Can We Use AI Software to Teach Philosophy, Change the Narrative, and Challenge Minds?

The goal of education is to educate our society, and it should also be to create smarter humans. However in order to do that we need to teach them how to think, and we are not doing that presently, at least not in the US as in our schools we are teaching to the test, and we have so much rote memorization going on that the kids are not really thinking, at least most of them aren't, and I have a problem with this. Let's go ahead and talk about this for second.

To teach people that think, we need to have better mentorship and fewer kids in the classroom, but obviously the budget constraints, the underfunded pensions, and the costs are just too great. But what if we used software to interact with students - asking them questions and teaching them to think while following along? Is this possible? Well, we already have avatars and computer programs which interact with autistic kids, and they do so in such a way that brings the artistic child "out of themselves" and they get quite a bit of learning done which they could not get in a small classroom with even a 1:4 ratio, or one-on-one instruction.

As artificial intelligence gets better and stronger, why can't we develop computer programs which can do the same thing with regular kids? Now then, I know of a company out of Atlanta; they created "genius software," and it would string together famous quotes and phrases, and it could do so in a basic assimilation of a conversation. The software could also be used to make writers look really intelligent by borrowing pieces of writing from famous quotes, which they could cite in their articles.

I would submit to you that we could use the same software, albeit 10 generations from that old genius software which was available in the mid-90s to teach kids philosophy and get them to think. Okay so, let me ask the question then, and we can walk through this; can we develop and use Artificial Intelligent Software to teach philosophy to future students to get them to think, change the narrative, and challenge minds?

Why do I mention "change the narrative" - it's simple, because this is something that DARPA has been working on to help interact on social networks, speaking to individuals who might have hostile intentions, such as terrorists, guerrillas, lone wolf terrorists, or major disruptors of society. By challenging their minds, starting a conversation, and moving that conversation towards a more positive note these individuals learn to interact with others, and perhaps come out of their shell, and dismiss their radical ideas and notions.

Why can't we use all of these software developments to help teach students? I believe we can. In fact, I've already been practicing with one of these software systems, and it actually works pretty good. Best of all it takes the information that I feed it, and might use that information modifying and changing the words and the derivatives of various statements, to interact with other individuals, on the same or similar topics. That's pretty cool when you think about it, and maybe we can teach our next generation to think, using the very social networks and interactive process that they do for fun, in the educational process.

Yes, there's a lot more to all this I understand that, and you're welcome to shoot me an e-mail if you'd like some of my ideas and theories which go well beyond this, in fact I can probably write a whole book on the topic. It is something that we should be discussing and working on. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on the Future of Education. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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Mouths Vs Minds

A recent news article was published estimating that the world's seven billionth person is going to be born soon. This has re-invigorated the arguments made by some that the world population is on an unsustainable trajectory that will deplete the planet's resources and result in mass starvation. This is a viewpoint shared by many in the political and intellectual class. Naturally, the upshot of all this analysis inevitably points to a larger and more prominent role for government and 'experts' in determining the course of people's lives.

It is not hard to see where the fervor for such a viewpoint comes from. After all, the world population is growing quickly. When that growing population is multiplied by the average resources consumed per person, it creates what looks like an unsustainable situation. And of course, the solutions supported by the politicians and intellectuals just happens to be the one that results in them acquiring more power. Quite a coincidence...

At a deeper level, the population question is one of whether people are mouths who consume resources or minds who create new innovations. In the former mindset, people represent a vast multitude of mouths that need to be fed. In the latter scenario, people represent a vast pool of intelligence and ability that can used to make the world a more pleasant place. The truth is that mouths and minds co-exist. To the extent that people are dependent on somebody else for subsistence, they represent mouths. To the extent that people are able to use their creative energy to produce things of value, they represent minds.

People as Mouths
In a world of permanent subsistence, mouths represent a great problem. If a large population of people that is rapidly growing depends on a small population of people that is rapidly shrinking, the mathematics point to dramatic problems. The aspect of this analysis that many people seem to miss is that subsistence living is not a foregone conclusion. The history of immigrant success stories in the Unites States and many other nations across the globe demonstrate how people can discover great ability when they are free to pursue a life of economic productivity.

People as Minds
In a world of technology and innovation, minds represent a great opportunity. In a global marketplace, new ideas have an unbelievable opportunity to generate great value for the customers and great wealth for the innovators. Even if we aren't talking about world-class genius minds, people who are productive with their time and efforts still contribute real value to the worldwide economy. In this way, additional minds represent a net benefit to the global economy.

It is worthwhile to point out that many of the most valuable resources of the future have not been discovered yet. It has always been the case that new innovations change the way the world works. Before oil refining was developed and perfected, crude oil was considered to be a nuisance. After the oil energy revolution, a period of exceptional economic growth was ushered in and a tremendous ecological victory was won because oil and electricity had replaced whale blubber oil as people's primary source of heat and lighting. At all points in history, people have been unable to imagine a world that is different than the one in which they currently lived. The only people who successfully see the ways that innovations will change the global reality have historically been the people who drive those innovations. The state of economic reality is in a constant degree of change, due to new ideas that are consistently being developed and implemented.

Thus, the distinction to make with population growth is not whether it is 'good' or 'bad'... rather, it is whether the world is adding more mouths or more minds. It is worth pointing out that mouths can be transitioned into minds when the proper incentives are in place. People achieve their optimal level of productivity when there are businesses they can work for and work with. In order for those businesses to emerge, the owners need to be able to earn a sufficient level of profits to reward the risk that they take in starting a new enterprise. In order for those profits to be captured, there needs to be a tax, regulatory, financial, and business environment that is favorable to growth.

What this all adds up to is the realization that mouths and minds are frequently the same people. The fundamental difference is whether a person lives in a country or region where productive efforts are required and rewarded. This kind of situation results in more minds. To the extend that productivity is not rewarded or not required because of extensive government subsidies, there will be more mouths.

In the end, the difference between a world of mouths and a world of minds is the incentives that are put into place for the economic environment in which those people live. The true dilemma is not one of how to best divide up the existing resources, but how to optimize the business and economic environment to spur the creation of new resources. This principal is equally true in our personal lives as well as in the larger context. Most of us focus on how we can get... what we should be thinking about his how we can 'create' more that is of value to other people. The future belongs to those who create... make sure to begin creating your future today.

Sincere Thanks,
Douglas J Utberg, MBA

Founder - Business of Life LLC:
http://BusinessOfLifeLLC.com/

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