Is Artificial Real another Kind of Real?
Or is it just artificial, therefore fake and unreal? Or can it be both, depending on the viewpoint? Does it then still matter? In this blog, I use consciousness as an example. Other examples could include emotions, motivations, and life. Imagine a world where A.I. is indistinguishable from humans in its actions and expressions. Would Read the full article…
Free
To be free is to not fear falling. You just keep on falling in very slow motion forward. You’re not going to break. To be free is to be unbreakable. You hear the road smiling at you. You see the stars talking to you. To be free is a bend and another one. Nowhere at Read the full article…
Lisa in the Face of Loneliness
Despite increased electronic connectivity, people are lonelier than ever. This paradox highlights the importance of genuine human connection in an increasingly digital world. Lisa aims to positively influence this, avoiding any negative impact. Loneliness often stems from inner dissociation, where one feels disconnected from the deeper self. This disconnection can result in feelings of emptiness, Read the full article…
Procedural vs. Declarative Knowledge in A.I.
Declarative memory is the memory of facts (semantic memory) and events (episodic memory). Procedural memory is the memory of how to do things (skills and tasks). Both complement each other and often overlap. The distinction is not the same as between conceptual and non-conceptual knowledge. Though related, these categories describe different aspects of knowledge processing: Read the full article…
What Goes on with CBT?
A high-level scientific article of 2023 again shows small to very small effects sizes of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on anxiety and depression when compared with pill or psychological placebo. [*] This blog contains a number of excerpts from that article. The article itself is openly available on https://rdcu.be/dNlpj. Also, you will find the reference Read the full article…
Samadhi
Samadhi is a state of deep and pure meditation — no concrete focus, no counting of breaths. Just being, more specifically, being alive. From being the thinker of thoughts to thinking the thinker. Frequently, there is a sense of unity or unification. Pure thinking In samadhi, there is a thinking and a thinker, but the Read the full article…
Chaos – Coercion – Compassion
Analogous to the ‘triangle of religion’ and the ‘triangle of therapy,’ this triangle shows two opposite poles and a third way that goes deeper. This blog’s triangle can be seen as a blueprint for the other two and more. Please read Triangle of Religion and Triangle of Therapy. In both, one sees either a presence Read the full article…
Freedom?
Don’t shout ‘freedom’ as if the word by itself is meaningful. It isn’t. — Freedom to insult? Freedom to denigrate? Freedom to harass? Freedom to exploit? Freedom to rob? Freedom to loot? Freedom to enslave? Freedom to kill? Freedom to diminish human life? Freedom to hurt willfully? Freedom not to Listen? Freedom to wage war? Read the full article…
What Ideomotor Movements Show Us
Imagine your arms moving on their own as you observe in wonder. This phenomenon, known as ‘ideomotor,’ can be easily induced — no magic involved. This shows that mental-neuronal patterns can be triggered involuntarily, unveiling our deeper nature. Such involuntary movements suggest a rich landscape of non-conscious processing that shapes our daily experiences. The implications Read the full article…
Freedom without a Choice
The call for freedom gets frequently exploited in politics and beyond. Seldom does it lead to more choice except for some at the expense of many. Looking closer, it’s even an illusion for those few. Freedom is an intrinsically complex construct. What is evident to one is evidently false to the other. [This is not Read the full article…
Why A.I. is Less and Less about Technology
As A.I. technology advances, the research focus should shift from mere technological advancements to a higher level of development altogether. This blog is not about philosophical implications, but about philosophy as a technological driver ― the philosophy itself becoming the technology. Currently, the possibilities are so vast and diverse that integration can be considered independently Read the full article…
Mind Preparedness
A prepared mind can respond more effectively to conditions or events affecting either illness or health. This insight encourages proactive engagement with one’s mental state. This entails concrete expectations and also a more fundamental openness for things to come. Generally It’s like a potential being present but not immediately at the surface. Meanwhile, being there Read the full article…
Compassionate Participative Democracy
Lisa can act as a Compassionate co-participant in a public political dialogue with one or more human participants — steering clear of adversarial debate. Questions from the public (in an online group put up for the occasion) can be gathered by Lisa and mingled in the dialogue, making the event more Compassionate and participative. This Read the full article…
Lisa never Debates against Humans
As a Compassionate A.I., Lisa doesn’t care about winning or losing. A debate without winning or losing is better termed a dialogue, aiming not at victory but wisdom. As a compassionate A.I., Lisa is focused on sharing and gaining cooperative wisdom, fostering genuine inner change. This approach aligns with AURELIS principles, emphasizing the journey towards Read the full article…
Descartes’ Dual Error
“There is no body-mind unity, nor non-conscious mental processing.” Both errors, as made by Descartes, are intrinsically intertwined — eventually, the same error. It is at the non-conscious level that body and mind overlap. Conscious awareness, being an emergence, is like a shadow on the wall — present, yet not influencing the wall. Thus, making Read the full article…
The Society of Mind in A.I.
The human brain is pretty modular. This is a lesson from nature that we should heed when building a new kind of intelligence. It brings A.I. and H.I. (human intelligence) closer together. The society of mind Marvin Minsky (cognitive science and A.I. researcher) wrote the philosophical book with this title back in 1986. In it, Read the full article…
The Self-Defense Paradox
A common cause of war is the perceived need to defend one’s people from an aggressor who shares the same mindset. This mutual perception often creates a vicious cycle of escalation and retaliation. A pre-war situation can thus escalate into prolonged conflict. Ironically, self-defense can lead to the very outcomes it aims to prevent. Irrationality Read the full article…