On AI: at an embarrassing age I learned that almost everyone hates reading.
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On AI: at an embarrassing age I learned that almost everyone hates reading. Most writers are also avid readers, and are often not aware that 20% of the population is (almost) illiterate. Reading is a chore for the majority of people. For a typical author this is an unpleasant and hard to grasp truth. But once you believe it, you can change your writing for the better. By for example never "burying the lede". Just start your letter/advert/post/whatever with your main message. 1/2
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On AI: at an embarrassing age I learned that almost everyone hates reading. Most writers are also avid readers, and are often not aware that 20% of the population is (almost) illiterate. Reading is a chore for the majority of people. For a typical author this is an unpleasant and hard to grasp truth. But once you believe it, you can change your writing for the better. By for example never "burying the lede". Just start your letter/advert/post/whatever with your main message. 1/2
Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert Yeah, I’ve been having similar thoughts, and it’s been breaking my brain a bit. I too was under the impression that thinking was something we just did, but I’m revising that worldview now.
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert I think this is certainly a theory worth investigating.
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert so many people just have so much belief in their first upcoming thought. Thinking deeper seems to hurt their ego. Challenging your thoughts? Why would you?
So yeah it looks like the kind of mindless confidence that AI appeals to.
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert I’m a scientist, so thinking is akin to breathing for me… practically an involuntary reflex. I cannot understand why outsourcing mental effort is enjoyable for some? It’s baffling.
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
I suspect you are onto something.
I also suspect the two are correlated: reading, especially challenging texts, is something that helps you think later.
Being confronted with someone else's point of view, being offered a different perspective and experience is also something that enriches you and your mental processes.
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert More and more people are struggling with a lot of more existential stuff, like food, rent, mobility, etc. I'm sure a lot of people would like to read more. They just don't have the time anymore.
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert I believe this has been explored as the "Need for Cognition"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_cognition is a good jumping-off point!
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@bert_hubert I believe this has been explored as the "Need for Cognition"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_cognition is a good jumping-off point!
@elizayer will read, thanks!
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert I think about this a lot too! Could a problem be that sharing of the thinking is a bit of a risk? As in will people believe me, will I look stupid, etc. (imposter syndrome) And as discussion (social interaction) drives thinking, the thinking diminishes because of lack of practice, because we prefer to be liked (social success) over being really good thinkers?
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@bert_hubert I think about this a lot too! Could a problem be that sharing of the thinking is a bit of a risk? As in will people believe me, will I look stupid, etc. (imposter syndrome) And as discussion (social interaction) drives thinking, the thinking diminishes because of lack of practice, because we prefer to be liked (social success) over being really good thinkers?
@bert_hubert Having said that: I know a lot of really fun people who love to think and share and discuss their thoughts. But they seem to be huddled together in one little corner.
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert
I started thinking about fascism in terms of accessibility when I read that among those arrested for the 1/6 insurrection, 68% have a history of trauma or serious mental illness versus 19% in the general population
Many QAnon followers report mental health diagnoses - UPI.com
QAnon is often viewed as a group associated with conspiracy, terrorism and radical action, such as the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. But radical extremism and terror may not be the real concern from this group.
UPI (www.upi.com)
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert I think you are spot on.
Because I recognize both in myself. My love for reading, thinking, questioning or reasoning, fluctuates strongly over time. Part of it a trait of my ADHD.
Sometimes I can't be bothered to reason through some problem or to read more than two sentences. Sometimes I can't help but spend hours, days, deepdiving that same thing.
I therefore can relate to both state of minds. And can understand how many people are in one of my "extremes" most of their lives (rather than oscillating between them like me).
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@bert_hubert More and more people are struggling with a lot of more existential stuff, like food, rent, mobility, etc. I'm sure a lot of people would like to read more. They just don't have the time anymore.
@atarifrosch note that at no point did I blame people for not wanting to read things. In fact, I urge to accommodate them.
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@atarifrosch note that at no point did I blame people for not wanting to read things. In fact, I urge to accommodate them.
@bert_hubert I didn't read that as blaming, but I saw that as pointing into the wrong direction.
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert I am reminded of this:
It's quite a confronting video! But I do think people don't know how to stop entertaining themselves, and let their brains just think. I include myself in this.
People are also scared of getting things wrong. If they live in a fire-at-will place in the USA for example, AI use may make them feel more secure in their jobs. If something big and sad has happened to a friend, they might turn to AI to help them not say the wrong thing.
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert We’re biased towards conservation of energy, so we’ll outsource whatever we can. Not everyone goes to the gym or otherwise exercises, not everyone reads, thinks, or does something kind of intellectual activity.
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Lately, I've been wondering if I was not only wrong about reading, but also about thinking. Like most of my friends, I enjoy thinking. I love to do research. It is one of my big hobbies. But perhaps I'm like my runner friends who also struggle to believe that not everyone likes running. Might *thinking* be painful for people? Something to be avoided? This would explain lots of stuff. Like the rampant AI enthusiasm. Thoughts? 2/2
@bert_hubert tl;dr
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@bert_hubert We’re biased towards conservation of energy, so we’ll outsource whatever we can. Not everyone goes to the gym or otherwise exercises, not everyone reads, thinks, or does something kind of intellectual activity.
@duarte the problem with this theory is that it appears thinking does not use more calories. I'd be thin by now otherwise also! The brain uses a depressingly constant 25W of power. There are some anecdotes about chess grandmasters burning through more energy, but it appears this happens through fretting and not through the brain.
