The Beautiful Prison

Consciousness. Identity. Boundaries.

Topic: Philosophical Arguments

Right Answer, Wrong Reasons

Cal Newport on AI Consciousness

11 min read

[Newport] correctly argues that large language models aren’t conscious, but his framework leaves the entire philosophical foundation unexamined. Weak arguments for correct positions do more damage than strong arguments for wrong ones—they concede ground unnecessarily and invite sophisticated rebuttals that appear to win while actually missing the point.

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The Metacognition Problem

Why AI Can't Actually Improve Itself

24 min read

Values and the consciousness that can hold them are metaphysically tied to living organization. Only entities facing the fundamental alternative of continued existence versus permanent cessation can possess values. Because contemporary AI lacks that life-constituting stake, it cannot instantiate the consciousness required for true metacognition.

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Related Topics

Objectivism agency consciousness emergence
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