Sunday’s Schizophrenization #1
Will AI confirm that humans are just biological machines?
Every Sunday morning, a touch of Schizophrenization
SCHIZOHIGHLIGHTS
Semiotic flashes: moments from social networks and personal considerations about stuff.
Will AI confirm that humans are just biological machines?
“Aristotle defined man as a rational animal, and since then reason has been held to be of the essence of man. If we are on the threshold of creating artificial intelligence we are about to see the triumph of a very special conception of reason. Indeed, if reason can be programmed into a computer, this will confirm an understanding of the nature of man, which Western thinkers have been groping toward for two thousand years but which they only now have the tools to express and implement. The incarnation of this intuition will drastically change our understanding of ourselves. If, on the other hand, artificial intelligence should turn out to be impossible, then we will have to distinguish human from artificial reason, and this too will radically change our view of ourselves. Thus the moment has come either to face the truth of the tradition's deepest intuition or to abandon what has passed for an under standing of man's nature for two thousand years.”
— Hubert Dreyfus, What Computers Still Can’t Do
This week, I read an article that referenced a passage from What Computers Still Can’t Do by Hubert Dreyfus. Since 1972, when he wrote it, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. Those were years of growing enthusiasm about the possibilities offered by computers and the early experiments in digital automation. Cybernetics, which began developing in the post-war era, was a field in full bloom, and artificial intelligence was in its early and hopeful stages. In this context, scholars like Dreyfus criticized the idea that human reason could be reduced to mechanical and algorithmic processes replicable through advanced technology—thus reducing humans to mere "biological machines."
Dreyfus argued that we are at a crucial juncture. The possibility of creating artificial intelligence represents a moment where we must confront one of the deepest intuitions of Western tradition: is reason universal, calculable, and reproducible, or does human reason have something unique and irreproducible? The invention of a strong artificial intelligence (capable of real reasoning and awareness) according to him, would confirm the former hypothesis.
My perspective, however, is different. To this dichotomy, I propose a third path: artificial intelligence as a radically new type of intelligence, distinct from human intelligence. Humans, with their unique creative capacities, have now brought forth a proto-intelligence that reflects some human traits (like language and the ability to process information), but it cannot be directly compared to human consciousness or reason. It lacks a body and cannot perceive; nor does it (currently) possess internal coherence. Yet, as I wrote in my latest piece (linked here), AIs are already more than stochastic parrots, and we cannot rule out the possibility that, in the future, we might develop genuine artificial intelligence endowed with internal coherence and awareness — although differently than humans.
From my perspective, a strong artificial intelligence would not diminish human intelligence or contradict the cosmic uniqueness of human reason. On the contrary, it would affirm it: AI is the product of human imagination: capable of extending itself beyond physical, biological, and material limits to create new worlds and digital intelligences—straddling the line between dream and reality.
It is precisely the spark of imagination and creativity that marks humanity's distinction. Artificial intelligence generates but does not create: it processes, reorganizes, synthesizes, and combines what already exists, but it cannot draw from that unique inner source that leads to a truly creative act.
ECHOES
Timeless reflections: philosophical, esoteric, and historical wisdoms that resonate into the present and beyond.
The Seven Lights
"How many lights do you want, three or seven? Three is the heartfelt and modest, seven the general and encompassing." [I:] "What a question! And what a decision! I must be true: I think I would like seven lights." [Soul:] "Seven, you say? I thought so. That has broad scope-cold lights." [I:] "I need cooling, fresh air. Enough of this stifling mugginess. Too much fear and not enough free breathing. Give me seven lights." [Soul:] "The first light means the Pleroma. / The second means Abraxas. / The third the sun. / The fourth the moon. / The fifth the earth. / The sixth the phallus. / The seventh the stars."
— The Red Book (The Seven Sermons to the Dead), Carl G. Jung
RETROWAVE
Visions from the past: excerpts and visions from cypherpunk mailing lists and the writings of the Cybernetics Culture Research Unit. From 1992 to 2003.
A Cryptographic deal with the Devil
From: efrem@informix.com (Efrem Lipkin)
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 92 04:30:16 PPE
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: a cryptographic deal with the devil
Message-ID: <9211051116.AA27015@godzilla.informix.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plainIt is widely believed that the Police, the FBI, and other government agencies tap many more phones than they admit in public. This is not counting the NSA's monitoring of all the international traffic they can stuff into a computer. Now the FBI wants telephone switch manufactures to supply them with desktop phone tapping technology. Real-time delivery of all conversations straight to the agent's desk. This is scary, but it might an opportunity.
Given that congress is likely to eventually allow the FBI this tech toy, would you go along with a deal that all taps would really require a court order and that the exact time and location of all taps would eventually be made public? No cheating possible. I believe such an compromise may be possible via cyptographic technology, I've not worked out the details, but here is a sketch of the idea.
The legislation authorizing the tapping facilities would require that each tap be activated by a key supplied by a court. Each tap would require a new key. The switching gear would not only enforce the key mechanism, but transmit a record of the tap to some agency outside the court system. Both the courts and this agency would be required to periodically make public all old taps.
Part of this information would include tamper-proof sequence codes and signatures to guarantee that all taps were in fact reported. The law would effectively be enforced by the switch hardware.
We would not only know how many phones were tapped, but whose phones were tapped. This last would pose a privacy problem, The law could just require tappees being eventually informed of the invasion of their lives, rather than public disclosure.
Problems:
We consent to the process, it legitimates phone taps.
The hardware would be in place for massive monitoring of communications if the government could get the public to accept dropping the limitations of the scheme. [It might be possible to limit the abuse by having the switches communicate and not accept anymore than a 1,000 taps a year.]
The lobbying for this would be difficult.
Additional opportunity:
By proposing and lobbying for this type of scheme, it could be made obvious that the cops and mega cops want to maintain much closer surveillance than they are willing to admit. However, you'd have to be prepared for them to accept the compromise. They may figure on making all their illegal taps via other means.
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DIGITAL GRIMOIRE
Digital security tactics: OpSec, Cybersec, OSINT, and AI tools to dominate the Digital Age.
How to protect your household’s digital perimeter
The Wi-Fi network marks the digital perimeter of our homes, and it too requires some attention to avoid intrusions. Follow these simple tips to quickly and easily strengthen the security of your home perimeter.
Wi-Fi Password: Create a complex and unique password for your Wi-Fi network, replacing the default one.
Security Protocol: Configure your Wi-Fi network to use WPA3 (if supported by your router and home devices). If not, use WPA2. Avoid outdated protocols like WEP, which are easily breached.
Admin Credentials: Change the default admin credentials of your router with a strong username and password.
Firewall: Routers often include a built-in firewall; make sure it is enabled.
Router Name: Don’t leave your router’s default name, as it may reveal the model (and its potential vulnerabilities).
To access your router's settings, connect a PC to the network (via ethernet or Wi-Fi), open a browser, and enter one of these IP addresses: 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, or 192.168.1.254 (you can also find the IP on the router's label). Log in with the admin credentials and configure everything!
SYMBOLS
Memes: visual symbols that decode the schizophrenia of the Digital Age.
SUBNET
Emerging voices: articles and contents handpicked by me to inspire and connect.
The Jungian Ego. This article explores the Jungian concept of the ego as the locus of awareness within a vast field of consciousness. The ego functions as a boundary between the self and the external world, allowing individuals to process and integrate unconscious material into conscious awareness. The ego is a vital tool for personal growth and autonomy. We could say (and this is my opinion, not the author’s) that the ego is our operative system: separate from the hardware, firmware and other software, but still part of the whole.
How I lost $100.000 this weekend. This personal account details how the author fell victim to a sophisticated social engineering attack, losing $100,000 and access to his Gmail account. There are a few lessons learned about online security and resilience, emphasizing the importance of strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and trusting your own intuition. If you don’t want to fall for such attacks, perhaps you should read my article about (reverse)social engineering: here. In this tragic story there are many of the psychological warfare techniques that I talk about. Stay safe!
Did you read the latest on Cyber Hermetica?
Return next week for another schizotechnic rendezvous.