Philosophy and science blog
Viktor DeSantis’s war on higher education in Florida: the latest
Posted by Brian Leiter He has now signed legislation that, among other things, restricts certain topics from being taught in general education courses, the lower-level classes that all students must take for their degrees. It also expands the hiring and firing powers of university boards and presidents, limits protections for tenured faculty members and prohibits spending related…
ChatGPT Reread Kierkegaard but still makes up cites
Posted by Gordon Hull Recall that ChatGPT a couple of months ago did a total face plant on the topic of Kierkegaard’s knight of faith from the knight of infinite resignation. Well, with the fullness of time and an upgrade, it’s a lot better now: (screen grabs below the fold) The previous version was notoriously bad about finding…
I believe chatbots partly understand what they chat about. Let me explain.
Posted by Sabine Hossenfelder I used to think that today’s so-called “artificial intelligences” are actually pretty dumb. But I’ve recently changed my mind. In this video I want to explain why I think that they do understand some of what they do, if not very much. And since I was already freely speculating, I have added…
What Do Longtermists Want?
Posted by Sabine Hossenfelder Have you ever put away a bag of chips because they say it isn’t healthy? That makes sense. Have you ever put away a bag of chips because you want to increase your chances of having more children so we can populate the entire galaxy in a billion years? That makes… That…
What is “Nothing”?
Posted by Sabine Hossenfelder Like most videos on YouTube, this is a video about nothing. But we’re a science channel, so we’ll talk about nine levels of nothing. What are the nine levels of nothing? Can you really make a universe from them? And if someone asks you why there is something rather than nothing,…
Ancestral Echoes: How Our Family History Shapes Our Personal Identity
Posted by Ksenia Gubina Hello, my wonderful readers! Today, we’re going to set sail on a fascinating journey into the depths of our own identities. Guided by the enlightening beacon of Rodology, we will discover how our family history shapes the very essence of who we are – our personal identity. When we consider our…
Reading List: Bender and Gebru, “Stochastic Parrots”
Posted by Gordon Hull Not long ago, Google summarily dumped Timnit Gebru, one of its lead AI researchers and one of the few Black women working in AI. Her coauthor Emily Bender has now posted the paper (to be presented this spring) that apparently caused all the trouble. It should be required reading for anybody who cares about the details of how…
Understanding the Impact of Family Narratives through Rodology
Posted by Ksenia Gubina Hello dear readers! Today, we are going on an enchanting journey into the heart of our familial tapestry through the lens of Rodology, a journey that seeks to understand the powerful impact of family narratives on our lives. Imagine your family’s story as a timeless book, each generation a chapter, each…
Rodology and Self-discovery: The Journey to Unravel our Ancestral Roots
Posted by Ksenia Gubina Hello, dear explorers of the self! Today, we’ll embark on a voyage unlike any other, a journey within, a quest to unravel our ancestral roots through the captivating study of Rodology. Strap in for an adventure that promises self-discovery, enlightenment, and transformation! When we gaze into the mirror, we often perceive…
More Reactions to the Dover Decision on Intelligent Design (with special attention to the unfortunate intervention by Professor Alschuler)
Posted by Brian Leiter This blog has a rather lengthy compendium of links pertaining to yesterday’s court decision. The New York Times, meanwhile, has run a pleasingly direct editorial: Judge Jones’s decision was a striking repudiation of intelligent design, given that Dover’s policy was minimally intrusive on classroom teaching. Administrators merely read a brief disclaimer at the beginning of…
Got any book recommendations?