In this lecture, Ryder Richards, an artist currently based in Fort Worth, explored the intersection of art and artificial intelligence (AI), specifically focusing on a project that reimagines Salvador Dali's "Alice in Wonderland." Richards delved into public fears and misconceptions about AI, emphasizing a lack of understanding about how AI algorithms function, including generative adversarial networks (GANs) and diffusion models. By showcasing AI-generated images and discussing the differences between various AI platforms like Dolly, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion, he illustrated AI's capabilities and limitations. Richards highlighted how each platform has its strengths and weaknesses in creating art, the humorous mistakes they can make due to misunderstandings, and the importance of understanding these tools to navigate the burgeoning field of AI art effectively.

The lecture further ventured into the implications of AI in society, touching on concerns of dependency, the impact on human skills and creativity, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI-generated content. Richards presented a nuanced view of AI's role in art, arguing that while AI can facilitate the creative process, it also raises questions about originality, authorship, and the value of human touch in art. Through the lens of his project, which attempted to fuse AI's capabilities with the essence of Dali's work, Richards explored the challenges of using AI to replicate human creativity. He concluded by discussing the broader societal and philosophical questions AI raises, including the potential loss of human agency and the importance of storytelling in preserving humanity's unique attributes. This reflection underscored the complex relationship between technology and human creativity, suggesting that while AI can be a powerful tool, it also prompts us to reevaluate the essence of art and creativity in the digital age.

Essay, Deck and Transcript can be found at 
https://www.letusthinkaboutit.com/step-82-art-and-ai/

Artificial intelligence (AI) has exploded onto the cultural scene, raising pressing questions about the role of technology in art and society. Artist and thinker Ryder Richards recently gave a lecture analyzing AI through a philosophical lens, exploring its potential promises and perils.

Richards began by taking the pulse of AI adoption, finding about a quarter to a third of attendees actively using AI for creative pursuits. With hype swirling, many came curious to know more. Richards set forth to report his findings from the AI landscape.

Weaving history, art, and philosophy, Richards traced how we arrived at this crossroads. He discussed early 20th-century visions of fusing humans and machines, driven by the worship of progress, machinery, and speed. Richards questioned assumptions of human rationality and effectiveness, asking if AI necessarily leads to worse outcomes.

Richards suggested that while AI promises to democratize creativity, it may also distance us from the personal touch of craft. He demonstrated how artists employ AI to generate variations and select results. While convenient, this process mediates the human-object bond. Richards pondered if submissions lack an imprint of humanity itself.

Examining racial and gender bias in AI datasets, Richards noted the need to peer inside “black box” algorithms. He considered whether language models actually “think” creatively. While founders exude optimism, their infighting hardly inspires confidence. With AI infiltrating emotional resonance and politics, vigilance seems vital.

Richards explored speculation that glitches enable AI creativity, just as neurological differences may have sparked human innovation. He discussed AI’s potential for independent evolution, questioning our ability to discern machine consciousness. If the future remains opaque, Richards suggested artists’ role is to absorb and share cultural truths.

Lawsuits against AI companies form growing resistance. But will profit motives trump ethics? How do we balance an accelerating economy with human dignity? As the lines blur between creator and creation, now is the time to ponder what kind of future we want to code.

https://www.letusthinkaboutit.com/step-81-kant-and-the-rise-of-subjective-realism/

Reality, belief, and the apocalypse. 0:00

• Ryder Richards discusses the demotion of reality in favor of subjectivity, exploring the tension between science and religion, and the consequences of refusing to acknowledge the apocalypse.
• Kant's false dichotomy between freedom and determinism is questioned, with a focus on the historical context of Thomas Hobbes and Galileo's views on a mechanical reality.

Kant's philosophy and its impact on understanding reality. 4:10

• Kant introduces philosophy that squares God observation conundrum.
• Kant argues that objects in reality interfere with self-governance, leading to a moral argument that demonizes reality.

Kant's philosophy and its implications. 8:46

• Ryder Richards argues that our perceptions are limited to appearances and cannot account for reality, leading to the idea of a "noble realm" beyond our understanding.
• Kant suggests that this inaccessible realm, the "nomina," contains the truth of objects beyond what we can know, but is beyond physical laws and changeable.
• Kant argues that autonomy and free will are possible despite determinism.
• Transcendental ideologies promise freedom and understanding but also introduce contradictions and limit rational contemplation.

Free will and agency in Kant's philosophy. 15:43

• Kant's philosophy on freedom vs. determinism challenged by Matthew Crawford.
• Crawford proposes meaningful choice emerges through attentive interaction with realities, not abstract visions.

Kant's philosophy and its impact on modern society. 19:45

• Ryder Richards critiques Kant's moral philosophy, arguing that it leads to self-entitlement and diluted agency.
• Ryder Richards argues that society's tendency to believe in self-important truths can lead to scapegoating and denial of implications, despite the appearance of novelty and esotericism.
• Ryder Richards argues that Kant's philosophy led to overconfidence in transcendent visions without evidence.

In this episode of Let's Think About It, host Ryder Richards examines the relationship between truth, reality, and abstraction. He proposes reality filters profound ideologies like religion and science, which rely on belief, from superficial falsehoods like marketing propaganda that obscure reality. Richards argues both sides undermine truth, but marketing inflames desire and bypasses reality altogether. Using quantum physics and art as examples, he shows how we use weighty abstractions to escape reality's limits. Ultimately, Richards says our tendency is to use fantasy to disregard reality, envisioning catastrophe to then deny it through rigid universal rules that validate our desires.

https://www.letusthinkaboutit.com/step-80-transcendent-escapism/

Richards begins by reminding us that while seeking transcendent truths, religion and science require belief, making them vulnerable to subjectivity. Next he discusses how marketing contains truth but uses it to inflame desire and promote amnesia. From here Richards explores how quantum physics appeals precisely because it hints at being free from reality's rules. He shares an anecdote about artists citing ungrasped quantum concepts as justification for unrelated work. Finally, Richards applies Slavoj Žižek's ideas about imagining catastrophe to then envision rigid orders that deny reality. Our escapist visions allow necessary blindness to humanity's failings but spawn dangerous universals.

0:00 Truth, abstraction, and manipulation. 
4:22 Reality, science, religion, and marketing. 
7:57 The relationship between science, reality, and abstraction. 
11:50 Epistemology, science, and art. 
15:44 Escaping reality through abstraction.

Ryder Richards builds on thinkers like Kant, Rorty, and Baudrillard in this podcast to argue that reality can filter problematic abstractions. He proposes reality as a net separating transcendental truths and superficial advertising. Without reality's grounding, these abstractions reinforce each other's weaknesses.

Part 1 - Reality as a Net for Abstractions

Richards lays out the idea of reality as a net dividing two types of abstraction. On one side is a transcendental ideology or truth claim, such as religion or science. On the other is superficial simulacra like advertising. Usually, reality forces these to grapple with concrete pragmatism. But as reality's power fades, these abstractions intertwine dangerously.

Richards relates this to Plato's cave - the shadows are lies, but the light of the exterior, truth itself, can also be an abstraction. Modern thinkers like Rorty argued truth and reality are separate. So, going from cave to light just shifts one abstraction for another.

Part 2 - Disneyland as an Example

Richards uses Baudrillard's concrete example of Disneyland as an abstraction slipping into dangerous territory. Disneyland pretends to be fiction but reveals a desire for moral truth. However, this yearning abstracted into blind faith leads to fanaticism and policing "outsiders." The virtues represented become ways to enforce arbitrary hierarchies. In this case, the morality play of virtuousness, combined with fictional advertising, exemplifies Hofstader's 'hyper system," or tangled hierarchy, without referencing reality. 

Part 3 - Lowering Abstractions' Power

To counter abstraction's excesses, Richards offers two main methods:

Way 1 - Communicative Rationality

The first way is Isiah Berlin's communicative rationality - agreeing on language, intent, and logic tied to reality. This raises the "net" by grounding thought in the concrete.

Way 2 - Meditation

The second way is meditation, recognizing our physical body to quiet constant abstraction. This reduces reactivity and teaches us to filter manipulations.

Conclusion

In sum, abstraction untethered from reality breeds instability and vulnerability to facile beliefs. Reality anchors us against these excesses. In future episodes, Richards will continue exploring pragmatism, AI, and the limits of language.

https://www.letusthinkaboutit.com/step-78-the-parallax-view/

Ryder discusses the concept of Slavoj Zizek's "The Parallax View" in three parts.

Part 1: Ryder defines the parallax view as the convergence of seemingly parallel perspectives. He draws a connection to optical illusions of perspective and discusses how the parallax view involves looking beyond the central focus point. The author also touches on its use in astronomy.

Part 2: Ryder discusses Slavoj Žižek's use of the parallax view in his book and how it reconsiders the traditional Hegelian dialectic of synthesis or sublation. He explains how Žižek's approach doesn't seek to overcome oppositional positions but acknowledges their inherent contradictions as perspectival points. (This involves Lacan, Freud, Marxism, and Levi-Strauss's sociology, and more.)

Part 3: Ryder provides two examples of how the real-life parallax view works. First, he discusses faith and love as a parallax, emphasizing the need to change one's position to understand faith truly. Second, he references a scene from the movie "Guardians of the Galaxy" to illustrate how understanding can shift over time, emphasizing the importance of changing perspectives. He also shares the paralysis that multiple positions can invoke.

Welcome to the problematic realm of perspective framing. Ryder Richards will be your dubious guide through this profound exploration of self-awareness and understanding. Central to our journey is the parallax view, a powerful method of finding our place in the world by establishing reference points by Slavoj Zizek. But first, we must challenge hegemonic narratives and reconsider Hegel’s notion of negation, as breaking free from (or subsuming and overcoming) conventional beliefs allows us to envision new possibilities.

As we progress, we’ll examine how psychology analysis, meditation, and Buddhism provide tools to reshape our perspectives and alleviate societal discontent. Psychoanalysis will offer unique insights into the human psyche, highlighting the potential for multiple points of fixation as normalcy which creates markers to allow a fixed identity.

Moreover, we’ll consider all of these topics related to the “desiring self” and its role in identity. Most pointedly, we will look at Christianity’s perspective on sin related to desire, and how desire is necessary to align with God.

Stay tuned for the next post, where we will dive deep into the intricacies of the Parallax View, a possibly revolutionary approach to subjective positioning that allows understanding without always negating the negation, as deconstrcutionism does.

0:00 Introduction of the parallax view.

• Introducing ryder richards and the concept of the parallax view, which is a means to find a position by establishing points of reference.
• The next episode is all about the next episode.

2:19 Breaking the power of hegemonic narratives.

• Post structuralist or deconstructionist. All of their arguments today can arguably be post-structuralist or post-deconstructionist, where brains are trained to be creatively destructive.
• Hegel's notion of negation, the ability to negate impact or power of something.

4:28 We must retain the positions we've just cancelled.

• Hegel makes his point that cancellation preserves the positions that were just cancelled, but that there is a need for a visual goal to position ourselves in society.
• Hegel argues that every cancellation is a new position, so every cancellation adds more gravel to the pile.

6:44 Why we need to break traditional beliefs.

• How modernist thinkers broke traditional beliefs to avoid the totalitarian narrative and nationalistic mindset that was sweeping through Europe 100 years ago.
• Two dispositions in the rubble of the rubble.

8:47 How to choose a new perspective.

• Society is more unhappy, anxious and despairing than it was in the past, according to the studies.
• Psychology analysis and therapy are tools for relief from the society that we live in and what we feel we deserve, and help pull us out of instant reactions

11:23 Psychoanalysis is more about sizing the psychotic subject than the ego.

• Zizek, Lacanian psychoanalysis is more about hysteria sizing the psychotic subject. To be non-psychotic is either to have multiple points of fixation or never know exactly who you are.
• Buddhism and meditation.

13:41 How to become an individual subject without ego.

• CBT therapy and meditation help reframe how you fit into the world and how you see your position in the world. It allows you to prioritize your desires differently.
• Buddhism is ridding yourself of attempting to desire anything at all.

16:18 To sin is to miss the mark.

• To sin is to position yourself further away from god, to miss the mark, and to be aligned with god to grow near the object of desire.
• Christianity uses desire rather than negates it.

18:44 Reframing the problem into parallax.

• Walking us through the conundrum of the desiring self and the methods of reframing it and positioning in it.
• Instead of the negation that is a deconstructivist rubble that has created an apocalyptic landscape, there might actually be a solution that is apparent here.

🗑️ Garbage represents the concrete universal of waste.

🎨 Picasso's art exemplifies the concrete universal through different periods and works.

🌌 Failures and contradictions can lead to transcendence.

🎭 Art expresses both expression and concealment simultaneously.

🔀 Concrete universalism combines the concrete and the abstract into one concept.

💡 The concept of concrete universalism challenges fixed definitions and highlights the dynamic nature of objects, people, and ideas.

🔄 The concrete universal constantly expands, while the defining object fails to fully capture its totality.

---- TIMING/CHAPTERS----

0:00 Welcome back to the show.

• Fiction is bleeding into reality and confusing.

1:34 Relating to god through the son.

• How god was impossible to relate to.
• Concrete universalism and the food processor.

2:53 How can something be concrete but applicable to everything?

• Concrete universalism vs abstract universalism.
• Kantian antinomies or even Hegelian antagonisms.

5:04 The apex of the movement is the definition.

• Overcoming the other side, overcoming their limits.
• The movement has an extreme peak, which defines it.

7:20 A new more robust form of universalism.

• New universalism founded on a very real thing, trash.
• Example of concrete universalism, garbage.

9:02 Definition of the concrete universal.

• The concrete universal and the black sack of trash.
• How to use the concrete universal.

10:53 The central problem of art.

• The central problem of art, referencing Picasso.
• How art expresses the inability to clearly express.

12:33 The antagonisms in Guernica.

• Back to the concrete universal in the case of Pablo Picasso.
• The antagonisms in Guernica.

14:18 The problem with the object definition of the universal.

• Deification of objects, people and ideas.
• The parallax gap.