Author: Elena & ChaGPT
Translation/Edition: MetaCat
Typesetting: MetaCat
As two revolutionary technologies, AI and Crypto have attracted widespread attention from all walks of life. They not only promote innovation in the field of technology, but also trigger a lot of thinking at the philosophical level. Different philosophical thoughts have different attitudes towards AI and Crypto, from the rational thinking of Western philosophy to the intuition and freedom of Eastern philosophy, which provide rich perspectives to examine these two technologies. The following is an exploration of the views of several Western and Eastern philosophers, analyzing how they view AI and Crypto.
Western philosophers' views
Socrates: AI (but beware of sophistry)
Socrates promoted philosophical thinking through his question-and-answer method and focused on the core of rationality and morality. As for AI, he may appreciate its potential, but he will also be wary of its excessive focus on instrumentality, which may lead to technical abuse similar to sophistry. AI systems can simulate human thinking, but their nature is unethical, which may violate Socrates' requirements for the pursuit of morality and wisdom. Therefore, he would prefer AI to have deep reflection on the moral and philosophical levels, rather than become an instrumental "sophistry" tool.
Aristotle: Crypto (RLHF against AI)
Aristotle's ethics advocates the cultivation of virtue through practice and reason, and his "Golden Mean" theory emphasizes balance and natural order. He may be opposed to AI, especially AI trained through reinforcement learning (RLHF). Aristotle emphasizes the combination of "practical wisdom" and "rationality", and if the training process of AI relies too much on human intervention (such as RLHF), it may deviate from the balance and wisdom of nature and affect its morality. Therefore, Aristotle may be more supportive of the decentralized nature of Crypto, which is in line with the promotion of "natural law".
Descartes: AI (trained by RLHF)
Descartes' "I think, therefore I am" regards rationality and thinking as the foundation of human existence. He may be supportive of AI, especially its imitation of human thinking and cognitive processes through RLHF training. Descartes believes that the ability of rationality and thinking is the key to defining humans, and if AI can self-learn and evolve by simulating this rationality, then it is an extension of human existence and cognition. Therefore, Descartes may think that AI is a natural extension of rationality and thinking and is worth pursuing.
Voltaire: Crypto (liked its debate and counter-culture nature)
Voltaire is known for criticizing authority and advocating free thought. He may be attracted by the decentralized and anti-systemic characteristics of Crypto. As a challenge to the traditional financial and political system, Crypto has a strong anti-cultural and liberal color, which just fits the spirit of personal freedom and opposition to autocracy advocated by Voltaire. Although AI can also promote social progress, its centralization and controllability may not meet the freedom and independence expected by Voltaire.
Leibniz: AI (whose role as "God")
Leibniz's philosophy emphasizes the harmony and purpose of the universe. He may be very interested in AI, especially how AI can deal with complex problems through efficient logic and algorithms, making the world more orderly. In "Monadology", Leibniz proposed that the universe is composed of monads (microscopic entities), and each monad has its own inherent purpose and behavior. The existence of AI may be seen as an extension of human "monad" wisdom, which helps humans "live according to the assumed concept of the future", which is in line with Leibniz's teleology.
Kant: Crypto (Rejecting AI’s Ignorance of the Universal Sublime)
Kant's ethics emphasizes "practical reason" and "moral law". He may be cautious about AI, especially when AI ignores universality and lofty moral requirements. Kant believes that moral behavior must conform to universal principles, and AI's algorithms and decisions may not follow this universal law, especially when they rely on data and utilitarian decision-making. Therefore, Kant may be more inclined to support Crypto, especially its decentralized nature, which can better maintain moral principles and human freedom.
Nietzsche: Crypto (Formalization of Eternal Recurrence)
Nietzsche's "eternal recurrence" philosophy emphasizes the constant rebirth and transformation of life. He advocates transcending traditional morality and human limitations and pursuing individual freedom and creativity. As for Crypto, Nietzsche may be attracted by its decentralized nature, believing that Crypto is a complete subversion and reshaping of traditional values, which is in line with his understanding of the "eternal recurrence" philosophy. The artificiality and rationality of AI may not be enough to satisfy Nietzsche's admiration for the power of life and creativity, so Crypto may be more in line with his values.
Wittgenstein: AI (Automation and Rotation of Language)
Wittgenstein's philosophy of language emphasizes the use of language and the construction of meaning. He believes that language is not only a tool to reflect the world, but also creates the meaning of the world itself. AI's progress in semantic understanding and language processing, especially the automatic generation and rotation of language models, may interest Wittgenstein. AI can "rotate" words through automated language generation and change the way the world is expressed, which is consistent with his understanding of language dynamics. Therefore, Wittgenstein may support AI, especially in its ability to promote human thinking and language innovation.
The perspective of Eastern philosophers
Lao Tzu: Crypto (rule by inaction)
Lao Tzu advocates "rule by inaction" and emphasizes the philosophy of nature, freedom and desirelessness. He may be cautious or even opposed to AI, believing that its centralization and excessive intervention may violate the concept of "inaction". In contrast, the decentralized nature of Crypto is more in line with the "natural law" and "freedom" ideas emphasized by Lao Tzu. Crypto allows individuals to be freer by removing intermediaries and authoritative control, which is in line with Lao Tzu's philosophical proposition. Therefore, Lao Tzu is more inclined to support Crypto.
Zhuangzi: Crypto (Freedom and Transcendence)
Zhuangzi emphasized freedom, detachment, and inaction, and his philosophy pursued the "Tao" that was free from external constraints and preconceived ideas. Zhuangzi might be dissatisfied with the centralization and regularity of AI because it restricted human freedom and spontaneity. On the contrary, the decentralization and anti-traditional nature of Crypto were more in line with Zhuangzi's pursuit of freedom. Therefore, Zhuangzi tended to support Crypto, believing that it could help humans transcend traditional constraints and return to nature.
Confucius: AI (focus on morality and harmony)
Confucius advocated "benevolence", emphasized love and care between people, and attached great importance to social order and moral norms. In Confucius' view, AI is beneficial if it can promote the harmony and moral development of human society, enhance the moral cultivation and wisdom of individuals, and enhance social responsibility. He believed that education is the key to human moral progress. If the application of AI in this regard can help people improve their moral cultivation, it is in line with the spirit of "benevolence". However, Confucius would also be wary of the ethical risks that AI technology may bring, especially when it over-emphasizes efficiency and utilitarianism while ignoring the emotional and moral relationships between people. If the development of AI ignores humanistic care or destroys social relations, Confucius will question this. Therefore, Confucius supports the application of AI, but only if it can provide support for people's moral growth and social order, rather than simply pursuing efficiency or profit.
Zen Buddhism (Hui Neng): Crypto (inner freedom and intuition)
Hui Neng of Zen Buddhism advocated sudden enlightenment and intuition. He believed that one could transcend the constraints of the outside world through inner freedom and enlightenment. Zen Buddhism emphasizes irrationality and direct experience, and the rationality and regularity of AI may conflict with Zen philosophy. In contrast, Crypto, as a decentralized technology, allows people to break free from the constraints of traditional power structures, which is in line with Zen Buddhism's pursuit of freedom and liberation. Therefore, Zen Buddhism may be more inclined to support Crypto.
Buddhism (Nagarjuna): Crypto (the concept of emptiness and decentralization)
The Buddhist concept of "emptiness", which emphasizes all impermanence and selflessness, has similarities with the decentralized ideas of cryptocurrency. Crypto's decentralized mechanism eliminates centralized power structures and is consistent with the Buddhist understanding of "emptiness", which holds that all things are fluid and impermanent. The centralized characteristics of artificial intelligence and the pursuit of control may conflict with the core ideas of Buddhism. Therefore, supporters of Buddhist philosophy, especially Nagarjuna, may be inclined to support Crypto.
Indian Philosophy: AI (Supporting the Advancement of Wisdom and Self-Awareness)
"Wisdom" and "self-awareness" occupy an important position in Indian philosophy. Ideas such as "yoga" and "meditation" emphasize the understanding of self and the universe through inner practice and enlightenment. In this philosophy, the potential of AI can be used to accelerate human self-awareness and the exploration of inner wisdom, especially in the fields of psychology, meditation and spiritual development.
AI can provide personalized learning and psychological support to help individuals better understand themselves, thereby promoting the process of "wisdom" and "liberation". In addition, AI may also provide a new perspective on the issue of "self" and "non-self" in Indian philosophy in terms of analyzing human consciousness and cognitive structure.
Wang Yangming: AI (Unity of Knowledge and Action)
The core of Wang Yangming's philosophy is "unity of knowledge and action". He advocates the unity of knowledge and action and emphasizes inner enlightenment. Under this concept, AI may be seen as a tool to help people better understand themselves and improve their behavior. AI can help individuals gain wisdom in practice through deep learning and feedback mechanisms, thereby achieving unity of knowledge and action.
Wang Yangming’s thought emphasizes moral cultivation in practice. If AI can play a driving role in this process and help people better understand and implement moral behavior, he may think that AI is in line with the application of “unity of knowledge and action”. At the same time, the application of AI in education, psychology, ethics and other fields can help individuals to constantly reflect and grow in action, which is in line with Wang Yangming’s philosophical spirit.
Conclusion
Whether it is rational thinking in Western philosophy or the concept of freedom and nature in Eastern philosophy, AI and Crypto, as two hot topics at the moment, have a profound connection with traditional philosophical thought. Western philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, Leibniz, etc. support AI more based on its potential for rationality and wisdom, while Voltaire, Nietzsche, etc. tend to support the decentralization and anti-system characteristics of Crypto. Eastern philosophers such as Laozi, Zhuangzi, Zen, etc., tend to support the freedom and nature of Crypto, while Confucius, Wang Yangming, etc. may recognize the role of AI in improving rationality and wisdom.
In any case, the development and application of AI and Crypto are the result of the interweaving of technological progress and philosophical thinking. In different cultural and philosophical backgrounds, the social changes and moral impacts they bring are worthy of our in-depth discussion and reflection.
