Dennis Hackethal’s Blog
My blog about philosophy, coding, and anything else that interests me.
Tweets
An archive of my tweets and retweets through . They may be formatted slightly differently than on Twitter. API access has since gotten prohibitively expensive – I don't know whether or when I'll be able to update this archive.
But in case I will, you can subscribe via RSS – without a Twitter account. Rationale
You’ve answered my other questions since this previous tweet – why not this one?
Usually 1 but for some it could be 2. It’s hard to say. And for some 2 can determine 1.
Whatever the case, we’re not trying to predict people’s actions, we’re trying to understand whether animals are conscious, are we not?
No, arrangement and movement are not hardware, they’re properties of hardware. And when hardware pieces are arranged and move in an adapted way (compare William Paley’s watch), that adaptation requires knowledge, which is an abstraction. That knowledge is software.
RT @realchrisrufo:
SCOOP: @Walmart has launched a critical race theory training program that denounces the United States as a “white suprem…
I just realized that my saying
[Physical coercion is] a much greater coercion than just saying ‘I disagree’.
may come off as me granting that saying ‘I disagree’ is a little coercive. I’m not sure that’s the case (I’m leaning toward ‘no’).
Your tax dollars at work: sparing no effort to remove tire from idiot elk’s neck. twitter.com/NottheBee/st…
It sounds a bit like pacifism: ‘even in the face of great evil, don’t do anything to attack evil – don’t even say 'I disagree’ – because evil might not want to hear it.‘
Regardless of “must” – the part “in situations where” implies that Rand did not mean always. She wants ppl to speak out when evil could be encouraged by silence and/or one’s values are being attacked.
I think my way [of quoting] is less misleading.
You think quoting without sources, and changing quotes without notification, is less misleading than providing sources and leaving quotes intact?
If you call the police, they might not only tell him they disagree, but physically coerce him. That’s a much greater coercion than just saying ‘I disagree’.
Also, anyone could forever shield himself from any criticism whatsoever just by telling people he doesn’t want to hear it.
There’s a risk with writing a piece later rather than speaking up in the moment. When one doesn’t speak up in the moment, it can be misconstrued as the sanctioning of evil in that moment, and the evil-doers may never read that piece, and feel emboldened by one’s sanctioning.
Fair enough, that’s interesting. It’s on my reading list.
That’s actually somewhat more reminiscent of BioShock 1 than I originally thought: twitter.com/dchackethal/st…
I’d also guess she said more about Aristotle than that he “was dope on logic”.
I don’t know about the analytic-synthetic distinction, but ignoring any particular development doesn’t mean she’s ignoring tradition altogether. For example, I mostly ignore EA developments, but that doesn’t mean I ignore tradition.
So, when some muslim tells you that gays should be thrown off of rooftops, you’d rather not say ‘I disagree’ because he might not want to hear it?
You’re potentially introducing more errors by quoting inaccurately (let alone without sources, btw). Guessing what somebody means is already hard enough given an accurate quote – it shouldn’t be made harder by quoting inaccurately.
You referred to my quotes, not other parts of the original text. But yes, here she says “must” – only to follow it up by saying that ‘I disagree’ can be sufficient. Which doesn’t strike me as criticism, let alone unsolicited.
Simply saying ‘I disagree’ isn’t criticism, I don’t think.
It seems to me to be both about the self and about ideas.
Related to electromagnetism: I recently learned that, ironically, people used to think that only living beings could produce electricity…
…to computation. Many think they are, but that’s just a modern-day version of the old belief that there is some ‘vital essence’, something only living beings have that can’t be reproduced artificially, which is a kind of mysticism.
You don’t think it possible that a particular arrangement or movement of certain materials could be the cause of concioisness?
I do – maybe neutron stars can be used to compute, maybe they can’t. I don’t know. But we do know that nervous systems aren’t special when it comes…
Using the latter as a proxy for the former doesn’t always work because people are often more confident before they detect and correct errors, so much so that in some cases they switch to a new theory that explains the errors.
There the difference lies in whether enough effort has gone into detecting and correcting errors (an objective improvement), not increasing confidence (a feeling).
Since you advocate for “proceed[ing] with caution”, shouldn’t you be?
Right – doesn’t that underline my point that it’s difficult to know the intended meaning because, due to theory-‘ladenness’, it’s not obvious?
I don’t see a conflict there, do you?
There’s no conflict between her using ‘need’ and requiring ‘I don’t agree with you’ either because they’re used in different scenarios. (Also she’s saying ‘need not’!)
Btw I’m not sure ‘I don’t agree with you’ is criticism?
It seems to me that she says: always judge (at least mentally); don’t provide unsolicited criticism at all times; make your judgment known if your values are being attacked or denounced or if your silence can be taken as agreement with evil; a simple ‘i disagree’ can suffice.
You originally wrote “[o]ne should always pronounce a judgement.” (emphasis added) The screenshot you shared shows she did not mean always. Not even in the last sentence: most of the time when one judges one’s values aren’t being attacked or denounced.
I’ve only seen emphases added, not removed, and then it’s pointed out. I suppose you could write ‘[emphasis removed]’ or something but it’s not as good as when an emphasis is added because readers won’t know where it was removed.
I don’t think I’ve heard or seen that. It’s also really hard to know whether it changes the meaning the author intended, so it’s safer to just quote literally.
RT @HumanProgress:
“The number of reported [extreme weather] events are increasing, but that is mainly due to better reporting, lower thres…
Always remember that your villa was built on ant land.
If you don’t want it to be a misquote it does.
@royalsociety @acmedsci @WHO @ISC
Sounds like the road to climate lockdowns…
Popper writes somewhere in his LScD (paraphrasing from poor memory) that although our theories are always tentative, our actions need not be.
Allowing the possibility that one could be wrong – which one should always do – doesn’t mean one shouldn’t take ideas seriously, or act on them with hesitation.
[…] I’ll need to look deeper into your provided arguments for this.
Why don’t you do that before asking me to provide them again? Fair warning that if you keep ignoring things I’ve already written in the FAQ I may not be interested in discussing much more.
…And how information is processed is a matter of software.
Can you please provide an outline of the argument?
You could build a computer out of nervous systems, metal and silicon, or chewing gum and vacuum tubes. It follows that the physical substrate doesn’t matter all that much as long as it can process information…
It wouldn’t be epistemically equivalent because “conciousness requires neuron signalling” has been refuted, whereas my position has not.
I’m not an expert on Rand’s views but it seems she made a mistake which, borrowing from Karl Popper, could be called ‘the myth of the legal framework’: blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/objectiv…
I think a good and relevant criticism of objectivism (which, incidentally, connects with Popper’s epistemology) is mine, on how objectivist legal philosophy makes a mistake which Popper called ‘the myth of the framework’: blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/objectiv…
More generally speaking, much of the criticism of Rand which I have read is bad. One mistake people make is they criticize things she already addressed or never said, or they employ manipulative discussion tactics (like the argument from intimidation) which she has long debunked.
For clarity, I provided two links, one of which Twitter turned into a preview. It’s not just one link that’s being displayed and previewed.
The first quote is from aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/selfis…
The second is from courses.aynrand.org/works/the-obje… (and the word ‘objective’ should be italicized/surrounded by asterisks)
Some criticisms:
twitter.com/dchackethal/st…
twitter.com/dchackethal/st…
E.g.:
The structure appropriate to a capitalist economy is a republic […] the American kind […] established by the American constitution.
You also reference her building on Aristotelian tradition, which is thousands of years old.
Do you have any references to her ignoring tradition or institutions?
She seems to have been a great advocate of American capitalist tradition and American institutions. She goes into some of that here: youtube.com/watch?v=5mQmP-…
Also:
[…] one need not launch into unprovoked moral denunciations or debates […]
and
[…] a mere “I don’t agree with you” [can be] sufficient […]
Unwanted/unsolicited criticism sabotages growth.
Rand didn’t advocate for unsolicited criticism. From courses.aynrand.org/works/how-does…:
The policy of always pronouncing moral judgment does not mean […] that one must give unsolicited moral appraisals […].
@SmashAGrape @ReachChristofer @CosmicSkeptic
A fake apology followed up by another insult. I don’t see how discussing with you could benefit me. Let’s end it here.
@SmashAGrape @ReachChristofer @CosmicSkeptic
I have no idea what you’re talking about.
@SmashAGrape @ReachChristofer @CosmicSkeptic
There’s no need to put ‘reasoning’ in scare quotes. You’re being aggressive in a dishonest, sneaky way.
@SmashAGrape @ReachChristofer @CosmicSkeptic
Forcing a line at humans makes controversy that sells books but misses reality.
LOL
@SmashAGrape @ReachChristofer @CosmicSkeptic
Did you listen to the link I provided?
My first thought is that ‘self-identity’ sounds like a tautology; beyond that I can’t really say without more info. Do you have a reference to something Lulie said or a quote?
Having just finished BioShock 1 – late to the party, I know – its portrayal/critique of objectivism isn’t accurate: objectivismindepth.com/2016/11/23/wha…
@SmashAGrape @ReachChristofer @CosmicSkeptic
You asked “[w]here, in evolution, does consciousness begin to emerge[?]”
I pinpoint a specific genetic mutation in our evolutionary history here: doexplain.org/episodes/11-a-…
@SmashAGrape @ReachChristofer @CosmicSkeptic
[…] it is unclear (scientifically speaking) whether Bunny has been trained to use specific buttons on her AAC device […]
She has. She’s a meat robot. It’s amazing ppl keep falling for the ‘omg she’s pressing buttons and my interpretations of them make sense to me!’ thing.
It’s not an assumption, it follows from computational universality.
Shouldn’t the fact of your theory being unfounded be enough?
No, again, Popperian epistemology.
[…] my concern is mostly with the confidence that you have in your theory […]
Again I don’t see why it matters.
RT @HumanProgress:
Using just salt, sugar, and water, David Nalin found a way to save millions of lives at almost zero cost. #HeroesOfProgr…
Wirklich gute Nachrichten.
Ich bin zwar kein Geschichtsexperte, aber nach allem, was Tschechien durchgemacht hat, hätte man es früher erwarten dürfen. (Allerdings gilt das genauso für Deutschland…)
[…] Creativity -> Genuine Discovery -> Consciousness
I didn’t say that. I said
[C]onsciousness involves genuine discovery […].
and what you wrote isn’t a representation of that.
I think it’s more like:
Creativity -> Consciousness
Creativity -> Discoveries
My critisism of your position is that you are relying on premises that are unfounded.
That’s totally fine, guesses don’t need foundations. Plus there’s enough there in the article to refute, also there are specific ways presented on how to change my mind.
‘But without government, who’d freeze everyone’s savings?’ twitter.com/TheJuggernaut8…
That’s cool you’re learning Unity, too. That playlist looks good – I also recommend the Brackeys channel. I did this tutorial recently: youtube.com/watch?v=j48LtU…
And xe should have a homosexual relationship with the Bond person.
RT @SJobs_Stories:
“The most advanced phones are called smartphones - so they say. And they typically combine a phone plus some e-mail capa…
New blog post: ‘Breaking Out of Frames in Unity’
Instead of a shift I think it connects creativity to consciousness because an entity that isn’t creative cannot make genuine discoveries.
I’m more interested in refutations of my position than trying to convince you it’s true.
“The hair on my legs turns blonde when I tan,” the whistleblower added.
RT @Jaber_Hassoun:
It was my great pleasure and honor to have this conversation with @DavidDeutschOxf
We discussed:
The Fun Criterion
Obj…
- Doesn’t know the singular of ‘stimuli’
- Reduces people to brains & inputs/outputs
- Is maskless herself twitter.com/libsoftiktok/s…
Disgusting, on several levels:
⚡️ “California students will be required to take ethnic studies to graduate high school” by @CalMatters twitter.com/i/events/14465…
I really don’t see why an entity performing a preprogrammed algorithm can’t be concious (a preprogrammed concious experience).
One reason is that consciousness involves genuine discovery, and preprogramming implies that all the discovering has already happened.
Seeing as we have conflicting views, why do you place the burden on me to refute yours rather than on yourself to refute mine?
RT @PessimistsArc:
Amazing find from 1938 h/t @johnmichaelw @WSTSpod https://t.co/O0ysUt8G9w
RT @CommunistTerror:
From Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia and more: the extent of the deportations to remote parts of the Soviet Union…
RT @DavidDeutschOxf:
Der Anfang der Unendlichkeit ist jetzt auch bei zusätzlichen Online-Händlern erhältlich, darunter Thalia, Hugendubel u…
RT @libsoftiktok:
Wait what?! #AustraliaHasFallen twitter.com/The_AlphaX2/st…
“You’ll have to squint to see the mouse once the script starts […].” Sounds about right.
maybe austria is sorta the canada of germany…
That quote in your embedded tweet isn’t from the two sections I referenced, so why would we be going in circles? Seems to me you’re ignoring the refutations and not counter-refuting them.
@ReachChristofer @CosmicSkeptic
I’d welcome the opportunity to discuss this if Alex is down.
Refutation of complexity leading to consciousness: blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/animal-s…
Refutation of brain and nervous system being necessary: blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/animal-s…
If you have additional questions/comments I suggest you read the whole article first, odds are I’ve already addressed them.