An Engineer's Search for Meaning

A New Paradigm for Finding Meaning in Life, Grounded in Science and Engineering Principles

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Meaning-Seeking Entities (MSE) Framework

The book starts by defining its evidence- and reasoning-based methodology (Present-Bounded Rationality) and uses it to build the MSE framework. The framework organizes our understanding of reality into layers, all the way from Ultimate Reality, through Physical Reality and Life, to Consciousness and finally Meaning, Purpose, and Hope.

Methodology

Present-Bounded Rationality (PBR)

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PBR is the epistemological foundation of the MSE Framework. It can also be seen as the fundamental methodology of engineering. It is this methodology that allows engineers to build bridges that last centuries or land spacecraft on distant celestial objects moving at incredible speeds, despite all the complexity, nebulosity, and unknowns in reality. Analogously, PBR enables us to construct a rigorous, useful framework for meaning despite such limits. It is based on three core pillars:

Rationality

Reliance on evidence and reason as our most reliable guides. We use the same methods that have proven effective in science and engineering to approach questions of meaning.

Bounded

Acknowledging the limits imposed by complexity, nebulosity, unknowns in reality, and the constraints of human cognition. We work within these limits honestly rather than pretending they don't exist.

Present

Focusing on the present moment and situation, because our ability to analyze and predict diminishes as we move further from it. This demands open-mindedness, humility, and a willingness to learn.

The MSE Framework

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