The Essential Kabbalah by Daniel C. Matt provides a deep understanding of the universe and our place within it through the exploration of Kabbalistic teachings. It introduces key concepts such as the Tree of Life and the sefirot, offering insights into the nature of God and humanity's role in the universe.
The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel is a captivating biography that explores the extraordinary life of Srinivasa Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician who, despite lacking formal education, made profound contributions to mathematics. The book highlights Ramanujan's unlikely collaboration with G.H. Hardy, a renowned English mathematician, and how this partnership led to groundbreaking mathematical discoveries. Kanigel vividly portrays Ramanujan's journey from his humble beginnings in South India to his time at Cambridge University, where he faced both acclaim and personal struggles.
Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Dispossessed" is a science fiction novel that explores themes of anarchism, utopianism, and social justice. The story follows Shevek, a physicist who travels between two planets with contrasting social systems: Urras, a capitalist society, and Anarres, an anarchist society. Le Guin's novel is a thought-provoking exploration of different social and political systems and their impact on individual lives. The novel's exploration of freedom, equality, and the challenges of creating a just society continues to resonate with readers today. It's a classic of science fiction.
In 'The Apology,' Plato presents Socrates' defense against the charges of impiety and corrupting the youth. Socrates argues that he is innocent and that his actions are divinely inspired, as indicated by the Oracle at Delphi. He defends his method of questioning and exposing the ignorance of others, which he believes is a service to the state. Despite his defense, Socrates is found guilty and sentenced to death. The dialogue is a powerful critique of the Athenian justice system and a testament to Socrates' commitment to his philosophical principles.
This classic novel by Robert M. Pirsig is a personal and philosophical odyssey that delves into the author's search for meaning. The narrative follows a father and his son on a summer motorcycle trip from the Midwest to California, intertwining a travelogue with deep philosophical discussions. The book explores the concept of 'quality' and how it informs a well-lived life, reconciling science, religion, and humanism. It also touches on the author's own struggles with his past and his philosophical quest, making it a touching and transcendent exploration of human experience and endeavor.
In 'Cosmos: A Personal Voyage,' Carl Sagan takes readers on a journey through space and time, exploring the origins of the universe, the nature of stars and galaxies, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. The book is a companion to the popular PBS television series of the same name and combines science, philosophy, and history to provide a broad perspective on the cosmos and humanity's place within it.
This book surveys the history of humankind from the Stone Age to the 21st century, focusing on Homo sapiens. It divides human history into four major parts: the Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution, the Unification of Humankind, and the Scientific Revolution. Harari argues that Homo sapiens dominate the world due to their unique ability to cooperate in large numbers through beliefs in imagined realities such as gods, nations, money, and human rights. The book also examines the impact of human activities on the global ecosystem and speculates on the future of humanity, including the potential for genetic engineering and non-organic life.
In this groundbreaking novel, Ursula K. Le Guin delves into the society of Gethen, a planet where the inhabitants are androgynous and only enter a state of sexual arousal once a month. The story follows Genly Ai, an envoy from the Ekumen, as he navigates the complexities of Gethenian culture and politics. The novel is a profound exploration of gender, identity, and the human condition, challenging traditional notions of masculinity and femininity.
Invisible Cities is a novel by Italo Calvino that defies traditional narrative structures. The book revolves around the conversations between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, where Polo describes 55 imaginary cities he encountered during his travels. These cities are not just physical places but also metaphors for human experiences, desires, and the passage of time. The novel explores themes of memory, place, and the subjective nature of experience, highlighting how our perceptions of cities and the world are shaped by our personal histories and biases. The cities described by Polo are often reflections of his home city, Venice, and serve as vehicles for Calvino's commentary on human nature, culture, and the limits of communication[1][3][4].
Set in 19th-century Russia, 'The Brothers Karamazov' is a novel that delves into the lives of the Karamazov family, focusing on the three brothers—Dmitri, Ivan, and Alyosha—and their complex relationships with their father, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov. The novel is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry, faith, doubt, and reason. It examines the human psyche, moral dilemmas, and the search for meaning in a world fraught with suffering and uncertainty. The story revolves around the murder of Fyodor Pavlovich and the subsequent trial of Dmitri, accused of the crime, while exploring deeper themes of Russian life, social and spiritual striving, and the clash between faith and reason[2][5][4].
Exhalation is a collection of nine stories by Ted Chiang, each tackling different aspects of human existence, science, and philosophy. The stories range from 'The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate,' which involves time travel and regret in ancient Baghdad, to 'Exhalation,' where an alien scientist discovers the universal implications of his people’s mechanical existence. Other notable stories include 'The Lifecycle of Software Objects,' which explores the ethics of artificial intelligence, and 'Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom,' which examines choice and free will through alternate universes. Chiang’s writing is characterized by its elegance, precision, and deep sympathy for his characters, making this collection a must-read for fans of science fiction that challenges the mind and evokes a sense of wonder.
TL;DR: Today we’re releasing a new episode of our podcast How Do You Use ChatGPT? I go in-depth with Notion research engineer Linus Lee on how he uses ChatGPT and Notion AI to maximize creative control. Watch on X, YouTube, or Spotify.
You might think that being an AI researcher would mostly involve solving complicated programming problems and thinking through mathematical equations. Instead, a big part of the job is rewriting parts of your prompts in ALL CAPS in order to make sure the AI model you’re working with follows your directions. “All caps works!” Linus Lee told me in this interview. “If you look at OpenAI's system prompts for a lot of their tools, all caps works.”
Linus is a research engineer at Notion who works on its AI team, prototyping new experiences, like a Q&A chatbot. He is a deep thinker who is obsessed with building AI that enables human creativity and agency. He came on the show to talk about how AI might augment our thinking, how he thinks about prompting to get the best results, and how he uses ChatGPT and Notion AI in his work and life.
I first interviewed him a year ago, when he showed off dozens of AI prototypes he’d been building to try to understand the future of this technology. Our latest interview is a mixture of theory and practice. Linus talks about how the tools we use shape the work we can create and what the future of AI-driven interfaces might be. We watch him demo personal tools he’s built, like an AI chatbot that he communicates with over iMessage. And we peek over his shoulder to see his chats with ChatGPT to understand how he talks to it to get the best results.
Here’s a taste of what we talk about. Read on for more analysis from me at the bottom.
- Using AI to maximize agency. Linus talks a lot about the ways our tools shape our agency as thinkers and creatives—and how AI might be used to enhance rather than reduce our agency.
- AI as a “thought calculator.” Linus borrows a phrase from the popular tech blogger Simon Willison to illustrate dueling points of view on the ultimate goal of AI: is it meant to be a simulacrum of humans or a “thought calculator,” a way to enhance human imagination and creativity?
- Personal prototypes he’s built. Linus regularly experiments with AI on the weekend. He shows us a chatbot he built that works over iMessage, and a new interface for image generators that gives him much better control over their output.
- Better prompting. We go over simple yet powerful techniques for getting the best answer out of AI models—like starting with general queries first, and repeatedly asking the model to answer the same question.
- Using AI for vibe checks. AI is great for reflecting the vibes of books, people, places—and even files on your computer. Linus talks about how he uses ChatGPT to get quick vibe checks that allow him to make decisions.
- Book recommendations. We pit ChatGPT head-to-head against Notion AI to see which can best capture our reading taste. And just when ChatGPT seems like it’s coming out on top, Linus makes a convincing case for Notion AI’s special skill set as an organizational tool that already knows how its users work.
What do you use ChatGPT for? Have you found any interesting or surprising use cases? We want to hear from you—and we might even interview you. Reply here to talk to me!
Miss an episode? Catch up on my recent conversations with writer Nat Eliason and Gumroad CEO Sahil Lavingia and learn how they use ChatGPT.