Minds, Machines and Meaning

What does it mean to say a machine understands, knows, creates or works? What is intelligence, and who gets to define it? Can a system that predicts words know anything? What happens to memory, imagination, and originality when we think with machines? What is work for, and what gives a life meaning if machines do much of it? Is the singularity a forecast, an argument, or a modern myth? And whose values should AI serve?

We will read across traditions and centuries, from Plato and Al-Ghazali to Turing, Arendt and today’s debates about language models and future of work. This course attempts to explore these questions. No deep philosophical or technical knowledge is assumed; just be a bit curious and inquisitive.

Discussion-based learning

The Socratic method is followed in these sessions. Rather than positions being presented to be absorbed, one argument is put on the table, usually from that week’s reading, and the group is asked to reconstruct it carefully: what the premises are, what the conclusion actually claims, and which steps carry the weight. The strongest pushbacks are then explored, with the argument being defended and challenged in turn. Because careful argument analysis is relied upon rather than general impressions, participants practice stating objections precisely, locating the exact point where an argument might fail, and revising their own views in light of the best counterpoints. I usually try to play devil’s advocate at various stages of the argumentation process.