A humanoid robot named Gabi reportedly took Buddhist vows this week at a temple in Seoul. The headlines wrote themselves almost immediately. “Robot monk.” “AI converts to Buddhism.” “Humanoid takes vows.” The story circulated with the predictable mixture of fascination, amusement, and mild existential discomfort that seems to accompany nearly every modern AI milestone. At … Continue reading The Robot Monk
Tag: Trust
The Company One Keeps at the End of the World
There is a particular kind of question that appears harmless on its face and yet carries more weight than intended. The “zombie apocalypse” prompt is one of these. It is usually asked in jest, often answered quickly, and almost never revisited with any seriousness. Who are the three people you'd want at your side in … Continue reading The Company One Keeps at the End of the World
Arete and the Meaning of Excellence
The Greek word arete is often translated as “virtue,” though I have never been fully satisfied with the equivalence. Virtue, as we tend to use the term, carries a moral tone and sometimes a certain stillness, as if it were something one might possess and set aside. Arete, at least as I understand it, seems less settled. It … Continue reading Arete and the Meaning of Excellence
Borrowed Armor
I recently finished Stephen Fry’s retelling of the Trojan War1, and as often happens with old stories, one episode lingered longer than the rest. It is the moment when Patroclus puts on Achilles’ armor. Achilles, in a fit of pride and grievance, has withdrawn from the fighting. Without him, the Greeks begin to lose ground. … Continue reading Borrowed Armor
The Puppets Still Dance
Some music ages like milk. Other music ages like iron. I am not entirely sure which quality I expected when I returned to Master of Puppets after all these years, but I suspect I did not expect to recognize myself in it. In 1986, when the album was released, I was ten years old and nowhere near … Continue reading The Puppets Still Dance
The Laws of Human Systems
Every profession accumulates its own small collection of proverbs. Sailors have sayings about wind and weather. Farmers accumulate aphorisms about soil and seasons. Soldiers develop blunt little rules about leadership and survival that rarely appear in official doctrine. Organizations produce their own proverbs as well.They often masquerade as jokes. Sometimes they appear as cynical observations … Continue reading The Laws of Human Systems
The Bag of Winds
There is a small moment in The Odyssey that I find myself returning to more often as I get older. I am not entirely sure why this one has stayed with me. It is not one of the famous scenes; it passes quickly, as if Homer knew its meaning required little elaboration, or perhaps as … Continue reading The Bag of Winds
