Book Summaries
Susan Blackmore (What to think about machines that think)
Susan Blackmore proposes that human thinking is influenced by memes, which have shaped our brains and thought processes over time.
Susan Blackmore proposes that human thinking is influenced by memes, which have shaped our brains and thought processes over time. Similarly, she believes that machines are evolving to think in their own way, influenced by the next replicator, which is taking over digital technology and creating its own thinking machines.
Blackmore challenges the idea that humans can design machines to think in a certain way, emphasizing that we often project our own human-like thinking onto these machines. Instead, she suggests that evolution, rather than intelligent design, is the driving force behind the development of thinking machines.
She draws parallels between the evolution of human brains, which evolved incrementally, and the evolution of digital technology, which is rapidly evolving and interconnected, resembling a global brain. Blackmore speculates on the possibility that humans may become integrated into this evolving digital ecosystem, akin to the way mitochondria became symbiotic with larger cells, benefiting both.
In her view, the proliferation of digital information and the continuous evolution of technology will lead to the emergence of new thinking machines, and humans may eventually become a part of this larger thinking system, rather than controlling it. She suggests that we are becoming integrated into a vast thinking machine, contributing to its growth and evolution.
YARPP List
Related posts:
- Law 17: Seize the Historical Moment (The Laws of Human Nature)
- Part 2: Isolate the Victim (The Art of Seduction)
- Chapter 16: The Capitalist Creed (Sapiens)
- On Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra Summary (8.4/10)
Keep Reading
Related Articles
Book Summaries
On Bullshit Summary (7.7/10)
*On Bullshit* by Harry Frankfurt is a short book, that discusses the concept of bullshit, from a philosophical perspective. Frankfurt’s writing is academic and formal, but at times, funny.
Book Summaries
So Good They Can’t Ignore You Summary (5/10)
In *So Good They Can’t Ignore You,* Newport argues that we have been conditioned to think about work in the wrong way. There is a myth that tells you that if you get lucky, and you change jobs enough, you’ll finally find your true calling, your passion.
Book Summaries
Stoicism (What is Ancient Philosophy?)
The Stoic experience consists in becoming sharply aware of the tragic situation of human beings, who are conditioned by fate. It would seem that we are not free at all, for it is not up to us to be beautiful, strong, healthy, or rich, to feel pleasure, or to escape suffering.
Book Summaries
Nicholas Humphrey (What to think about machines that think)
Nicholas Humphrey discusses the concept of introspective access and how it distinguishes conscious agents like humans from machines. Introspective access refers to the ability to be aware of and communicate one’s thoughts and mental states.