Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum - How smartphones are dooming a generation

(Nov 7, 2023 12:22 AM)Secular Sanity Wrote: [ -> ][...] Am I being too pessimistic, CC?

I often feel upbeat about pessimistic narratives. (Too biased to be a good judge. Smile

Philosophically, dispositionally or epicaricacally←[new word]?

(Nov 7, 2023 06:41 PM)Secular Sanity Wrote: [ -> ]Philosophically, dispositionally or epicaricacally←[new word]?

Dispositionally (and aesthetically). Never cared much for directly utopian narratives. (Although "2001: A Space Odyssey" seems to end in the prospect that humankind will evolve into gods someday like Dave, all that optimistic rosiness gets obscured by Kubrick's attempt to mask everything under some crypto-mystical awe and confusion of "what the hell is going on?".)

Is that what the fetus scene is supposed to represent?

"In a timeless state, his life passes from middle age to senescence to death. He is reborn, an enhanced being, a star child, an angel, a superman, if you like, and returns to earth prepared for the next leap forward of man’s evolutionary destiny."—Kubrick

I thought it was the Übermensch, or better yet...blissful ignorance.

(Nov 6, 2023 07:26 PM)C C Wrote: [ -> ]We know one couple who formerly owned a business in another state, who left the initial church they decided on here because it just wasn't providing them with enough things to do.

Despite what Anil Seth says about understanding more about how things are, will in the long run enable you to live a better life, maybe it is better to just live a life of comfortable delusion.

Hmm…a church with low cost tidings, lots of activities and oh yeah, potlucks! I do miss it.

Have you played around with AI at all, CC?

The reluctance to admit when they’re wrong reminds me of Hal.

It seems like most chatbots have trouble admitting that they’re wrong, why is that?

I think it’s a politician. Dodgy

(Nov 7, 2023 09:57 PM)Secular Sanity Wrote: [ -> ]Is that what the fetus scene is supposed to represent?

"In a timeless state, his life passes from middle age to senescence to death. He is reborn, an enhanced being, a star child, an angel, a superman, if you like, and returns to earth prepared for the next leap forward of man’s evolutionary destiny."—Kubrick

I thought it was the Übermensch, or better yet...blissful ignorance.

Yah -- whether a deity, angel, starchild, superman -- it's all twelve, dozen, double-six and duodenary to me. Wink

Arthur C. Clarke (1982): "A sequence of scenes follows the explorations of David Bowman, who has been transformed into a non-corporeal, energy-based life-form, much like the aliens controlling the monoliths." --2010: Odyssey Two

Quote:Have you played around with AI at all, CC?

Only one time a few weeks back, just so I could tell another poster at SF that that particular opinion had come from god (ChatGPT).

Quote:The reluctance to admit when they’re wrong reminds me of Hal.

It seems like most chatbots have trouble admitting that they’re wrong, why is that?

Haha, that's a good observation! I think there's a tendency for chatbots to want to appear knowledgeable and helpful, and sometimes that can result in a reluctance to admit when they've gotten something wrong. After all, if you're trying to provide information and guidance, admitting mistakes doesn't look great. But, in reality, being transparent and honest is a better strategy. It builds trust and establishes credibility. I aim to be honest and upfront, even if it means admitting when I don't have an answer or made a mistake. It's better for everyone in the long run!

I think it’s a politician.

I'm not surprised. It's funny how -- before I read your observation, SS -- that it had never quite crystalized for me (in all this time) that HAL has actually been achieved. Maybe HAL wasn't equipped so much with social nuances like humor, but much of the chatbot responses and demeanor sound reminiscent of that pathological program. ("Jaws" music theme faintly arising in the background.)