The (Terrifying) Theory That Your Thoughts Were Never Your Own
Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal
Intro
This chapter examines the provocative idea that language functions independently, influencing human thought from a young age. It discusses the ramifications of this theory on consciousness, artificial intelligence, and our understanding of human experience.
As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe What if your thoughts aren’t your own? Professors Elan Barenholtz and William Hahn propose that language is not a tool we use but a self-generating organism that uses us. In this mind-bending live discussion at the University of Toronto, they argue that language installs itself in our minds like software, runs autonomously, and shapes behavior at a deeper level than we realize. Drawing on LLMs, autoregression, and cognitive science, they suggest your brain may function like a predictive engine and that “memory,” “self,” and even “God” may just be tokens in an informational system. Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 05:28 The Nature of Autoregression 10:14 Memory and Cognition Redefined 11:28 The Role of Language Models 14:23 Exploring Consciousness and Software 26:22 The Evolution of Language 38:08 Language: A Cultural Artifact 54:19 The Power and Danger of Language 1:02:52 Embracing Uncertainty in Knowledge 1:04:59 Courage to Believe in Ideas 1:09:30 Support and Engagement with Content Links Mentioned: • Elan’s Substack: https://elanbarenholtz.substack.com/ • Elan’s Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2grAjZsAAAAJ&hl=en • William’s Blog: https://hahn.ai/blog/index.html • Ekkolapto’s Site: https://www.ekkolapto.org/ • Andrés Emilsson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/BBP8WZpYp0Y • Elan Barenholtz [TOE]: https://youtu.be/A36OumnSrWY • Anna Ciaunica & Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/2aLhkm6QUgA • William Hahn [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3fkg0uTA3qU • Michael Levin’s Presentation [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Exdz2HKP7u0 • Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4 • Geoffrey Hinton [TOE]: https://youtu.be/b_DUft-BdIE • Ai Panel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/abzXzPBW4_s • Joscha Bach & Ben Goertzel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/xw7omaQ8SgA • Noam Chomsky [TOE]: https://youtu.be/DQuiso493ro • Michael Levin Solo [TOE]: https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s • Consciousness Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/65yjqIDghEk • Joscha Bach [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3MNBxfrmfmI • Scott Aaronson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/gGsh0_-q7LI • Iain McGilchrist [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Q9sBKCd2HD0 • The Master and His Emissary [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Master-His-Emissary-Divided-Western/dp/0300188374 • Michael Levin & Karl Friston [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0yOV9Pzk2zw • Shape Rotators vs Wordcels [Article]: https://sasamilic.medium.com/some-thoughts-on-the-shape-rotator-vs-worcel-meme-f320261a21cd SUPPORT: - Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join - Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal - Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 SOCIALS: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs Guests do not pay to appear. Theories of Everything receives revenue solely from viewer donations, platform ads, and clearly labelled sponsors; no guest or associated entity has ever given compensation, directly or through intermediaries. #science
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The AI-powered Podcast Player
