From 'machines can't think without souls' to 'machines have mystical powers': an AI philosophy irony
keenanisalive · x · 2026-09-22
Keenan recalls teenage reading of AI philosophy essays where Eccles, Adler, and Lucas argued machines couldn't think because they lacked a soul.
He notes silicon machines occupy the same 3D space as neurons and both operate in higher dimensions via the same math — yet machines have contributed "approximately nothing" to understanding higher dimensions. The irony: those who once denied machine intelligence for mystical reasons now include people attributing mystical abilities to machines that human minds lack.
Related event: AI Philosophy Flips from Soulless Machines to Mysterious Capability(2 posts)→
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