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…
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…
Gendering
This is the introduction to a Lisa File (90 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. In the quest for a more equitable and inclusive society, understanding the nuances of gendering is paramount. Gendering, a 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…
To Say that Abortion is Murder
is understandable. Human life is terminated by deliberate intervention. This is the definition of murder — as given by humans. The challenge rests in the phrase ‘by humans’ — highlighting it as a human construct. Recognizing this construct as human-made can open the door to more nuanced ethical discussions rather than assuming an absolute position. 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 a pharmacological 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 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…