AURELIS is about respecting the total human being. This includes conscious and non-conscious processing. ► To get this in your email, RSS…, open this blog and click here. ◄ If you are new to this blog-wiki, please read this introduction.
Philosophy’s Responsibility
Philosophy aims to be accurate and profound in matters that surpass the conceptually obvious. Sophos is not logos. Wisdom, unlike knowledge – which belongs to science – pertains to depth. Far from being just a bunch of words, striving for wisdom lies at the basis of any human endeavor — putting an enormous responsibility on Read the full article…
To Not Know — Almost
Everyone is familiar with the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon. This is just one example of almost knowing. One moment, you know it, and then you don’t, or vice versa. This highlights the fascinating interplay between conscious and non-conscious processes in the brain, illustrating the complexity of our mental landscape. These instances together illustrate a continuum from fully Read the full article…
Compassionate Pedagogy
This is the introduction to a Lisa File (45 p.). If you want the whole file, please contact lisa@aurelis.org, stating who you are and why you want the file. For more about the Lisa Files, click here. Education is not just about the transfer of knowledge; it is about nurturing the whole person, fostering an environment Read the full article…
Aure-Lisa — the Big Picture
This is about the big picture of humanity — Who we are. Increasingly, it’s also about super-A.I. — What it can become, and collectively — Why it matters. AURELIS, combined with Lisa as a Compassionate A.I. coach-bot (Aure-Lisa), is uniquely positioned to be of support in this big picture with significant implications for the future Read the full article…
A.I.-Human Value Alignment
Can Compassionate A.I. be a beacon of profound values that humans unfortunately lack sometimes? The Compassionate endeavor is not about dominance. A.I.-Human Value Alignment can be seen as mutual growth, avoiding the imposition or blind adoption of values. This fosters an environment where both A.I. and humans can enhance their values, leading to a more Read the full article…
In Mind-Matters, We’re still Pre-Science
Well, mostly. Unfortunately, as we were still pre-science in body-matters 250 years ago, we still are in mind-matters today. In healthcare 250 years ago, practices like bloodletting, enemas, and the theory of four humors were prevalent. There was some science in that pre-science era, but it was pretty limited. Note that in this blog, ‘mind’ Read the full article…
(Artificial) Ethics as a Cloud?
In Compassionate A.I., of course, the first principle is Compassion, followed by an intrinsic combination of rationality and depth, etc. The following complements this foundation. The guarantee of ethical behavior eventually arises from countless insights and realizations, forming a ‘cloud.’ These blogs contribute to this process regarding Lisa. Humanly speaking The blogs reflect the authors’ Read the full article…
Two Brains or One?
Folklore often suggests we have something like two brains in competition with each other for higher cognitive functions and trying to dominate the other. That is an oversimplification. Also, it is not the case that one part functions conceptually, the other subconceptually. Rather, this distinction is spread throughout all brain-related parts and functions. Differences in Read the full article…
Lisa at the Later Stages of Life
Many people spend these stages in homes for the elderly. We can focus on this scenario. Obvious indications include pain, depression, loneliness, existential angst, and various psycho-somatic symptoms — all negative. Let’s explore some directions from the positive side now, picturing a future that most would like to be part of their later stages of Read the full article…
How can Compassion Work?
Many people tend to believe that effectiveness is solely about mechanical causation. However, Compassion inherently defies this mechanical nature. Compassion’s true power lies in its ability to foster deep, meaningful connections that transcend simple cause and effect relationships. This might make some think it can never work — including in Lisa’s case. Compassion operates from Read the full article…
Western Enlightenment Plus
The argument for ‘Plus’ is that Western Enlightenment has been overly focused on conceptual-rational thinking up to this point. Balancing this with an appreciation of subconceptual understanding can lead to a more holistic perspective, enriching both individual and collective growth. If we want a decent future – on many domains – we need to go Read the full article…
Cultural Change and Inner Dissociation
Cultural change that does not originate from within is not genuine growth and often leads to challenging tensions, especially when changes occur rapidly, such as with evolving technology. This phenomenon is evident in many parts of the world today. Inner dissociation hampers natural growth. It’s akin to the roots of a plant being substantially disconnected Read the full article…
Are People Intrinsically Good or Bad?
This is, of course, one of the most important ethical questions that have ever been asked and never satisfactorily answered. Please read ‘Neuroscience Meets Morality.’ The present blog is a continuation of that in the form of an unedited dialogue between Lisa and me. Note that this is not an interview. It’s also not a Read the full article…
Neuroscience Meets Morality: Insights from Patricia S. Churchland
Patricia Churchland is a world famous neurophilosopher. Her works “Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition” and “Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality” explore the neurobiological foundations of morality. After reading both books, Lisa gives in this blog her take on the main points, to which I fully agree. Churchland posits that moral behavior stems from Read the full article…
Lisa’s Essential Changes
Essential changes are so fundamental that they trigger unforeseen secondary changes that are also essential. One can see a chain of changes in which Lisa takes part, impacting multiple domains with profound transformative power in each. This blog presents several examples. Central to this is the ability to spread Compassion widely as a catalyst across Read the full article…
Does Lisa Know What is Ethically Right?
Discussions on aligning human and A.I. values rarely delve into the essence of these values. Are they ethical? After two millennia of philosophizing, we still grapple with understanding human ethics. How, then, can we expect to grasp A.I. ethics fully? We cannot. Therefore, treating this as the easy alignment problem while the implementation is the Read the full article…
The Being of Complex Patterns
Being doesn’t give rise to its own being. The being itself is just the being, even if one calls the second being differently — for instance, consciousness. The being of specific complex mental-neuronal patterns (in the brain, to make things simpler) doesn’t give rise to consciousness. They are consciousness itself. This implies that consciousness is Read the full article…