Why AI research keeps looking under the lamppost: stale problem frames inherited from Kant
fkasummer · x · 2026-11-05
Drawing on philosophy of science, math, and phenomenology, the author observes a recurring pattern: problem frames set by influential thinkers like Kant get inherited and pursued long after they've gone stale, as if nobody wants to leave their lamppost. He argues the same streetlight effect holds in TCS and AI research — the field searches where the light is, not where the answers are. Illustrated with the classic Sketchplanations "Looking Under the Lamppost" cartoon.
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