I have noticed a tendency (especially amongst HN articles and readers) to continually compare our bodies, minds, souls etc. to machines, as if they could be "biohacked" into perfection with just the right patches or software updates. Or that we could easily be replaced by the "correct AI" algorithm, if we could just get the simulation close enough. Not that I don't believe we aren't complex systems, we are, to be sur…
Totally agree. I think it comes from people who have a narrow technical background trying to extrapolate to humanities by analogy to what they know. They only have a hammer and see nails everywhere.. But HN is the wrong place to expect anything different :D
Anxiety as an algorithm
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Re: Anxiety as an algorithm
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
Totally agree. I think it comes from people who have a narrow technical background trying to extrapolate to humanities by analogy to what they know. They only have a hammer and see nails everywhere.. But HN is the wrong place to expect anything different :D
The original blog post is a pretty fantastic piece in support of teaching humanities in CS, I'd say!
Re: Anxiety as an algorithm
#33I have noticed a tendency (especially amongst HN articles and readers) to continually compare our bodies, minds, souls etc. to machines, as if they could be "biohacked" into perfection with just the right patches or software updates. Or that we could easily be replaced by the "correct AI" algorithm, if we could just get the simulation close enough. Not that I don't believe we aren't complex systems, we are, to be sur…
There are anxiety disorders which can have a crippling effect on someone's ability to function and turn their life into a living hell. There are many entrepreneurs who suffer from them. Entrepreneurs tend to be out there on the fringes of what is neurotypical, with all the attendant pros and cons.
I suspect if your reaction is "personally I'd rather be myself than think this way," you're simply not the target audience of the article.
Re: Anxiety as an algorithm
#34However, in the past few years I've experienced more of a general malaise from a sensitivity to being in a state of flow; when not being in one, i feel a sort of shame for squandering my time.
In short, I respect anxiety as an effective way of getting things done. Everything in moderation.
Re: Anxiety as an algorithm
#35I have noticed a tendency (especially amongst HN articles and readers) to continually compare our bodies, minds, souls etc. to machines, as if they could be "biohacked" into perfection with just the right patches or software updates. Or that we could easily be replaced by the "correct AI" algorithm, if we could just get the simulation close enough. Not that I don't believe we aren't complex systems, we are, to be sur…
Re: Anxiety as an algorithm
#36I have noticed a tendency (especially amongst HN articles and readers) to continually compare our bodies, minds, souls etc. to machines, as if they could be "biohacked" into perfection with just the right patches or software updates. Or that we could easily be replaced by the "correct AI" algorithm, if we could just get the simulation close enough. Not that I don't believe we aren't complex systems, we are, to be sur…
Evolution is a very simple self-optimising algorithm that's been allowed to run for a very long time. The way I see it, algorithms often have room for improvement. Turns out, self-optimisation with no oversight for 400M years produces something with a lot of room for improvement.
There is no doubt we are incredibly complex, so much so that we've not been able to crack the puzzle that is "us". We invent crude medicines to carpet-bomb some bacteria/virus, which can potentially harm another part of the body, we staple cadaver-parts onto our knees to move well again, we're incredible crude in a bio-hackish way.
We've not even begun to understand what goes on in our heads.
Room for improvement? I'm not sure we are there yet. Room for understanding what is going on? A lot of room there. Its a massive empty hangar to put all our future knowledge into.
Bottom line is ... I don't think we should go about pulling strings without caution because it will not happen without consequence.
Re: Anxiety as an algorithm
#37I have noticed a tendency (especially amongst HN articles and readers) to continually compare our bodies, minds, souls etc. to machines, as if they could be "biohacked" into perfection with just the right patches or software updates. Or that we could easily be replaced by the "correct AI" algorithm, if we could just get the simulation close enough. Not that I don't believe we aren't complex systems, we are, to be sur…
Evolution is a very simple self-optimising algorithm that's been allowed to run for a very long time. The way I see it, algorithms often have room for improvement. Turns out, self-optimisation with no oversight for 400M years produces something with a lot of room for improvement.
Re: Anxiety as an algorithm
#38Re: Anxiety as an algorithm
#39I have noticed a tendency (especially amongst HN articles and readers) to continually compare our bodies, minds, souls etc. to machines, as if they could be "biohacked" into perfection with just the right patches or software updates. Or that we could easily be replaced by the "correct AI" algorithm, if we could just get the simulation close enough. Not that I don't believe we aren't complex systems, we are, to be sur…
- I believe the sophistication and complexity of what makes us feel living forms is still way outside the current science radar and that all that think they're onto an improvement are myopic
- the dig down process of improving the somatic layer (bodies, cells) seems backward to me, our "souls" live on another plane, and doesn't really need much improvements down below. I'd rather see a cultural effort toward.. well culture. Simpler, leaner bonds and sharing.
Re: Anxiety as an algorithm
#40Inaccurate mentalised threats are constructed in the brain for very good reason. Typically they are real when they form, and are required in order to stabilise the caregiving environment when young. (If mum/dad gets very angry when I make a fuss trying to get what I want, I quickly develop a fear of standing up for myself. This fear is useful to placate mum/dad, but not useful when I'm an adult and getting walked over.)
Strangely, the brain seems to have its own method to explain to the owner what these inaccurate mentalised threats are - dreams. And I can assure the author that the cure to nightmares is not as simple as recognising they are not real - there is a cure to them though. Dreams were extremely important to my own development/de-anxious-ing, so I wrote a paper on this function during my Msc in Psychology. It is free to download here: https://psyarxiv.com/k6trz, and was discussed on HN here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19143590