Judea Pearl maps Western civilization's "narratives" to assumptions in causal models
yudapearl · x · 2026-10-14
Causal inference pioneer Judea Pearl built an analogy on a WSJ op-ed arguing Western civilization rests on both Athens and Jerusalem, the latter supplying "faith," "narrative," and moral guidance.
Pearl suggests AI researchers map these roots onto components of causal models, with "narratives" standing for the assumptions needed for understanding yet escaping empirical scrutiny. He admits the mapping is far-fetched but worth exploring if we want future robots to converse with Western minds.
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