Scientist argues the LLM "consciousness" debate betrays the scientific method
burny_tech · x · 2026-10-06
- The author laments that scientists used to start from the most boring, down-to-earth hypotheses, rarely exotic ones; progress reveals hidden simplicity, not convoluted mystery.
- He criticizes how "consciousness" — one of the heaviest words in the scientific vocabulary — is tossed around like a joke in current LLM debates.
- The people whose work made LLMs possible would instead simplify, dissect, isolate, magnify, and devise experiments: apply the scientific method to what we observe.
- His verdict: the barbarism and superficiality of our era do not honor the tradition that got us here.
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