Ask A Genius 1103: Scott’s, in fact, Alive, and Rick’s Dreams
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/09/17
Rick Rosner: So, while you were away, I do not remember my dreams very often, and I have forgotten this one now. Still, I remembered that a whole lot of ridiculous bullshit happened in this dream that did not comport with my reality at all. I was working at Kimmel in some capacity, but there was much nonsense, yet it took forever for me to realize it was nonsense.
I do not even remember if realizing it was nonsense woke me up or whether something else woke me up. Still, I thought it difficult to know you were in the middle of nonsense in a dream. You could get better at it if you practice. You see, it is tough too, but, if you accumulate experience realizing your dreams are bullshit while you are in them, I assume it becomes easier to know you are in a dream.
I do not know, but I wondered, why doesn’t your brain call out bullshit when absurd shit happens? Oh, now I am starting to remember more of it, but it does not fucking matter. I was at a gym, and the gym just made no fucking sense at all. Still, the reason that your brain does not call out bullshit is that there is no need to call out bullshit when you are awake. For one thing, in a dream, your brain is supplying all the sensation, everything you see and hear.
When you are awake, your brain is not doing that. It is processing external sensory information, and your external sensory information is never bullshit. You can temporarily reach the wrong conclusions about what your senses are telling you. Still, your senses themselves are reflecting reality as best they can. Hence, they are never bullshit, so your brain does not develop the ability to call bullshit on your sensory information, so your dreams can skate on your lack of skepticism at the end..
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: It is generally correct that dream states are entirely decoupled. Interestingly, the history of the information is not decoupled, so their physics is slightly different. It is the lack of critical thought, and so maybe there is something about a more consistent personal identity throughout the day that allows bullshit to be detected in inconsistencies. Still, that is part of the conscious arena.
It detects inconsistencies.
Rosner: I do not know. We have yet to talk about dreams, we have not. Dreams are almost always not great in movies, books, or TV shows; they are not helpful or entertaining when you enter a dream sequence.
Jacobsen: Well, it is done. It has fuzzy, glowy borders around the screen, the border of the screen. That is about it.
Rosner: I skip dream sequences or hope they are over fast.
Jacobsen: They are usually too high fidelity, anyway. Dreams are low fidelity.
Rosner: I want to see stuff that happens within the character’s reality, not within the character’s bullshit. All right, you are exhausted. Do you want to try again another night?
Jacobsen: Mm-hmm, sure.
Rosner: I am glad you are back safe.
Jacobsen: Yes. They are victims of fate. Let us call it a night. All right.
Rosner: Talk to you tomorrow. Thank you.
Jacobsen: Talk to you tomorrow. Thank you very much.
Rosner: Sure. Bye. Bye.
Rick Rosner, American Comedy Writer, www.rickrosner.org
Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Independent Journalist, www.in-sightpublishing.com
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