Why do "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"?
In my new Invisible Universe column, I decode how the phrase that Carl Sagan made famous is routinely misunderstood & abused -- and how to use it as the BS detector it's meant to be.
https://invisibleuniverse.substack.com/p/why-do-extraordinary-claims-require #science #history #logic #philosophy
This is a must listen for anyone and especially those of us in Canada:
Plato's Republic yes very much so.
Popper,Arendt, Machiavelli (His Discourses in particular)
Can you think of an emotion or mental state where somome will tend to avoid pleasure? Is there such thing as a kind of ascetic drive?
I'm thinking there is something missing where you have emotions that drive one both away from (e.g. fear, lain) and toward (e.g. anger) negative stimuli but I van only thing kf emotions or mental states that drive us towards positive stmuli (e.g. desire). Maybe satiation counts? What else could?
#philosophy #philosophyofmind #psychology
@psychology @philosophy
Re. Not anthropomorphizing LLMs
I'm a sucker for this. Thankyou for writing about it. I'll apologise to an inanimate object if I walk into it.
I find useful practical tips for myself in following this to be:
1. Use the verb "I prompted" rather than I told or I asked.
2. State that the program "output" rather than it replied.
3. I don't discuss "confabulation" because it's an anthropomorphization (the reality is that the computer program is doing exactly what it is instructed to do by the user), but if I was compelled to anthropomorphize, I would use "confabulation" rather than hallucination.
I would be curious to know if you or any other readers had any more tips!
The following cartoon is from:
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/precise
Latest papers: Francesco Marchi argues that the mainstream doxastic view in the self-deception literature, namely motivationalism, presupposes a Cartesian theory of belief acquisition in this open access article https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2025.2452392 @psychology #philosophy
Lao Tzu only wrote a single sentence about Yin and Yang, but it changed philosophy forever – Big Think…
#Daoism is the #philosophy that there is a right way to live life, and it involves finding and following the “Dao”, or path, to our life and also the universe...
“The culprit is a cognitive dynamic called belief polarization. As we interact with our political allies, we are exposed to forces that render us more radical in our beliefs and increasingly hostile to those who do not share them. What’s more, the social environments we inhabit in our day-to-day lives are sorted along partisan lines. We are surrounded by triggers of political extremity and animosity. Thus, our ordinary activities encourage the attitude that democracy is possible only when everyone agrees–a profoundly antidemocratic stance.” #Democracy #philosophy
https://www.cato.org/events/civic-solitude-why-democracy-needs-distance
A volume of papers about the work of François Recanati, one of my PhD supervisors:
Next up on my reading list is Consciousness Explained by Daniel Dennett (1991).
#Books #Reading #Philosophy #Psychology
Fuck Burchard of Worms (c. 950 – 1025)
Fuck Gregory Vlastos (1907–1991)
Fuck Tiruvalluvar (c. 1st century BC–2nd century CE)
What's the Difference? Philosophy: 150 Key Concepts in Philosophy by Adam Ferner, 2025
What’s the difference between sarcasm and irony? Or nihilism and fatalism? Or sex and gender?This book is part of a new series and a brand-new approach to popular reference based on the question, ‘What’s the difference?’.Inside, there are crystal-clear explanations of 150 paired words that build into a wide-ranging philosophy primer.
We are called to correct our neighbors, but with love. We should not defame or hate them. https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/torah-commentary/mastering-art-rebuke
This related article claims we can hack our way out of the wrong reality. I so wish that were true! I certainly feel like I'm in the wrong reality sometimes...
How Humans Can Escape the Simulation, According to Scientists
Hack your way out of the wrong reality.
https://archive.ph/lPgwi
#TheMatrix #WhatIsReality? #Philosophy #Hologram #SecondLawOfInfodynamics
A Scientist Thinks We Live in a Simulation—and That He’s Found Proof of the Universe’s Source Code
Could the hypothesized Second Law of Infodynamics finally deliver the ‘smoking gun’ evidence?
By Darren Orf, Published: Mar 27, 2025 11:30 AM EDT
"In the early 4th century BCE, the legendary ancient Greek philosopher Plato put forth a simple thought experiment. Known as the Allegory of the Cave, the idea suggests that what we believe to be 'reality' could be little more than shadows dancing upon a cave wall. Fast forward to the 21st century, and scientists are pondering the same question albeit in a more technological context."
Read more:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a64300338/source-code-simulation/
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/AZSMQ
#TheMatrix #AllegoryOfTheCave #WhatIsReality? #Philosophy #Hologram #Maya #Illusion #Plato #SecondLawOfInfodynamics
"The only extended conversation I ever had with police officers on the subject of puppets, on the other hand, was carried out while was handcuffed- which if nothing else makes it very difficult to take notes." - David Graeber *On the phenomenology of giant puppets*
Today in Labor History March 29, 1797: William Godwin married Mary Wollstonecraft. Godwin was an English journalist, philosopher and novelist. And one of the first modern proponents of anarchism. His most famous books are “An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice” and “Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams,” a mystery novel that attacks aristocratic privilege. Wollstonecraft was a British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights, and is regarded by many as one of the founding feminist philosophers. Her most famous book was “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” (1792). She died 11 days after giving birth to her second daughter, Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.
#workingclass #LaborHistory #anarchism #feminism #marywollstonecraft #williamgodwin #philosophy #novel #fiction #frankenstein #maryshelley #books #author #writer #journalism @bookstadon
![Mary Wollstonecraft by John Opie, c. 1797. By John Opie - one or more third parties have made copyright claims against Wikimedia Commons in relation to the work from which this is sourced or a purely mechanical reproduction thereof. This may be due to recognition of the "sweat of the brow" doctrine, allowing works to be eligible for protection through skill and labour, and not purely by originality as is the case in the United States (where this website is hosted). These claims may or may not be valid in all jurisdictions.As such, use of this image in the jurisdiction of the claimant or other countries may be regarded as copyright infringement. Please see Commons:When to use the PD-Art tag for more information., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=970256](https://kolektiva.social/system/media_attachments/files/114/246/470/852/701/904/original/d1638f8cd63b2bd2.jpg "Mary Wollstonecraft by John Opie, c. 1797. By John Opie - one or more third parties have made copyright claims against Wikimedia Commons in relation to the work from which this is sourced or a purely mechanical reproduction thereof. This may be due to recognition of the "sweat of the brow" doctrine, allowing works to be eligible for protection through skill and labour, and not purely by originality as is the case in the United States (where this website is hosted). These claims may or may not be valid in all jurisdictions.As such, use of this image in the jurisdiction of the claimant or other countries may be regarded as copyright infringement. Please see Commons:When to use the PD-Art tag for more information., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=970256")
Levels of Explanation 
כָלב 
