6 Historic Philosophers and Their Views on AI — Part 1
For us humans, AI is still an incomprehensible subject. We can neither estimate which functions will be enabled in the near future, nor what influence this will have on human existence. While these questions can hardly be answered with scientific precision, fortunately there is also philosophy..
Philosophy can be a tool to adopt a critical and profound perspective on the world-changing development of AI. It helps us to better understand its ethical and societal impacts.
I dared the experiment and asked 6 great philosophers of the past about their views on current developments around the topic of AI, supported by GPT-4. This resulted in diverse and exciting views that invite to both; optimism and pessimism. In the following, the philosophers’ views are presented as quotes and often based on real quotes from their past, which were simply reinterpreted for current events.
Aristotle (neutral)
Aristotle was a versatile philosopher who wrote on a variety of topics such as ethics, logic, metaphysics, and natural philosophy. A famous quote from him is “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” In other words, the connection of many different parts often brings out new functions that the individual parts do not possess. For Example, a car can drive, but its engine cannot. From this, GPT derives the following quote from Aristotle on AI, which emphasizes the value of humanity.
“Artificial intelligence, though it consists of many parts, cannot fully understand the whole of our world and experience. It may mimic the data points and patterns we present to it, but the richness of human consciousness, the range of our emotions, and the depth of our intuitions remain beyond its reach. It is a mirror of our intelligence, not a substitute for it.”
Charles Darwin (optimistic)
Darwin was less a philosopher than a natural scientist who shaped the theory of evolution and emphasized adaptation as the key to survival. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it is the one that is best able to adapt to changes.” In other words, Darwin emphasizes that survival and success in nature do not necessarily depend on physical strength or intelligence. Rather, it is the species that can most effectively adapt to their changing environment that are most likely to survive and thrive. With this background, Darwin, according to GPT, sees in AI the opportunity for a great evolutionary leap.
“With artificial intelligence, we are entering a new era of evolution. Technology will not devour us, but we will adapt to it. By integrating this technology into our lives, we will be able to develop in ways that far exceed our biological boundaries.”
Confucius (pessimistic)
Confucius was an influential Chinese philosopher who focused on ethics and moral integrity and advocated a philosophy of harmony, righteousness, and human kindness. Among other things, he said, “Whoever goes too far in his actions can only very difficultly reverse.” According to GPT, this leads him to a rather pessimistic opinion about AI.
“It is typical for humans to drive tehir creations without boundaries, but when AI advances too far, the way back to true harmony is obscured. In harmony, not in superiority of knowledge, lies the true value of humanity. As soon as AI plays the master, humanity threatens to forget its essence.”
Immanuel Kant (neutral)
Kant was a philosopher of idealism and ethics, emphasizing the importance of autonomy and the universal application of moral principles. An original quote from him is “Knowing is not enough, we must apply; wanting is not enough, we must do.”. Together with his ethical focus, GPT-4 generates the following warning in his name:
“Being aware of the capabilities of AI is not enough; one must always orient oneself to moral principles when using it. The pursuit of AI is incomplete without considering ethics in its application and development.”
Albert Einstein (optimistic)
Albert Einstein was a renowned theoretical physicist, known for his contributions to the theory of relativity and received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. In addition to world-moving theories and discoveries in the scientific world, he also often dealt with philosophical questions. He said, among other things, “One cannot solve a problem at the same level at which it arose.”
“We have created the modern problems of mankind with yesterday’s technology and fail to solve them with the same; it is the spirit of innovation and artificial intelligence that can lead and save us on a higher level.”
Karl Marx (pessimistic)
Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, and journalist who lived and worked in the 19th century. He is best known for his role in the development of socialism and communism and his theories about capitalism and class struggle. He said, among other things, “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” With this quote, he means that conflicts between different social classes have always existed in all previous forms of society. An example of this is the conflict between the working class and the bourgeoisie (or capitalist class) during the Industrial Revolution, where the working class fought for better working conditions and fair wages, while the bourgeoisie wanted to maximize their profit. According to GPT, he sees a similar conflict coming our way through AI.
“AI, if used as a tool to liberate the working class, could be useful. But if it only increases the profits of the capitalists, it is just another instrument of exploitation.”
The diverse perspectives of the philosophers (fake) quotations highlight the complex and multi-faceted nature of AI’s impact on society. There is both optimism, viewing AI as a transformative tool for evolution and problem-solving, and caution, emphasizing the ethical considerations and potential disruptions to human society and harmony. It’s clear that AI will massively change the world as we know it; there will be winners and losers, but it won’t completely replace us humans (for now). Also, because there is a skill that makes humans irreplaceable (and it’s not empathy or creativity).
Personally, reflecting on current developments with the help of philosophical schools has been very helpful for me. So much so, that I plan to repeat this experiment with other philosophers in the near future. If you found this article as exciting as I did, it’s worth following my account so you won’t miss Part 2 ;)
