Unlocking Consciousness with Dr Stephen Wolfram: AI & Philosophy

In this Q&A session, conducted with students enrolled in Ralston College's MA in the Humanities program, the renowned physicist and computer scientist Dr Stephen Wolfram explains his own intellectual trajectory and explores the intersection of computational and philosophical inquiry, particularly in the age of AI.

In the course of this wide-ranging conversation, Dr Wolfram discusses computational irreducibility, the nature of mind, the ethics of AI governance, and the growing value of a liberal arts education.

The lecture took place during the third term of Ralston College's MA in the Humanities in February 2024.

Authors, Ideas, and Works Mentioned in this Episode

The ruliad 
Gestalt entities 
Computational irreducibility 
Computational equivalence
The second law of thermodynamics
Plato, Republic 
AI Governance
Utilitarianism
Arrival (film)
ChatGPTNassem Talib
The Black Swan
Colin Maclaurin

Links of Possible Interest

Dr Stephen Blackwood
https://www.stephenjblackwood.com

Ralston College Humanities MA
https://www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma  

Timeline

00:00 Introduction: Dr. Stephen Wolfram's Genius and AI's Impact on Humanities
01:30 Welcoming Dr. Stephen Wolfram
02:15 Stephen Wolfram's Early Life and Achievements
05:10 The Power of Computational Thinking
07:20 The Ruliad, Philosophy, and Computational Language
15:15 Q: Exploring Computational Irreducibility and Emergence
21:25 The Ruliad and the Nature of Reality
32:30 Q: The Role of Computational Thinking in Education
41:05 AI Governance and Ethics
46:35 Q: Bridging STEM and Humanities for Better AI Ethics
48:40 Building Wolfram Alpha 50:35 Q: Plato and Balancing Innovation in AI
01:05:25 Q: Probability and Unpredictability: Insights from Nassim Taleb
01:09:35 Q: Human Consciousness and the Computational Soul
01:22:35 Conclusion: Reflections on Learning, Philosophy, and the Future of Education