In the month we had a mini heatwave in the UK, here is my round-up for the month of June as a coach, writer and human being.
Artificial Intelligence and Philosophy
There are times, I find that I have a sense of unease around a topic, but I can’t always pin down or articulate clearly what is bothering me. But I think Foteini Ntelopoulou’s article, Plato, Please Reboot: Why Greek Philosophy Might be the Only Thing That Saves Us from Dumb AI, beautifully illustrates how and why we might want to strengthen our philosophical foundations before we dive headfirst into the world of AI.
Some of my favourite quotes from Foteini’s illuminating article include:
‘Ask AI about virtue, and you’ll get a bullet-point list. Ask Diogenes, and he’d throw a chicken at you.
This sentence just made me laugh, but the point that got me thinking is:
The debate isn’t just about AI. It’s about how we’ve confused the ability to answer with the ability to think.
Let that one sink in: how much of AI is largely about providing answers based on what appears to be plausible, what appears to follow a pattern?
Is there a real danger that we stop thinking and reasoning, that we, as humans, stop wrestling with the tough issues and intractable problems?
And the final point by Foteini in their article:
In a world increasingly run by algorithms, the true revolution is not more tech — it’s more philosophy.
What do you think?
PS:
Before I discovered Foteini’s article on Medium, I had already started rereading Jostein Gaarder’s novel Sophie’s World – a book written to introduce philosophical thought and how we make sense of the world around us. I felt I needed a refresher 😊.
Almost a year to the day
I was sitting in the audience waiting to hear the outcome of the Emerging Author’s Showcase at the Brighton Book Festival after sharing my story – Knife on a bus.
The picture I share here shows the moment I heard I was one of two runners-up. I was over the moon, and thank you, @izzytaylor, for capturing the moment.
Uncovering the Unknown with Johari’s Window
Having used Johari’s Window over the years, I find myself intrigued by the unknown segment of the model – the part that describes those things unknown to both the individual and the people around them.
For those unfamiliar with the Johari model, it is a technique developed by psychologists Joseph Luft (1916–2014) and Harry Ingham (1916–1995) to help individuals better understand their relationships with themselves and others.
Reference: Wikipedia
Open Arena – what is known to both the individual and others.
Hidden Area – what is known to the individual but unknown to others. What an individual chooses to keep private.
Blind Spot – what others see and know but the individual does not. The Area where the individual is unaware and is unlikely to change unless they receive feedback from those around them. Then, it is entirely possible to turn things around once they know.
Unknown Area – what is unknown to both the individual and others.
As a writer, I can reflect on Johari’s Window and its implications for my writing as I consider what I choose to keep private and what I choose to place in the public domain.
However, in the meantime – how might we start to uncover what lies within the unknown area?
I was puzzled by this, so I asked ChatGPT: How might we uncover those parts of us that are unknown to us and others?
I was both surprised and impressed by its thoughtful response, which ranged from journaling to counselling to dream analysis, and you can read more here:
PS You might even want to try the practice it shared shared with me.
We finally made it
We finally made it almost a year to the day, but boy, was the wait worth it. I was blown away by the gritty and real portrayal of Tina Turner’s life at the Aldwych Theatre, London on Saturday, 31st May.
It was our third attempt to see Tina the Musical. Some of you might remember that we initially tried to watch this show a year ago, when it was cancelled due to cast indisposition twenty minutes before we were due to take our seats. We never did find out quite what this meant 😉.
Well, Saturday did not disappoint, and I am deeply thankful that we persevered. The only person missing was Mum. She would have loved it 😊.
The moment that moved me most was when Tina Turner decided to leave Ike, with just the clothes she stood up in and begged for a room in a motel. It reminded me of the kindness of strangers and what might have happened if the receptionist, the motel manager, had refused to take her in.
I felt that scene was beautifully held, beautifully portrayed, and beautifully acted. You could have heard a pin drop all the way to the back of the auditorium.
We were privileged and honoured to bear witness to a remarkable woman’s life and to celebrate her hard-won success and acclaim as a rock and roll singer and artist.
Anna Mae Bullock – I salute you,
Until next time
