Candomblé is an Afro-Brazilian religion rooted in West and Central African traditions that took shape in Brazil through enslaved Yoruba (Ketu/Nagô), Fon (Jeje), and Bantu (Angola/Congo) peoples. It is based on living relationships with the orixás (Jeje: voduns; Angola: inkices)—deities of nature and human experience—each with their own colors, rhythms, foods, stories, and temperaments. Ceremonies take place in a terreiro under the leadership of an iyalorixá or babalorixá, supported by ogãs (ritual musicians/guardians) and ekedes (female ritual attendants). Through singing, drumming on atabaques, dancing, and strict ritual etiquette, devotees cultivate and circulate axé (sacred vitality). The three main drums-rum. rumpi, and lê-have specific patterns for each orixá, and liturgical songs usually preserve Yoruba and Bantu words that transmit theology and history. During the ceremonies, the orixás may “take over” (sometimes called mounting) initiated mediums in spirit possession, bringing counsel and healing to the community. Offerings and sacred foods are prepared with rules of purity and respect; initiation is a long apprenticeship involving seclusion, ritual shaving (raspagem), obligations, and the building of one’s personal relationship with patron orixás. New initiates (iaôs) receive sacred objects and taboos (quizilas) that guide daily life and protect their axé. Divination—often performed using cowrie shells (jogo de búzios) or Ifá—guides decisions, diagnoses imbalances, and prescribes ebós (remedies/offerings). Many houses historically masked orixás with Catholic saints to survive persecution, yet Candomblé maintains its own theology, ritual language, and ethics. Each “nation” (Ketu, Angola, Jeje, and others) keeps distinct musical styles, liturgical languages, and ritual aesthetics while honoring common principles. The religion values humility, reciprocity, care for elders and initiates, and practical service—healing, protection, and community solidarity. Terreiros keep pejis (shrines) and sacred trees, and many lead environmental and social projects as an expression of respect for the natural forces embodied by the orixás. Public festivals mark the calendar with processions, communal meals, and songs that celebrate the houses’ lineages. Today Candomblé thrives across Brazil and the diaspora, adapting to modern life while safeguarding initiatory secrecy, ritual precision, and the dignity of African-descended wisdom. Despite ongoing prejudice, legal recognition and cultural pride have strengthened terreiros, allowing them to teach, serve, and preserve traditions for future generations.

The 4 Choices of Morpheus and what it teaches about human psychology 5401

Tariq Daouda, 3 mon.
- Science - Philosophy - Realist -
0.9 min read.
An iconic scene from an iconic movie. Two men sitting face to face in a abandoned hotel. Each one on a red leather, luxurious Chesterfield-style armchair. A ridiculously small coffee table between them. The scene is dimly lit and outside a storm is raging. The move Morpheus speaks and the more Neo leans forward. Enthralled by the story, by the mystery being revealed. Morpheus leans forward, extending his hands: "This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends; you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." Slowly he opens each hand, revealing the translucent pills. Take the blue pill an stay as you are, take the red pill and attain gnosis. Knowledge of the true reality of things. The deal is irresistible. However, as there seem to be only two choices. In reality there are 4: take the blue pill, take the right pill, take both pills and take none. The last two did not occur to Neo, as they did not occur to the audience. The scene, the monologue is perfectly crafted. With his words and delivery Morpheus created a box for Neo's mind and the audience. A limited set of reality in which to think. We will never know what would you have happened if Neo had just walked away. Morpheus was selling the red pill, and he executed the prefect sell. Thinking outside of the box often means refusing to get boxed-in in the first place.
youtu.be/zE7PKRjrid4

Love 4901

Boucharfou, 3 mon.
Love! Love is a destiny We hardly choose the moment to love It happens one evening or one morning It happens by pure chance It leaves you confused and haggard One day when you least expect it You didn't see it coming from afar It happens in the blink of an eye... Without an appointment... It makes you soft... It makes you lose your mind... It makes you run away from home Like fire, it burns you with passion Love at first sight is legion You'll get your share, your ration Without logic... But it's beautiful despite everything we endure It's a pure feeling When it's sincere It's magical It's fantastic Despite its pains and sorrows, its sleepless nights Until morning It's the elixir of life It's endless ecstasy... It happens to you by magic... Content in loving takes you away from everything... It besieges you from everywhere! It takes over! It will drive you crazy sooner or later!!! Dr. Fouad Bouchareb El Medano / Tenerife August 24, 2025 Inspired by a text by Jalal Eddine Erroumi Arabic and Arabic All rights reserved

My Generation 5050

Boucharfou, 3 mon.
- Society - Philosophy - Romance -
1.3 min read.
I come from a generation that never knew electronic tablets. Our tablets were wooden boards, where we copied verses from the Quran, learned them by heart, and recited them before the fqih. A single mistake meant the sting of a stick, followed by the laughter of classmates. We never begged our parents for toys. We built them ourselves—rolling bicycle rims with a stick for handlebars, imitating the roar of engines with our mouths, or crafting skateboards from wood and ball bearings. Our games were simple but endless: hide-and-seek, marbles, spinning tops. We did not need private lessons. Our teachers were masters of their craft, teaching with passion and devotion. We discovered poetry, crossword puzzles, and the joy of words at an early age. Respect for elders was a rule, and care for the younger ones a duty. Holidays were not for travel but for small jobs that earned us coins to buy books—Camus, Hugo, Balzac, and others that today’s youth rarely open. We lived fully in the real world, untouched by the virtual. Our joys were simple: an old movie at the cinema, a homemade sandwich of tomatoes and peppers, afternoons at the public pool, or slipping into a football match just before the final whistle. One black-and-white TV channel was enough, and a transistor radio was a treasure. We kissed our parents’ hands, respected teachers and policemen, shared our scholarship money with siblings, and saved schoolbags and textbooks for years. We listened to our grandmothers’ tales in the dark, our imaginations weaving monsters, heroes, and enchanted princesses. We knew the Solex, the 2CV, the Dauphine, the R8. We wrote letters and waited for the postman as if he were a hero. Pocket money came only at Eid, and our first driver’s license only after our first paycheck. We grew up running errands, carrying bread to the oven, water from the fountain, groceries on credit in the neighborhood shop. We learned values the hard way—through discipline, slaps, and the watchful eyes of parents, neighbors, and teachers. Elders were always right. We listened more than we spoke. That is why my generation is so different from today’s. We are often misunderstood, dismissed as outdated—even by our own children. Yet I cannot help but feel that those who never lived what we did have truly missed something. Dr. Fouad Bouchareb All rights reserved

Age Is Just a Number 5040

Boucharfou, 3 mon.
Age is nothing but a number, Just the count of candles burning bright. On this fourth day of December, Sixty-eight flames light up my life. They melt away like gentle magic, Their wax flowing quietly down the candlesticks. Shy as maidens, they reveal themselves, Casting soft shadows Across the four walls of my room— Choreographing the loveliest of dances To the rhythm of a tender melody, As I sway with them in every direction. They awaken my journeys, The memories of the film of my life— Moments of joy once savored, And painful chapters overcome. Sixty-eight candles still shine upon me. But how many remain in the treasury of my years? One? Two? Ten, or twenty? Only God holds the answer. They say age is just a number. Yet the further we go along life’s path, The more we sense the day when all will cease. For me, only the present moment counts. Eternity is not mine to claim— Only God is eternal. What matters is guarding the wealth of health, And taming the burdens of illness. Sixty-eight candles brighten my world, And I choose to savor this moment Now, and only now. Dr. Fouad Bouchareb All rights reserved Wednesday, December 04, 2024

AI: The fallacy of the Turing Test 4880

Tariq Daouda, 3 mon.
The Turing test is simple to understand. In a typical setup, a human judge engages in text-based conversations with both a human and a machine, without knowing which is which, and must determine which participant is the machine. If the judge cannot reliably tell them apart based solely on their conversational responses, the machine is said to have passed the test and demonstrated convincing human-like intelligence. This is convenient, it perfectly avoids facing the hard questions such as defining intelligence and consciousness. Instead, it lays out a basic naive test founded on an ontological fallacy: it's not because something is perceived as something else that it is that thing. The most evident critique of the Turing Test is embedded into the fundementals of Machine Learning itself: - The model is not the modeled. It remains an approximation however precise it is. A simple analogy makes the ontological fallacy clear. It's like going to a magic show, seeing a table floating above the ground and believing that the levitation really happened. How many bits of information separate a real human from a chatting bot? Assuming the number is exactly 0, without any justification, is an extraordinary naive claim. Interestingly, the Turing Test also greatly fails at defining so called super-Intelligence. A super Intelligent machine would evidently fail the test by simply providing super-intelligent answers. Unless it decides to fool the experimenter, in which case it could appear as anything it desires rendering the test meaningless. Regarding modern LLMs, the veil is already faling. LLMs have quircks, like an oversuage of em-dashes. A strange features that is indicative of something potentially pathological in the way the models are trained. These strange dashes would have been expected if a majority of people were using them. However it so happens that hardly anyone knows how to find them on their keyboard. This proves that LLMs are not following the manifold of human writing and suggests the existence of other bisases. Finally, embedded inside the promotion of the Turing test is often a lazy ontological theory of materialism that stipulates that consciousness is not fundamental but a byproduct of matter. Often negating it's existence altogether: It's not that consciousness can be faked, or that it is the result of computations, the understanding is that consciousness does not exist. It is an illusion that takes over the subject of the experience. Again a theory of convenience, based on little justification that produces a major paradox: Who is conscious of the illusion of consciousness?

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa 5778

Tupan, 4 mon.
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (1486–1535) was a German polymath, physician, soldier, and occult philosopher whose writings laid the intellectual foundations for much of the Western esoteric tradition. He is best known for his magnum opus, *De Occulta Philosophia Libri Tres* (Three Books of Occult Philosophy), a comprehensive synthesis of magic, Kabbalah, Neoplatonism, Hermeticism, and Christian mysticism. In Agrippa, the currents of the Renaissance—scientific curiosity, classical revival, and spiritual yearning—converged in a deep and somewhat controversial body of work. Born in Cologne in 1486, Agrippa was educated in classical literature, theology, and law, but he also immersed himself in the esoteric arts—alchemy, astrology, angelology, and ceremonial magic. He traveled widely across Europe, engaging with scholars, nobility, and religious authorities. He often served as a physician and lecturer, while simultaneously pursuing his deeper passion for the hidden structure of reality that he believed could be revealed through magickal philosophy. Agrippa was a direct student and correspondent of Johannes Trithemius (1462-1516), the abbot of Sponheim and a key figure in early modern magical and cryptographic studies. Trithemius, known for his own influential work *Steganographia*, served as a mentor who inspired Agrippa’s lifelong pursuit of hidden knowledge and spiritual science. He also encouraged Agrippa to refine his ideas on occult philosophy into a systematic form, which would later become *De Occulta Philosophia*. In *De Occulta Philosophia*, Agrippa organizes magick into three interconnected worlds: 1) The Elemental world, governed by natural philosophy and the powers of the four elements (earth, water, air, fire). 2) The Celestial world, influenced by the movements of the stars and planets—i.e., astrology. 3) The Intellectual or Divine world, ruled by angelic hierarchies, divine archetypes, and the mysteries of the Kabbalah. For Agrippa, true magick was not superstition but a sacred science, a means by which the human soul could ascend through the created order toward union with the divine. He viewed the magician not as a manipulator of forces for selfish ends, but as a philosopher-priest who, through study, virtue, and divine illumination, could harmonize with the cosmos and act as a mediator between heaven and earth. Yet Agrippa’s life was marked by tension and contradiction. He often ran into problems with church authorities, accused of heresy or subversion. In his later years, he published *De Incertitudine et Vanitate Scientiarum* (On the Uncertainty and Vanity of the Sciences), a scathing critique of dogmatic knowledge, including his own magickal writings—though many scholars interpret this as rhetorical irony or spiritual disillusionment rather than renunciation. Agrippa died in 1535, likely in Grenoble. Though seen by some as a charlatan and heretic, his influence endures until today. His Occult Philosophy became a cornerstone of Renaissance magic, shaping later figures like John Dee, Giordano Bruno, and Eliphas Levi. Even modern Hermetic and ceremonial traditions—such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn—owe much to Agrippa’s system of correspondences and metaphysical cosmology. Nowadays, Agrippa is recognized not merely as a magician, but as a pioneer of symbolic thought, a bridge between medieval mysticism and modern esotericism. His work continues to guide and inspire those who seek the hidden harmonies of the universe—through reason, reverence, and the transformative power of the imagination.

Divided by time and Diluted by the days 5623

El Hombre Galan, 4 mon.
- Philosophy -
0.5 min read.
What you are is the resistance to yourself - exhausting life and preserving it at the same time- until you are not here. Rest from rest Work from work Is this not what life is - self-examination of the self, the echo you hear that comes to you, not from you. My thoughts are not mine then- they come to me from whom? I am this, the I behind I - or my mind behind my mind. Rest from rest Work from work I’m divided by time, diluted by the days ahead of me, I am what is left over 20 yrs, 30 yrs, and more. How much can I give each day? What will be left? How does this end? The perfect start to a bad ending? A bad start with a perfect end? Rest from rest Work from work Have you preserved and exhausted yourself and lived a full life in the best way you could? If not, try again!

Be Free From Yourself 5623

El Hombre Galan, 4 mon.
- Philosophy -
0.5 min read.
What are we waiting for? You and I Living and dying in an eternal day Waiting for the light to fade away? I lie in the bed at night to read or see the stars, and I feel 1000 pounds on me- because life holds and presses hard, not because of difficulty. I can beat life, but it presses hard and holds me down because I am waiting; waiting for what? I have ideas. Our lives have been turned in on themselves, and now we wait for things to happen—most of the time. I don’t think we waited much in the past for things, and maybe we will wait more in the future. This cannot be good. Are some of us still in conflict with this- I don’t like waiting, and I am restless. It is time to make things happen and free myself of this feeling.

Gematria 6863

Tupan, 4 mon.
Gematria is a system of alphanumeric substitution in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is assigned a numerical value. This allows words and phrases to be translated into numbers, and those numbers can then be compared, analyzed, and interpreted to reveal hidden meanings, symbolic relationships, or mystical insights. Gematria is a central technique in Kabbalistic thought, where it serves as a tool for uncovering the deeper structure of sacred texts, especially the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh). The term "gematria" is believed to derive from the Greek word geometria, or possibly from a conflation of gramma (letter) and metron (measure), reflecting the art of measuring letters through numerical equivalence. Although most closely associated with Jewish mysticism, gematria has parallels in other traditions, such as Greek isopsephy and Arabic abjad numerology. In the Hebrew system, the 22 letters of the alphabet are assigned values, and with them, any Hebrew word can be reduced to a numerical sum. The word for "life" (chai, חַי), for example, is composed of Chet (8) and Yod (10), totaling 18. This is why the number 18 holds special significance in Jewish tradition. Gematria becomes especially powerful when words or phrases share the same numerical value. For example, the words Elohim (אֱלֹהִים) and HaTevah (הַטֶּבַע, "the nature") both sum to 86, suggesting a mystical identity between God and the natural world. Such equivalences are not considered accidental; rather, they are believed to reveal the hidden architecture of divine creation encoded in scripture. There are several forms of gematria: Standard Gematria: Using the basic letter-to-number values. Mispar Gadol: Adds the value of final forms (so-called "final letters") as their own distinct higher values. Atbash and Albam: Ciphers that replace letters based on alphabetic inversion or shifting, creating additional layers of interpretation. Ordinal Gematria: Assigns numerical values by sequence (Aleph = 1, Bet = 2, etc., up to Tav = 22). Kabbalists use gematria not merely for intellectual exercise but as a form of theurgical meditation. By contemplating the numerical relationships between divine names, commandments, and sacred texts, they seek to elevate their consciousness, reveal veiled meanings, and harmonize with the divine structure of the universe. In modern esotericism and Hermetic traditions, gematria has been adopted into systems of Western occultism, especially within Hermetic Kabbalah, the Golden Dawn, and Thelema. Practitioners often compare Hebrew, Greek, and English gematria to examine words and magical formulae, aiming to unlock multidimensional significance in magical texts and ritual language. Gematria is both a science of sacred number and a spiritual art. It unifies language and number, matter and spirit, exegesis and revelation. Through its perspective, letters cease to be mere symbols—they become vessels of divine energy, revealing a universe where nothing is random, waiting to be uncovered.

Sacred Geometry 7495

Tupan, 4 mon.
Sacred geometry is the study of universal patterns, proportions, and forms that shape the structure of the cosmos. Based in both mystical philosophy and natural law, it proposes that certain geometric principles—such as the circle, the triangle, the square, and the spiral—are not mere abstractions of the human mind, but archetypal patterns embedded in the very fabric of existence. From the crystalline structure of minerals to the arrangement of galaxies, from the spiraling of galaxies to the loops of a seashell, sacred geometry reveals the fundamental harmony that unites all levels of being, from the microcosm to the macrocosm. Historically, sacred geometry has been used in nearly every advanced civilization. In ancient Egypt, temples were constructed in accordance with geometrical harmonies to mirror the cosmic order and to serve as portals between the earthly and the divine. In Greece, Pythagoras and his initiates viewed numbers and forms as the essence of all reality, with the tetractys—a triangular arrangement of ten points—symbolizing the unfolding of the universe from unity into multiplicity. Platonic solids, which are the only five regular polyhedra that exist in three-dimensional space, were seen as the geometric building blocks of the classical elements: earth (cube), air (octahedron), water (icosahedron), fire (tetrahedron), and ether or spirit (dodecahedron). The circle is the most fundamental and infinite of all shapes, representing unity, eternity, and the divine source. From it arises the Vesica Piscis, formed by the intersection of two circles, symbolizing the intersection of spirit and matter, or heaven and earth. This sacred figure originates other key patterns such as the Seed of Life, Flower of Life, and Tree of Life, each a progressively complex map of creation and emanation. These patterns are found carved into sacred sites around the world, not as decoration, but as invocations of cosmic harmony encoded in symbol. At a more esoteric level, sacred geometry is not only the structure of physical matter but also the architecture of consciousness. Every line and angle becomes a glyph of spiritual truth. In the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, for example, the Sephiroth are arranged in a precise geometric pattern that mirrors the process of divine emanation from the Infinite (Ein Sof) into the manifested world. In Islamic architecture, intricate geometric mosaics reflect the infinite within the finite, pointing to the divine through abstraction and mathematical beauty. In Eastern mandalas, sacred geometry functions as both map and mirror—a diagram of the universe and a guide to inner stillness. The mystical power of sacred geometry resides in its ability to bridge the material and the metaphysical. Geometry is not only a tool for measuring space but a sacred science that unveils the divine intelligence at work in all things. To contemplate these forms is to enter a state of resonance with the universal order. When one meditates upon the proportions of a golden spiral or the interlocking symmetry of a mandala, the soul begins to remember its own original harmony. Sacred geometry is not a human invention, but a revelation—a language through which the cosmos speaks to itself. It is the alphabet of creation, the blueprint of form, and the silent song of order hidden in the chaos of appearances. Whether found in cathedrals or pinecones, in the fractal of a fern or the plan of a pyramid, these shapes serve as portals to remembrance. They whisper that behind all things lies a unified design, and to perceive it is to glimpse the mind of the divine.

Love 7293

Boucharfou, 4 mon.
Love! Love is a destiny We hardly choose the moment to love It happens one evening or one morning It happens by pure chance It leaves you confused and haggard One day when you least expect it You didn't see it coming from afar It happens in the blink of an eye... Without an appointment... It makes you soft... It makes you lose your mind... It makes you run away from home Like fire, it burns you with passion Love at first sight is legion You'll get your share, your ration Without logic... But it's beautiful despite everything we endure It's a pure feeling When it's sincere It's magical It's fantastic Despite its pains and sorrows, its sleepless nights Until morning It's the elixir of life It's endless ecstasy... It happens to you by magic... Content in loving takes you away from everything... It besieges you from everywhere! It takes over! It will drive you crazy sooner or later!!! Dr. Fouad Bouchareb El Medano / Tenerife August 24, 2025 Inspired by a text by Jalal Eddine Erroumi Arabic and Arabic All rights reserved