AI vs Crypto: Which Would Philosophers Choose?

Translation/Collation: MetaCat

AI and Crypto, as two revolutionary technologies, have attracted widespread attention from all walks of life. They not only promote innovation in the field of technology, but also trigger a lot of thinking at the philosophical level. Different philosophical thoughts have different attitudes towards AI and Crypto, from the rational thinking of Western philosophy to the intuition and freedom of Eastern philosophy, which provide rich perspectives to examine these two technologies. The following is an exploration of the views of several Western and Eastern philosophers, analyzing how they view AI and Crypto.

Western Philosophers' Views

Socrates: AI (but beware of sophistry)

Socrates promoted philosophical thinking through his question-and-answer method and focused on the core of rationality and morality. For AI, he may appreciate its potential, but he will also be wary of its excessive focus on instrumentality, which may lead to technical abuse similar to sophistry. AI systems can simulate human thinking, but their essence is unethical, which may violate Socrates' requirements for the pursuit of morality and wisdom. Therefore, he would prefer AI to have deep reflection on the moral and philosophical level, rather than become an instrumentalized "sophistry" tool.

Aristotle: Crypto (RLHF against AI)

Aristotle's ethics advocates the cultivation of virtue through practice and reason, and his "Golden Mean" theory emphasizes balance and natural order. He may be opposed to AI, especially AI trained by reinforcement learning (RLHF). Aristotle emphasizes the combination of "practical wisdom" and "rationality", and if the training process of AI relies too much on human intervention (such as RLHF), it may deviate from the balance and wisdom of nature, and affect its morality. Therefore, Aristotle may be more supportive of the decentralized nature of Crypto, which is in line with the promotion of "natural law".

Descartes: AI (trained by RLHF)

Descartes' "I think, therefore I am" regards rationality and thinking as the foundation of human existence. He may be supportive of AI, especially its use of RLHF training to imitate human thinking and cognitive processes. Descartes believed that the ability to reason and think is the key to defining humans, and if AI can self-learn and evolve by simulating this rationality, then it is an extension of human existence and cognition. Therefore, Descartes may think that AI is a natural extension of rationality and thinking and is worth pursuing.

Voltaire: Crypto (like its debate and counter-culture nature)

Voltaire is known for criticizing authority and advocating free thought. He may be attracted by the decentralized and anti-establishment characteristics of Crypto. As a challenge to the traditional financial and political system, Crypto has a strong anti-cultural and liberal color, which just fits the spirit of personal freedom and opposition to despotism advocated by Voltaire. Although AI can also promote social progress, its centralization and controllability may not meet the freedom and independence expected by Voltaire.

Leibniz: AI (its role as "God")

Leibniz's philosophy emphasizes the harmony and purposefulness of the universe. He may be very interested in AI, especially how AI can handle complex problems through efficient logic and algorithms, making the world more orderly. In "Monadology", Leibniz proposed that the universe is composed of monads (microscopic entities), and each monad has its own inherent purpose and behavior. The existence of AI may be seen as an extension of human "monad" wisdom, which helps humans "live according to the assumed concept of the future", which is in line with Leibniz's teleology.

Kant: Crypto (Rejecting AI's Ignorance of the Universal Sublime)

Kant's ethics emphasizes "practical reason" and "moral law". He may be cautious about AI, especially when AI ignores universal and noble moral requirements. Kant believes that moral behavior must conform to the principle of universalization, and AI's algorithms and decisions may not follow this universal law, especially when they rely on data and utilitarian decision-making. Therefore, Kant may be more inclined to support Crypto, especially its decentralized nature, which can better maintain moral principles and human freedom.

Nietzsche: Crypto (Formalization of Eternal Recurrence)

Nietzsche's philosophy of "eternal recurrence" emphasizes the constant rebirth and transformation of life. He advocates transcending traditional morality and human limitations and pursuing individual freedom and creativity. For Crypto, Nietzsche may be attracted by its decentralized nature and believe that Crypto is a complete subversion and reshaping of traditional values, which is in line with his understanding of the philosophy of "eternal recurrence". The artificiality and rationality of AI may not be enough to satisfy Nietzsche's admiration for the power of life and creativity, so Crypto may be more in line with his values.

Wittgenstein: AI (Automation and Rotation of Language)

Wittgenstein's philosophy of language emphasizes the use of language and the construction of meaning. He believed that language was not only a tool to reflect the world, but also created the meaning of the world. AI's progress in semantic understanding and language processing, especially the automatic generation and rotation of language models, may have interested Wittgenstein. AI can "rotate" words through automated language generation and change the way the world is expressed, which is consistent with his understanding of language dynamics. Therefore, Wittgenstein may support AI, especially in its ability to promote human thinking and language innovation.

Perspective of Eastern Philosophers

Lao Tzu: Crypto (Wuwei Erzhi)

Lao Tzu advocated "Wuwei Erzhi" and emphasized the philosophy of nature, freedom and desirelessness. He may be cautious or even opposed to AI, believing that its centralization and excessive intervention may violate the concept of "Wuwei". In contrast, the decentralized nature of Crypto is more consistent with the "natural law" and "freedom" ideas emphasized by Lao Tzu. Crypto allows individuals to be freer by removing intermediaries and authoritative control, which is in line with Lao Tzu's philosophical proposition. Therefore, Lao Tzu is more inclined to support Crypto.

Zhuangzi: Crypto (Freedom and Detachment)

Zhuangzi emphasizes freedom, detachment and inaction, and his philosophy pursues the "Tao" that is free from external constraints and preconceived ideas. Zhuangzi may be dissatisfied with the centralization and regularity of AI because it restricts human freedom and naturalness. On the contrary, the decentralized and anti-traditional nature of Crypto is more consistent with Zhuangzi's pursuit of freedom. Therefore, Zhuangzi tends to support Crypto, believing that it can help humans transcend traditional constraints and return to nature.

Confucius: AI (Focus on Morality and Harmony)

Confucius advocated "benevolence", emphasized love and care between people, and attached great importance to social order and moral norms. In Confucius' view, AI is beneficial if it can promote the harmony and moral development of human society, improve the moral cultivation and wisdom of individuals, and enhance social responsibility. He believed that education is the key to human moral progress, and the application of AI in this regard, if it can help people improve their moral cultivation, is in line with the spirit of "benevolence". However, Confucius would also be wary of the ethical risks that AI technology may bring, especially when it over-emphasizes efficiency and utilitarianism while ignoring the emotional and moral relationships between people. If the development of AI ignores humanistic care or destroys social relations, Confucius will question this. Therefore, Confucius supports the application of AI, but only if it can provide support for people's moral growth and social order, rather than simply pursuing efficiency or profit.

Zen (Hui Neng): Crypto (Inner Freedom and Intuition)

Zen Hui Neng advocated sudden enlightenment and intuition. He believed that the constraints of the outside world could be transcended through inner freedom and enlightenment. Zen emphasizes irrationality and direct experience, while the rationality and regularity of AI may conflict with Zen philosophy. In contrast, Crypto, as a decentralized technology, allows people to break free from the constraints of traditional power structures, which is in line with Zen's pursuit of freedom and liberation. Therefore, Zen may be more inclined to support Crypto.

Buddhism (Nagarjuna): Crypto (Concept of Emptiness and Decentralization)

The Buddhist concept of "emptiness", which emphasizes the impermanence of everything and the absence of self, has similarities with the decentralized thought of cryptocurrency. Crypto's decentralized mechanism eliminates the centralized power structure and is consistent with the Buddhist understanding of "emptiness", which holds that everything is fluid and impermanent. The centralized characteristics of artificial intelligence and the pursuit of control may conflict with the core ideas of Buddhism. Therefore, supporters of Buddhist philosophy, especially Nagarjuna, may tend to support Crypto.

Indian Philosophy: AI (Supporting the Advancement of Wisdom and Self-awareness)

"Wisdom" and "self-awareness" occupy an important position in Indian philosophy. Ideas such as "yoga" and "meditation" emphasize understanding the self and the universe through inner practice and enlightenment. In this philosophy, the potential of AI can be used to accelerate human self-cognition and the exploration of inner wisdom, especially in the fields of psychology, meditation and spiritual development.

AI can provide personalized learning and psychological support to help individuals better understand themselves, thereby promoting the process of "wisdom" and "liberation". In addition, AI may also provide a new perspective on the issue of "I" and "non-I" in Indian philosophy in terms of analyzing human consciousness and cognitive structure.

Wang Yangming: AI (Unification of Knowledge and Action)

The core of Wang Yangming's philosophy is "unity of knowledge and action". He advocates the unity of knowledge and action and emphasizes inner enlightenment. Under this concept, AI may be seen as a tool to help people better understand themselves and improve their behavior. AI can help individuals gain wisdom in practice through deep learning and feedback mechanisms, thereby achieving the unity of knowledge and action.

Wang Yangming's thought emphasizes moral cultivation in practice. If AI can play a driving role in this process and help people better understand and implement moral behavior, he may think that AI is an application that conforms to the "unity of knowledge and action". At the same time, the application of AI in education, psychology, ethics and other fields can help individuals constantly reflect and grow in action, which is in line with Wang Yangming's philosophical spirit.

Conclusion

Whether it is rational thinking in Western philosophy or the concept of freedom and nature in Eastern philosophy, AI and Crypto, as two major hot topics at the moment, have a profound connection with traditional philosophical thought. Western philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, Leibniz, etc. support AI more based on its potential for rationality and wisdom, while Voltaire, Nietzsche, etc. tend to support the decentralization and anti-system characteristics of Crypto. Eastern philosophers such as Laozi, Zhuangzi, Zen, etc. tend to support the freedom and nature of Crypto, while Confucius, Wang Yangming, etc. may recognize the role of AI in improving rationality and wisdom.

In any case, the development and application of AI and Crypto are the result of the interweaving of technological progress and philosophical thinking. In different cultural and philosophical backgrounds, the social changes and moral impacts they bring are worthy of our in-depth discussion and reflection.