From Socrates on writing to LLMs: the appearance of knowing isn't understanding
AlexTensor · x · 2026-10-06
Citing Socrates' critique of writing in Plato's Phaedrus — that it weakens memory and enables the pretense of understanding — the author draws a parallel to AI: don't confuse the appearance of knowing with evidence of understanding.
The piece joins a familiar line of argument: every new medium was accused of eroding a human capacity, and the LLM era reopens the gap between performance and understanding.
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