This is the final lecture of this semester. It is time to begin our Summer break. The project on Materialism/Physicalism is not yet completed, so that will continue in September.
We are living organisms in a material world and we are built from the same materials as the world in which we live. And this idea you encounter as the basis of physicalism.
Recently I read an article with the heading: "Scientists still understand very little about what life is". Let me quote a few lines:
- quote - Take a simple cell, a bacterium for example. Get all the molecules out the proteins, the DNA, the nutrients.
Put them together with the cell fluid in a test tube. You can then shake all you want, but nothing happens. Where the bacteria was still bustling with activity, it now remains as dead as a doornail. - end quote -
Trying to create a living cell is to me a clear proof of the fact, that physicalism plays an important role in science these days. Scientists have reached the level of assuming that such a project might be successful eventually.
Life may be the most complex mystery to solve. Scientists, however, are still rather modest in their claims regarding a solution. How different does the next quote sound:
- quote - If they build a machine that works like the human brain or even better, it could change the world. But it could also be dangerous. - end quote -
You've already guessed it. This is about Artificial Intelligence. Another attempt to copy life, but incomparable to what the microbiologists are doing.
And this article in The New York Times by Cade Metz (May 16, 2023) made me think.
Have you ever wondered about the fact that Artificial Intelligence and the debate about it has come over us like a tsunami in the last six months?
Reading the article I felt manipulated. Let me show you why....
- quote - When computer scientists at Microsoft started to experiment with a new artificial intelligence system last year, they asked it to solve a puzzle that should have required an intuitive understanding of the physical world.
“Here we have a book, nine eggs, a laptop, a bottle, and a nail,” they asked. “Please tell me how to stack them onto each other in a stable manner.”
The researchers were startled by the ingenuity of the A.I. system’s answer.
Put the eggs on the book, it said. Arrange the eggs in three rows with space between them. Make sure you don’t crack them. “Place the laptop on top of the eggs, with the screen facing down and the keyboard facing up,” it wrote.
“The laptop will fit snugly within the boundaries of the book and the eggs, and its flat and rigid surface will provide a stable platform for the next layer.”
The clever suggestion made the researchers wonder whether they were witnessing a new kind of intelligence. - end quote -
What triggered me was the sentence: "The researchers were startled by the ingenuity of the A.I. system’s answer." It wasn't the answer to an AI system. It was the answer they created themselves by good programming and feeding the program with the right data,
for what does a computer "know" about an egg or a laptop or a book: nothing. If you feed it with a lot of paramaters of the objects, some laws of physics, and mathematical routines, there isn't the slightest reason to be startled, let alone to believe that you have found some new kind of intelligence.
But we are inundated almost daily with these types of articles and articles warning of the dangers, fake news stories, fraudulent students, and so on. And I wondered why?
Of course, AI tools can do interesting things, but why did I feel manipulated by this article? It was because I realized that all this AI stuff is not some fancy toy for free for us. It is a PRODUCT.
Companies like Google and IBM have invested millions of dollars in developing this product and their main mission is selling products and maximization of profits. Here they are working on return on investment.
And that clarified to me this tsunami of AI tools and publicity in the media. The product is tested in the market. Let's see how the consumer responds to it. Let's see how the lawmakers respond to it.
Article in my newspaper of today: - quote - The EU law proposal on artificial intelligence will not prevent the danger of cybercrime or spreading fake news using ChatGPT. -end quote - (Trouw , July 6, 2023)
Although there are still many religions and ideologies, this is the world of physicalism, the material world, that constitutes and configures our daily life. So, I'd say: stay sharp and alert even when on vacation.
Thank you for your attention again....
Main Sources:
MacMillan The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition
TABLE OF CONTENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 100 Philosophers 9 May 2009 Start of
2 - 25+ Women Philosophers 10 May 2009 this blog
3 - 25 Adventures in Thinking 10 May 2009
4 - Modern Theories of Ethics 29 Oct 2009
5 - The Ideal State 24 Febr 2010 / 234
6 - The Mystery of the Brain 3 Sept 2010 / 266
7 - The Utopia of the Free Market 16 Febr 2012 / 383
8. - The Aftermath of Neo-liberalism 5 Sept 2012 / 413
9. - The Art Not to Be an Egoist 6 Nov 2012 / 426
10 - Non-Western Philosophy 29 May 2013 / 477
11 - Why Science is Right 2 Sept 2014 / 534
12 - A Philosopher looks at Atheism 1 Jan 2015 / 557
13 - EVIL, a philosophical investigation 17 Apr 2015 / 580
14 - Existentialism and Free Will 2 Sept 2015 / 586
15 - Spinoza 2 Sept 2016 / 615
16 - The Meaning of Life 13 Febr 2017 / 637
17 - In Search of my Self 6 Sept 2017 / 670
18 - The 20th Century Revisited 3 Apr 2018 / 706
19 - The Pessimist 11 Jan 2020 / 819
20 - The Optimist 9 Febr 2020 / 824
21 - Awakening from a Neoliberal Dream 8 Oct 2020 / 872
22 - A World Full of Patterns 1 Apr 2021 / 912
23 - The Concept of Freedom 8 Jan 2022 / 965
24 - Materialism 7 Sept 2022 / 1011
The Discussion
[13:20] Max Chatnoir: Please keep the SCOTUS away from it.
[13:20] herman Bergson: That is really a problem indeed Max
[13:20] herman Bergson: they havent AI nor I
[13:21] herman Bergson: except three rational persons
[13:21] herman Bergson: But my theme was that we are manipulated
[13:22] herman Bergson: maybe not on purpose....
[13:22] herman Bergson: Media like hypes...
[13:22] Max Chatnoir: Well, it's for getting attention, no?
[13:22] herman Bergson: yes, because the big IT has to market its product here
[13:23] herman Bergson: But they aren't sure of the impact it may have, so they launched ChatGPT
[13:24] oola Neruda: what is ChatGPT
[13:24] Max Chatnoir: I was a little disappointed in that first article where they took all of the molecules out of bacteria or something and shook them up in a test tube. Of course if you totally disorganize it, it's not alive. The organization is the whole point.
[13:24] herman Bergson: Youtube is already loaded with movies titled...Make big money with chatGPT in no time.....eyc.
[13:24] herman Bergson: Good point Max....
[13:25] herman Bergson: the article continues on this matter of organization inside the cell and how they could activate it artificially
[13:25] herman Bergson: They made real progress
[13:26] herman Bergson: But just think of it.....homo sapiens creates REAL life in a testtube!
[13:26] herman Bergson: God is heading ofr the unemployment office
[13:27] Max Chatnoir: How well might they have done if they hadn't started out with a working model?
[13:27] herman Bergson: That isnt a big issue....humans copy things that are there...AI is the same story
[13:29] Max Chatnoir: Yes, and Chat GPT has a really impressive algorithm. I enjoy playing with it, but it isn't entirely reliable.
[13:29] herman Bergson: no no...don't rely on it!
[13:29] herman Bergson: Challange it...test it...but don't assume it is right unless you yourself can confirm it
[13:30] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): if you can confirm it, you don't need ChatGTP
[13:31] Max Chatnoir: Well, it does point in some interesting directions.
[13:31] herman Bergson: Depends, Beertje....if you have a general knowledge of the subject but miss the details ChatGPT can help you
[13:31] herman Bergson: Exactly Max....
[13:31] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): yes true, but is this Chat right?
[13:32] herman Bergson: Like I ran into the term Experimental philosophy, which ChatGPT mentioned....
[13:32] Max Chatnoir: Well, it told me that platypuses have two different X chromosomes and one Y.
[13:32] herman Bergson: Never heard of...recent development...so I could ask about that subject...
[13:32] Max Chatnoir: It's an interesting idea and not totally impossible, but it's just wrong.
[13:33] Max Chatnoir: Platypuses are way weirder than that. They have five X chromosomes and 5 Ys.
[13:34] herman Bergson: Lucky fellows ^_^
[13:34] Max Chatnoir: And they have to string themselves together during cell division so they don't get lost.
[13:35] Max Chatnoir: But Chat GTP said something interesting enough that I had to look.
[13:36] Lente (lentelies.anatine) is online.
[13:36] herman Bergson: At least Platypus is an interesting fellow :-))
[13:36] herman Bergson: vogelbek dier
[13:36] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): ahhhh
[13:36] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): dankjewel
[13:36] herman Bergson: a detour of evolution I guess
[13:37] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): it only lives in Australia?
[13:37] herman Bergson: Yes..
[13:38] herman Bergson: That continent is a very isolated place which had its own evolution in its fauna
[13:40] herman Bergson: Well..I guess the message is clear.....STAY SHARP AND ALERT for the next two months :-)
[13:40] herman Bergson: It is time for our Summer Break....
[13:40] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): yay
[13:40] Max Chatnoir: yay
[13:40] herman Bergson: yay
[13:40] bergfrau Apfelbaum: yay
[13:40] Max Chatnoir: We will come back in September?
[13:41] bergfrau Apfelbaum: thank you Herman! for an interesting semester
[13:41] Max Chatnoir: Goodness knows what Chat GPT will be up to by then!
[13:41] herman Bergson: I hope so Max, for the project has not yet been finished
[13:41] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): looking forward for the next season
[13:42] Max Chatnoir: Me, too!
[13:42] bergfrau Apfelbaum: yay
[13:42] herman Bergson: I already have two possible themes on the shelf Beertje
[13:42] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): yay
[13:42] Max Chatnoir: Are they secret?
[13:42] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): always
[13:42] bergfrau Apfelbaum: lol
[13:42] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): :))
[13:42] herman Bergson: of course....^_^
[13:42] bergfrau Apfelbaum: hihi
[13:42] Max Chatnoir: LOL! can't wait!
[13:43] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Herman is full of secrets
[13:43] herman Bergson: I am :-)
[13:43] herman Bergson: But nevertheless...thank you all....I had a great time sharing with you all....
[13:43] oola Neruda: give us a clue of what there is to look forward to
[13:43] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Thank you Herman
[13:44] herman Bergson: nice try, oola ^_^
[13:44] oola Neruda: ANTICIPATION IS PRECIOUS
[13:44] Max Chatnoir: Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us.
[13:44] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): he never will tell us Oola
[13:44] Max Chatnoir: The discussions are always wonderful!
[13:44] herman Bergson: it's my pleasure Max
[13:45] herman Bergson: We are very good here at getting rid of annoying people in a decent and respectful way :-)
[13:45] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): grins
[13:45] bergfrau Apfelbaum: aL
[13:45] herman Bergson: so the discussions are always pleasant
[13:45] herman Bergson: lol
[13:45] bergfrau Apfelbaum: grins
[13:46] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): not AI but AL
[13:46] bergfrau Apfelbaum: there are people who are in the world on purpose.....
[13:46] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): lol Bergie
[13:47] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): like muskitos
[13:47] bergfrau Apfelbaum: yes+
[13:47] herman Bergson: We know how to handle those :-)
[13:47] bergfrau Apfelbaum: and ticks, fleas, aL´s, ....
[13:47] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): hahahhha
[13:47] herman Bergson: But in the more than 12 years we had maybe three of four real incidents
[13:48] Max Chatnoir: griefers?
[13:48] herman Bergson: No....people that really were destructive in the discussions...
[13:48] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): especialy Al
[13:49] herman Bergson: best one I recall is that fellow that compared me with Adolf Hitler, when I asked him to slow down
[13:49] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): ah yes that one
[13:49] herman Bergson: And I only actively BANNED one person from my land long ago
[13:50] herman Bergson: I have no active recollection of why I did so :-)
[13:50] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): grins
[13:50] bergfrau Apfelbaum: sometimes it has to be
[13:50] herman Bergson: ahh....you got it beertje...lol
[13:50] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): you remind me of someone
[13:51] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): isn't Al banned?
[13:51] herman Bergson: Anyway..it was a nice year....I survived and escaped covid and am healthy 100%
[13:51] herman Bergson: I hope you all are too
[13:52] bergfrau Apfelbaum: yay
[13:52] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): prettig gestoord hier :))
[13:52] herman Bergson: sounds good Beertje :-)
[13:52] Max Chatnoir: gestoord! I like that word!
[13:52] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): :))))
[13:52] herman Bergson: haaha
[13:52] herman Bergson: gestoord...yes...
[13:53] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): you speak dutch Max?
[13:53] herman Bergson: and I set a record...my bloodpressure was 112/59 two days ago ....totally ZEN :-)
[13:53] bergfrau Apfelbaum: prettig gestoord hier = nice to be here
[13:54] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): no
[13:54] Max Chatnoir: I do not. I have a little German.
[13:54] bergfrau Apfelbaum: no??
[13:54] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): no:)
[13:54] herman Bergson: gestoord means bothered by
[13:54] bergfrau Apfelbaum: then my google translate need Ki
[13:54] Max Chatnoir: gestoord = stirred up sort of
[13:54] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): a little crazy
[13:54] herman Bergson: yesthat too
[13:54] bergfrau Apfelbaum: ai i meant.-)
[13:54] herman Bergson: yes
[13:54] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): in a funny way
[13:55] herman Bergson: if you are pleasantly gestoord L0(
[13:55] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): hahahah
[13:55] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): yes
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