The idea that "Technology can solve everything" is very bitter-sweet, I'd say. How much can we delegate to technology without realistically ending up hindering ourselves?

The truth is that our lives are build on top of a very tall tower of technology, and I think it's interesting to think of the ramifications of some of the biggest, most influential, technological advances. Modern medicine allowing more people with more health issues to reproduce; the internet greatly skewing our perception of things like altruism; the first techniques to mass produce paper turning our perception of the world into symbols; and so on. I'm not saying these things are bad, mind you, and I'm certainly not saying technological advance is undesirable (and it certainly isn't avoidable), but I think it's important to keep in mind how these things always have a series of knock down effects which may ultimately make things worst even if that wasn't the intention.

And this brings me to these lucid dream techniques involving special machines and surefire methods of 100% lucid dreaming, and things like that, and I always wonder if this would actually be desirable, and what kinds of effects this would have, and not only because, as Daniel pointed out in his video, lucid dreaming is not one skill, it's many working together. For instance, I can imagine some small kid getting used to using a device like this, and as a result thinking very little of dreams; maybe just thinking of them as something to entertain them, instead of what most people think they are: a safe environment where we can explore ourselves and learn through experience; this kid basically lost the ability to dream at that point, and instead he does the equivalent of playing video games while he sleeps. Looking at the examples of the previous chapter, we know each of those things lead to massive improvements despite the price payed, but in the case of machines like these, or methods to 100% lucid dream in general, I don't believe we'd gain more than we'd lose, and that's the whole point I'm trying to make; I'm sure it would have some good effects as well, but I don't think they'd be worth it (not even by a mile);

There's also the thing that always puts me off with techniques like these: the idea that I actually need something external to myself to have lucid dreams or to "dream properly". That's a terrifying thought to me, and that's why I never liked the idea of music or static noises or certain foods or pills or anything of the sort (though I don't deny that these might be highly effective methods, mind you), to meditate, dream or do anything that I'd consider a "true activity of the mind". These are the things that I am truly free to do at any point as long as I'm alive, and, at least to me, there's no price to that freedom; it is, literally, the thing I cherish the most in my life.

Other than that, I don't think a lucid dream technology will ever really be invented, because once we have that kind of understanding of the brain, it's much more likely that everyone will just invest in, and consume, brain-computer interface technologies.

I probably come off as an anti technology purist, but I assure you that's not my intention; I just like my brain a lot, and I like it to be an independent, strong brain who need no computer.

Also, great video as always.