What you wrote (with considerable elegance) goes to the heart of who we are and how we are different from any AI model of the human mind: emotions. I don't mean simplistic descriptions (eg oxytocin "causes" feelings of attachment) but it is an essential part of defining how we experience the world, from love (eros and agape) to feel an enriched response to a poem or piece of music and so on. This is why cmputational models are inherently inadequate; they do not arise except as add on subroutines to mimic the emotional depth of our experiences. And it is, to use the words of Victor Frankl, the last freedom, our freedom to choose our attitude. I have nothing but gratitude for how my life has gone. To love and be loved, to fight the good fights, to live with the contradictions of sorrow and joy and never fail to appreciate a good joke is for the living alone.
Well I am a writing teacher here to tell you that you are in fact an eloquent writer (and so is your father, based on reading his comment below!) and that more important, you are a very human writer. Best wishes to you and your father.
Aw, thank you Jane! That means a lot. (Jane teaches writing at Harvard y'all, not that I'm boasting, and please check out her Substack effort The Important Work if you haven't already!)
Ben, Thank you for this. My entirely non-artificial emotions have me responding in a way that only a living being can...with copious, painful, precious tears.
Wow, just wow. I don't often comment on posts that I read, but this one was truly beautiful in how it was written and the way you portrayed what you (as a HUMAN) wanted to say with words. Thank you!
What you wrote (with considerable elegance) goes to the heart of who we are and how we are different from any AI model of the human mind: emotions. I don't mean simplistic descriptions (eg oxytocin "causes" feelings of attachment) but it is an essential part of defining how we experience the world, from love (eros and agape) to feel an enriched response to a poem or piece of music and so on. This is why cmputational models are inherently inadequate; they do not arise except as add on subroutines to mimic the emotional depth of our experiences. And it is, to use the words of Victor Frankl, the last freedom, our freedom to choose our attitude. I have nothing but gratitude for how my life has gone. To love and be loved, to fight the good fights, to live with the contradictions of sorrow and joy and never fail to appreciate a good joke is for the living alone.
See everyone? This is my dad. Love you too, Pop. Beyond any computation.
Well I am a writing teacher here to tell you that you are in fact an eloquent writer (and so is your father, based on reading his comment below!) and that more important, you are a very human writer. Best wishes to you and your father.
Aw, thank you Jane! That means a lot. (Jane teaches writing at Harvard y'all, not that I'm boasting, and please check out her Substack effort The Important Work if you haven't already!)
Thank you for sharing this!
Ben, Thank you for this. My entirely non-artificial emotions have me responding in a way that only a living being can...with copious, painful, precious tears.
Thank you, Holly! You got a preview on the phone. :)
Prayers for your father and thank you for writing this deeply moving piece.
Thank you for reading, Zaki, and these warm words. I am grateful.
Wow, just wow. I don't often comment on posts that I read, but this one was truly beautiful in how it was written and the way you portrayed what you (as a HUMAN) wanted to say with words. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Torrey -- I am grateful for kind words from a fellow human.