So powerful are our instincts in this regard that we’d rather tie ourselves into cognitive pretzels with metaphysical fantasy stories like “natural kinds”, “transcendental realism”and “Platonic Realms” rather than give them up. Cognitive Pretzel—by Stable Diffusion By now I hope t...
in the context of our MPCs, the distinction between syntax and semantics is something of an illusion. The illusion works so well because, for us MPC-beings who type into keyboards and stare at screens, the real syntax
Wariness about that social function is legitimate and necessary. However, I don’t think it can negate the basic fact that human beings are shaped and guided by a culture we inherit. In a very literal sense we can’t understand ourselves without understanding the past. ...
The fear of a data science of the future, where insights and knowledge are automatically generated without asking the right questions, is therefore no more, but also no less, than a collective fantasy. As we have all learnt from history, collective fantasies can be dangerous. Yet, new ...