From: Joscha Bach Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2013 1:18 AM To: Jeffrey Epstein Cc: Kevin Slavin; Joi Ito; Martin Nowak; Ari Gesher, takashi ikegami Subject: Re: The benefits of deception Am 08.11.2013 urn 12:03 schrieb Jeffrey Epstein <[email protected]>: > deception and self- deception , need better definitions. The recent =ork suggests that denial. is localized in the brain. A restrictor of =armful information.- when knocked out. deception increases. i.e. =nowing death is within 100 years. is a knock out. a defect in the =estrictor seems to increase the likelihood of depression. Jeffrey, you are absolutely right, the concept should be treated with =are, and we should be working from clear definitions! I would like to =eparate the functional definition of deception (i.e. the description on =he level of interaction between agents) from its implementation (i.e. =ow it is realized within the agent, and especially in the brain), and =ts purposes (gaining an advantage, protecting someone, maintaining a =oherent self-image, coping etc.) and forms (lying, omission, =ver-emphasis, eristics, suggestion, denial, repression, ...). On the functional level, I would characterize deception as the class of =ntentional behaviors that is directed upon changing the beliefs of an =gent in a way that the deceiver does not himself consider factual. In =he case of self- deception or denial, this becomes more tricky, because =arts of the agent will know (in some sense) that the content that he =akes himself believe is not factual, while on another level, he falls =or the deceit. There are many ways in which we can try to knock out denial as a coping =ehavior: we can increase awareness and familiarity (meditation, =ypnosis, LSD, psychoanalysis...), reduce the anxiety that made the =enial necessary (e.g., MDMA, benzodiazepines), eliminate mechanisms =esponsible for fear (e.g. blocking or lesioning the amygdala), reduce =he pain produced by the anxiety/grief/... (