Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

The (Terrifying) Theory That Your Thoughts Were Never Your Own


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What if your thoughts aren’t your own? Professors Elan Barenholtz and William Hahn propose that language is not a tool we use but a self-generating organism that uses us. In this mind-bending live discussion at the University of Toronto, they argue that language installs itself in our minds like software, runs autonomously, and shapes behavior at a deeper level than we realize. Drawing on LLMs, autoregression, and cognitive science, they suggest your brain may function like a predictive engine and that “memory,” “self,” and even “God” may just be tokens in an informational system.
Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
05:28 The Nature of Autoregression
10:14 Memory and Cognition Redefined
11:28 The Role of Language Models
14:23 Exploring Consciousness and Software
26:22 The Evolution of Language
38:08 Language: A Cultural Artifact
54:19 The Power and Danger of Language
1:02:52 Embracing Uncertainty in Knowledge
1:04:59 Courage to Believe in Ideas
1:09:30 Support and Engagement with Content
Links Mentioned:
•⁠ ⁠Elan’s Substack: https://elanbarenholtz.substack.com/
•⁠ ⁠Elan’s Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2grAjZsAAAAJ&hl=en
•⁠ ⁠William’s Blog: https://hahn.ai/blog/index.html
•⁠ ⁠Ekkolapto’s Site: https://www.ekkolapto.org/
•⁠ ⁠Andrés Emilsson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/BBP8WZpYp0Y
•⁠ ⁠Elan Barenholtz [TOE]: https://youtu.be/A36OumnSrWY
•⁠ ⁠Anna Ciaunica & Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/2aLhkm6QUgA
•⁠ ⁠William Hahn [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3fkg0uTA3qU
•⁠ ⁠Michael Levin’s Presentation [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Exdz2HKP7u0
•⁠ ⁠Stephen Wolfram [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4
•⁠ ⁠Geoffrey Hinton [TOE]: https://youtu.be/b_DUft-BdIE
•⁠ ⁠Ai Panel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/abzXzPBW4_s
•⁠ ⁠Joscha Bach & Ben Goertzel [TOE]: https://youtu.be/xw7omaQ8SgA
•⁠ ⁠Noam Chomsky [TOE]: https://youtu.be/DQuiso493ro
•⁠ ⁠Michael Levin Solo [TOE]: https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s
•⁠ ⁠Consciousness Iceberg [TOE]: https://youtu.be/65yjqIDghEk
•⁠ ⁠Joscha Bach [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3MNBxfrmfmI
•⁠ ⁠Scott Aaronson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/gGsh0_-q7LI
•⁠ ⁠Iain McGilchrist [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Q9sBKCd2HD0
•⁠ ⁠The Master and His Emissary [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Master-His-Emissary-Divided-Western/dp/0300188374
•⁠ ⁠Michael Levin & Karl Friston [TOE]: https://youtu.be/0yOV9Pzk2zw
•⁠ ⁠Shape Rotators vs Wordcels [Article]: https://sasamilic.medium.com/some-thoughts-on-the-shape-rotator-vs-worcel-meme-f320261a21cd
SUPPORT:
- Become a YouTube Member (Early Access Videos):
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWIQh9DGG6uhJk8eyIFl1w/join
- Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
- Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9
- Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4
SOCIALS:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs
Guests do not pay to appear. Theories of Everything receives revenue solely from viewer donations, platform ads, and clearly labelled sponsors; no guest or associated entity has ever given compensation, directly or through intermediaries.
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