Ways of Being
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What does it mean to be intelligent? Is it something unique to humans - or do we share it with other beings? Recent years have seen rapid advances in 'artificial' intelligence, which increasingly appears to be something stranger than we ever imagined. At the same time, we are becoming more aware of the other intelligences which have been with us all along, unrecognized. These other beings are the animals, plants, and natural systems that surround us, and are slowly revealing their complexity and knowledge - just as the new technologies we've built are threatening to cause their extinction, and ours. In Ways of Being, writer and artist James Bridle considers the fascinating, uncanny and multiple ways of existing on earth. What can we learn from these other forms of intelligence and personhood, and how can we change our societies to live more equitably with one another and the non-human world? From Greek oracles to octopuses, forests to satellites, Bridle tells a radical new story about ecology, technology and intelligence. We must, they argue, expand our definition of these terms to build a meaningful and free relationship with the non-human, one based on solidarity and cognitive diversity. We have so much to learn, and many worlds to gain.
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I feel a bit conflicted about this book.
Foremostly, it was full of interesting thoughts and information. Like the velocity at which climate zones crawl across the earth every day, which I think makes climate change very tangible. Or the fact that agro-mining is a realistic way of pulling metals out of the earth with the help of plants, which is a beautiful image of collaboration.
Yet, what slightly bugged me is the fundamental premisis. Yes, we should absolutely value our environment more, cherish flora and fauna, and reverse the damage that years of exploitation have inflicted on them. But, is building computational tools in the image of nature really the way to do that? And yes, most current A.I. usage is in service of capitalistic causes, often exploitating nature. But, that's not the models' fault, it's the people's fault. Bridle argues, that executing computational tasks with analog/biological mediums makes us more aware and sympathetic to the world around us. But surely, an education that teaches everyone (not just engineers) to value nature more, would be a more solid foundation for that?
There's a poetry to building analog computers, and yes some biological computers (think parallel computation with bacteria) might be crucial components of our future. But, there's still a place for super simple code, that functions without a hugely complex analog feedback system, as long as someone with empathy and ethics designed its goals.
A great book nontheless. Great books make you think.
And look at all the gorgeous cover art for its editions.
I found that chapter on randomness useless though (seriously, why did this book need so many pages on John Cage?)
