Tom Ellis
Jan 15, 2024

--

As my dissertation advisor once told me, “premises are pathetic” (not in the ordinary sense of that word, but the adjective derived from “pathos” meaning feeling or emotion). The same is true of the motives underlying the instructions we give to AI systems used in Astrophysical research. They can only seek out information that addresses the questions we ask. That is both their promise and their constraint, for imagination is likewise “pathetic.”

--

--

Tom Ellis
Tom Ellis

Written by Tom Ellis

I am a retired English professor now living in Oregon, and a life-long environmental activist, Buddhist, and holistic philosopher.

No responses yet