Connectionism vs reductionism: the rationalist trap of demanding interpretable models
bronzeagepapi · x · 2026-10-11
beffjezos argues EA/rationalists fall into a trap of assuming nature is reducible to a few verifiable variables. Connectionism instead throws complexity at complexity and yields a statistical approximation that actually works — a pill many haven't swallowed. The thread cites Terence Tao's analogy: prescribing a drug nobody understands is exactly what we do with opaque deep learning models.
Related event: Gradio Founder Slams Rationalists for Underestimating Biological Complexity(2 posts)→
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