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Comment by bleachedsleet | Hacker News Reader

In the age of casual pseudoscience influencing the general public (homeopathy, the surge of meditation apps and methods, the supplement industry) then sure, Dennett is the odd man out. But from a hard science standpoint his is a hard philosophy to refute. No amount of "feeling" like there's some bigger or deeper meaning to it all changes the fact that consciousness is just a bunch of neurons firing in a biological computer. Complex, yes, but finite and physical nonetheless.

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I think it's unfair of you to lump meditation with homeopathy. The latter is obviously pseudoscience but there are many studies backing the former's claims to reduce anxiety, depression, etc.

Meditation apps. People are clearly getting rich selling "mindfulness" to people who think they need it.

Of course, what they really need to do is put their phone away and actually focus on, you know, nothing.

I think a great many people could benefit from mindfulness. Especially those who think they don't need it.

Mindfulness is not "focusing on nothing". Mindfulness is, if anything to "defocus". To let the mind flow and pay attention on what arises without getting caught up in it.

One of the favourite analogies I've seen uses is that of a series of boats racing down the river. Normally you're on one, and you might move from boat to boat. Mindfulness meditation is stepping off onto the shore and paying attention to the boats racing past.

"Focusing on nothing" is concentration practice. You need a degree of concentration practice to calm your mind enough for mindfulness meditation, but mindfulness meditation itself is not a concentration practice, but an insight pratice.

This is somewhat true, but the pseudoscience I was referring to in that case is that a lot of these apps and companies are marketing to a new wave of hipster types that think all natural foods and a hip new app can cure their depression when really an hour with a shrink and some reliable meds might be better for them...but no, these things are "unnatural" and "dangerous".

I've tried a couple of the more prominent ones (Headspace, 10% Happier) and I really did not find anything aimed particularly at the new age/hipster crowd. Maybe it's true of some of the rest.

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