Philosophy Now Forum

Now that we’ve got access to AI such the likes of

OpenAI: GPT-4o, OpenAI Codex
Google: Gemini, AlphaFold
Meta: Llama, SeamlessM4T
Microsoft: Alice, Microsoft Copilot
Siri, Cortana, DeepSeek-R1

Do we ever need to think for ourselves anymore?

Uummm... Why would collators of human effort be reasons to stop thinking? I hope reaction to encyclopedia books didn't come to that conclusion.

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 8:59 am Uummm... Why would collators of human effort be reasons to stop thinking? I hope reaction to encyclopedia books didn't come to that conclusion.

What if AI has read every single book that was ever conceived to exist in the entire history of humanity, the authors of such books?

The encyclopaedia is just a drop in the ocean in comparison to everything. And I’ve heard there’s nothing new under the sun, and that there’s only the voices of those standing on the shoulders of giants left?

Also, if something original does pop into one’s awareness, then that idea must have already existed for it to be thought of.
In other words everything already exists from the beginning of time until the end of time. Spacetime in reality is the only realm where knowledge can exist, metaphysically speaking.

that singularity is off key...

-Imp

The OP shows a misunderstanding of the singularity precept (the answer is “No”.)

mickthinks wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 1:21 pm The OP shows a misunderstanding of the singularity precept (the answer is “No”.)

Okay.

What is the singularity? Approaching the technological singularity means we are moving toward a hypothetical future event where technological growth, especially in artificial intelligence, accelerates beyond human understanding and control, leading to unpredictable and irreversible changes to human civilization. This point is defined by the creation of superintelligent AI that can recursively self-improve at a rate so fast that it results in a radical transformation of reality that is fundamentally unknowable from our current perspective.


Key Aspects of the Singularity:

Superintelligence: The core concept is the emergence of artificial intelligence that far surpasses human cognitive abilities.
Rapid Self-Improvement: This superintelligence could trigger a positive feedback loop, rapidly improving itself and creating increasingly intelligent generations of AI.


Unpredictable Change: The resulting technological acceleration would lead to changes so profound and sudden that humans would be unable to predict or understand their nature.

Evolving Theories: While AI is central, other powerful technologies like nanotechnology are also often cited as key components of the singularity, leading to a synthesis of powerful new technologies.

The "Event Horizon": The singularity is considered an "event horizon" for human history, a point of extreme change and irreversibility beyond which we cannot comprehend the future.

Potential Scenarios:
Benevolent Outcomes: Advanced AI could help solve global problems and radically improve human lives.

Catastrophic Outcomes: A superintelligence could pose existential risks, potentially leading to the replacement or extinction of the human race.

Radical Transformation: The fundamental nature of reality, human consciousness, and society could be transformed in ways we cannot currently imagine.

Fairy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 8:12 am Now that we’ve got access to AI such the likes of

OpenAI: GPT-4o, OpenAI Codex
Google: Gemini, AlphaFold
Meta: Llama, SeamlessM4T
Microsoft: Alice, Microsoft Copilot
Siri, Cortana, DeepSeek-R1

Do we ever need to think for ourselves anymore?

It is the illusion of singularity.

Singularity is already evidenced by the universal nature of existence which underlies all things. There never was an absence of it in this respect.

The singularity they are referring to a unification of the human mind by means of conditioning it and limiting it purely to a state of constantly devouring unending images.

There singularity is but a cathartic state of distraction where potentiality is never realized and the human condition can never transcend its limits due to the fragmentation of attention.

Eodnhoj7 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 18, 2025 6:27 am

Fairy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 8:12 am Now that we’ve got access to AI such the likes of

OpenAI: GPT-4o, OpenAI Codex
Google: Gemini, AlphaFold
Meta: Llama, SeamlessM4T
Microsoft: Alice, Microsoft Copilot
Siri, Cortana, DeepSeek-R1

Do we ever need to think for ourselves anymore?

It is the illusion of singularity.

Singularity is already evidenced by the universal nature of existence which underlies all things. There never was an absence of it in this respect.

The singularity they are referring to a unification of the human mind by means of conditioning it and limiting it purely to a state of constantly devouring unending images.

There singularity is but a cathartic state of distraction where potentiality is never realized and the human condition can never transcend its limits due to the fragmentation of attention.

That makes total sense to me, thank you so much. I learn a lot more clarity from listening to your views.

Fairy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 9:35 am

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 8:59 am Uummm... Why would collators of human effort be reasons to stop thinking? I hope reaction to encyclopedia books didn't come to that conclusion.

What if AI has read every single book that was ever conceived to exist in the entire history of humanity, the authors of such books?

The encyclopaedia is just a drop in the ocean in comparison to everything. And I’ve heard there’s nothing new under the sun, and that there’s only the voices of those standing on the shoulders of giants left?

Also, if something original does pop into one’s awareness, then that idea must have already existed for it to be thought of.
In other words everything already exists from the beginning of time until the end of time. Spacetime in reality is the only realm where knowledge can exist, metaphysically speaking.

So what if it did? Basically what you're saying is that AI could be like the group of infinite monkeys typing away and coming up with Hamlet (and every other conceivable book). Do the monkeys know they've "written" Hamlet? If aliens (unfamiliar with English) landed on Earth and reviewed the monkey's output could they tell Hamlet from infinite books of gibberish? Probably not. Why would the work of these monkeys dissuade me from writing a love poem to my wife (even if my "original" poem exists on a scrap of paper in an infinitely tall pile of paper on the floor of the monkey enclosure?

LuckyR wrote: ↑Thu Sep 18, 2025 7:04 am

Fairy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 9:35 am

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 8:59 am Uummm... Why would collators of human effort be reasons to stop thinking? I hope reaction to encyclopedia books didn't come to that conclusion.

What if AI has read every single book that was ever conceived to exist in the entire history of humanity, the authors of such books?

The encyclopaedia is just a drop in the ocean in comparison to everything. And I’ve heard there’s nothing new under the sun, and that there’s only the voices of those standing on the shoulders of giants left?

Also, if something original does pop into one’s awareness, then that idea must have already existed for it to be thought of.
In other words everything already exists from the beginning of time until the end of time. Spacetime in reality is the only realm where knowledge can exist, metaphysically speaking.

So what if it did? Basically what you're saying is that AI could be like the group of infinite monkeys typing away and coming up with Hamlet (and every other conceivable book). Do the monkeys know they've "written" Hamlet? If aliens (unfamiliar with English) landed on Earth and reviewed the monkey's output could they tell Hamlet from infinite books of gibberish? Probably not. Why would the work of these monkeys dissuade me from writing a love poem to my wife (even if my "original" poem exists on a scrap of paper in an infinitely tall pile of paper on the floor of the monkey enclosure?

That’s exactly what I’m saying.

Everything is You. Be cause.