Augmented and critical thinking

Augmented and critical thinking
Zero Ash

The study of critical thinking, generative AI, opportunities and risks of augmentation with personal intelligence. To understand the traps of thinking, and, now, not only your own, but also augmented thinking is not only an exciting but critically important task. This study examines many topics in the context of critical thinking, such as common sense, creative thinking, prompt engineering, chains of reasoning, augmentation of thinking, etc. + humor, of course.

Augmented and critical thinking

Zero Ash

© Zero Ash, 2023

ISBN 978-5-0060-8767-5

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Augmented and critical thinking

A study of critical thinking, generative AI, possibilities and risks of augmentation with personal intelligence

    2023 0ash

Generative AI has happened, there are new tools to help solve any problem. Augmentation or empowerment, but, as usual, there are significant risks.

Critical thinking is something to rely on and not to get lost in this flow of changes, not to be left behind in progress and evolution, not to fall into possible traps and problems. Critical thinking can and should be constantly trained to meet the challenges of our time. Of course, there are already many books, courses, etc. about critical thinking. But despite the fact that a lot of material has been created, relevance is the most important criterion. Thinking is an eternal topic that requires constant study, development, critical thinking and rethinking. Therefore, updating approaches and knowledge in the context of rapidly developing technologies, especially generative and personal AI, is not only relevant but also useful. The text is divided into small blocks (a couple of minutes to read), which can be studied or skipped in any sequence. The most valuable thing is critical comments and humor, of course, you can’t do without it, it plays its own important role in critical thinking. Enjoi! And, let’s think critically, otherwise they will think for you.

«Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.» – Marcus Aurelius. It only remains to add that with the advent of generative AI, the relevance of this opinion only increases.

«People say one thing, think another, do a third» – there is such, quite interesting and quite plausible assessment of human thinking.

«Artificial intelligence is used by those who lack natural intelligence» – a joke about those who don’t keep up with progress.

«People can be considered to have two types of thinking: one fast – associative based on instant pattern recognition (experience), the other slow – logical (requires reasoning). In practice, they are intricately intertwined and interact".It seems AI has a similar situation: basic linguistic/multimodal modles (more associative) + chains of reasoning (chan of thoughts) based on these models.

«You need prompt engineering to get rid of the hallucinations of large language models» – seems to be relevant for humans too.

«People, most often, surround themselves with those who confirm their cognitive distortions» – only a few are able to work with different opinions and views to overcome distortions.

«From a personal computer (PC) to personal intelligence (PI)» – it’s scary to imagine what could happen next.

«Computational thinking» is like a calculator only for thoughts, where instead of numbers there is text in natural language (and, yes, there, too, the text is translated into numbers – embeddings).

«Even in ancient times, thinkers tried to build logical reasoning, to draw conclusions from one another, but this led to cycles in reasoning. Then the approach was changed – the basic set of axioms or facts that do not require proof was determined. And, already on the basis of these axioms, it was possible to erect logical reasoning and proofs of other statements.» – there is a significant vulnerability in this approach, it is possible to change some «fact» in their own interests so that all subsequent conclusions are also as needed. With rather complex constructions, it is quite time-consuming to detect such distortions, and even if this is done, it is impossible to reasonably challenge the «fact» (after all, facts are either taken for granted or not, they are not proven).

«Modern science is increasingly virtualized. Making new discoveries in the observable universe is becoming more and more difficult, today it is almost impossible even with super sophisticated equipment such as the LHC. And, bingo, why not invent virtual objects, like virtual particles, fields, whatever.» virtualization of science is an objective process, it cannot be stopped, it can only be regulated and as they often say – «if you can’t stop, lead». In fact, this is science fiction, and in modern conditions it is already difficult to understand where this line passes. For modern researchers, it is possible to regulate through explicit definition or labeling that their work contains such «virtualization».

«Even the greatest minds of mankind have not been able to build a fully grounded and logically rigorous picture of the world. All existing theories are just attempts to do this.» – there is no objective reality, there are always only some models of reality based on axioms without evidence. And another approach has not yet been invented. Can modern generative AI technologies help? A difficult question, probably not yet, since their output completely depends on the source datasets (texts, pictures, etc.). That’s when new AI systems will have direct opportunities to study the observable universe, set up experiments, test hypotheses, etc., then yes, a breakthrough in cognition is possible.

– — —

Critical thinking and common sense

Common sense thinking and critical thinking are two distinct cognitive approaches with different characteristics and applications.

Common sense thinking refers to the use of everyday, practical knowledge and reasoning based on generally accepted beliefs, norms, and experiences. It relies on the information and assumptions that are commonly shared within a specific culture or community.

Common sense thinking is often used for making quick and straightforward decisions in familiar, everyday situations. It is context-specific and may not involve in-depth analysis or evaluation of information.

Common sense thinking is typically intuitive and relies on assumptions that are accepted without rigorous examination. It is based on tradition and conventional wisdom.

The key differences between common sense thinking and critical thinking lie in their approach, depth of analysis, and the circumstances in which they are most applicable. Common sense thinking relies on everyday knowledge and is used for routine decisions, while critical thinking is a more rigorous, evidence-based process typically applied in complex or controversial situations where deeper analysis is required. Both types of thinking have their place, and a balance between them can be valuable in different aspects of life.

Critical Commentary. Guided by common sense, people can fail to think critically and make decisions for their own benefit, driven by fear, etc., based on generally accepted judgments, social consensus, and call it common sense. Besides, common sense doesn’t require explanation or proof («everyone does it» is the whole argument). There’s a joke. Why did common sense cross the road? To avoid meeting that guy who was still trying to figure out why the chicken crossed the road in the first place!

Critical thinking and rational thinking

Rational thinking and critical thinking are related concepts, but they have distinct differences in their focus and application.

Rational thinking is a cognitive process that emphasizes making decisions and judgments based on reason, logic, and evidence. It involves a systematic and objective analysis of information and situations.

Rational thinking aims to arrive at conclusions that are consistent with logical principles and supported by relevant evidence. It is concerned with ensuring that decisions and beliefs are well-founded and free from bias.

Rational thinking emphasizes the use of logic and evidence to arrive at reasoned conclusions. It strives to avoid fallacies and emotional biases in decision-making.

Rational thinking is a specific aspect of critical thinking, focusing on the rational, logical, and evidence-based aspects of decision-making and problem-solving. Critical thinking, on the other hand, encompasses a broader set of skills, including rational thinking, to comprehensively assess and make judgments about various aspects of life, information, and situations. Critical thinking emphasizes a more comprehensive evaluation of evidence, context, and potential biases.

Critical comment. Let’s start with a joke. Why did a rational thinker take a calculator to an art museum? Because he wanted to calculate the true value of abstract expressionism! Rational thinking is a tool that has its own field of application, you do not need to rely entirely on it alone.

Critical thinking and the scientific method

While critical thinking and the scientific method are related and often used together, they are distinct concepts.

Critical thinking is a cognitive process that involves analyzing, evaluating, and making reasoned judgments about information, situations, or problems.

Critical thinking is a broad skill that can be applied in various contexts, not just in scientific endeavors. It’s used in daily life, decision-making, problem-solving, and evaluating information in nay fields and situations.

Critical thinking includes skills like reasoning, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and problem-solving. It encourages questioning assumptions, considering different perspectives, and making well-informed decisions.

The scientific method is a structured, systematic approach to scientific inquiry that involves making observations, forming hypotheses, conducting experiments, and drawing conclusions based on empirical evidence.

The scientific method is designed for scientific research and study of the natural world. It is universal and is used to investigate and understand phenomena in physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, etc.

The scientific method follows a specific sequence of steps, including observation, hypothesis formation, experimentation, data collection, analysis, and drawing conclusions. It emphasizes the use of controlled experiments and empirical evidence to test hypotheses.

Critical thinking is a more general cognitive skill that applies to a wide range of situations, not limited to the scientific domain. It involves the analysis and evaluation of information and arguments. The scientific method, on the other hand, is a specific process used by scientists to conduct research and gain a deeper understanding of the natural world. Critical thinking can certainly be a part of the scientific process, but the scientific method has a more defined and structured approach to inquiry.

Critical comment. Joke again. Why did a scientist break up with his girlfriend following a scientific method? Because they found that their relationship is not reproducible and has too many uncontrolled variables! Reproducibility of results is the basis of the scientific method. But there are many areas where accurate reproduction is impossible, and not necessary.

First principles and critical thinking

First principles thinking and critical thinking are both cognitive processes that involve reasoning, but they differ in their focus and approach.