Joe Carlsmith, the author of 'Otherness and control in the age of AGI,' discusses the duality of activity vs. receptivity, facing darkness in the world, and exploring themes of humanism and defiance in 'Angels in America'. The podcast touches on deep atheism, embracing responsibility, and trusting in reality despite its potential lack of inherent goodness.
Balancing control and receptivity is crucial for a harmonious life.
Embracing the 'Black' color symbolizes power and discipline in actions.
Confronting darkness requires acknowledging and dealing with negativity without romanticizing it.
Deep dives
Exploring the Balance between Yin and Yang
The podcast delves into the delicate balance between the active and receptive elements in life, focusing on the dangers of excessive control and the importance of letting go. It discusses concepts like deep atheism and its impact on relationships with nature and intelligence, highlighting the need for less controlling approaches such as gentleness and liberalism.
In Praise of Yang: Embracing Power and Discipline
The episode emphasizes the positive aspects of embracing the 'Black' color, symbolizing power and effectiveness, while also advocating for discipline and seriousness in one's actions. It explores the virtue of caring deeply, setting high standards, and maintaining distinctions between success and failure.
Facing Darkness and Making Hard Choices
The podcast addresses the challenging task of confronting dark and difficult aspects of life, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging bad things as inherently negative without romanticizing them. It discusses scenarios where it may be necessary to fight, defeat, or even eliminate darkness, highlighting the complexities of decision-making in such situations.
Embracing Humanism and Existential Orientation
The episode introduces the concept of humanism as a form of deep atheism that emphasizes an existential orientation towards life, highlighting themes of maturity, responsibility, and dignity. It explores the significance of standing on one's own feet, embracing a sense of adulthood, and engaging with the world with a straighter-back and a steadier gaze.
Finding Meaning and Purpose in Tragedy and Forgiveness
The podcast delves into complex themes such as tragedy, innocence, and forgiveness in the face of adversity, emphasizing the significance of grace and a deeper spiritual connection to confront pain and evil. It showcases instances of embracing forgiveness, loyalty, and a broader perspective regarding life's challenges and the pursuit of goodness.
(Cross-posted from my website. Audio version here, or search for "Joe Carlsmith Audio" on your podcast app.)
This is the final essay in a series that I'm calling "Otherness andcontrol in the age of AGI." I'm hoping that the individual essays can beread fairly well on their own, butsee here fora brief summary of the series as a whole. There's also a PDF of the whole series here.
Warning: spoilers for Angels in America; and moderate spoilers forHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.)
"I come into the presence of still water..."
~Wendell Berry
A lot of this series has been about problems with yang—that is,with the active element in the duality of activity vs. receptivity,doing vs. not-doing, controlling vs. letting go.[1] In particular,I've been interested in the ways that "deepatheism"(that is, a fundamental [...]
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