I am not an expert on emotions; Lisa Feldman Barrett is. But a friend of mine asked me what are my thoughts on emotions, so I am writing them here. I hope my thoughts motivate the readers to investigate what true experts think. That said, I do consider myself an…

Learning characterizes what a natural or artificial intelligence (hereafter, an intelligence) does to improve its performance on some task. Learning is a theoretical construct that we use to study the behavior of natural and artificial intelligences. In the current formalism, to meaningfully talk about learning requires there to be a…

We make assumptions in math so that we can prove theorems. The theorems justify decision making policies, and learning policies. For example, we have scenario X, and we desire Y. Now, I can prove that algorithm Z has property Y assuming X. Insofar that the current scenario in the real…

I recently started listening to Sam Harris’s “Waking up” App, and specifically the introductory course. I’m now on day 2. I have really enjoyed almost all of it. And, I am aware that my constitution is such that I tend to find little things that can be improved on. So…

To my beloved kids Daddy: Do you know how much I love you? Kids: infinity! Daddy: Do you know how strong my love is for you? Kids: Unbreakable! Impervious! Indestructible! Daddy: And do you know what you get to be/feel/think/dream/do, and I’ll still love you infinity, unbreakable, and forever? Kids: Anything! Daddy: That’s right…

My current view on what I say to anybody with whom I’ve interacted over the previous year: I am so sorry for any unwanted feelings, sensations, harm, abuse, or suffering that you, your loved ones, or your cherished relationships, experienced because of me or my behaviors this year. …

Here I propose rules for adults and kids. Some are specific to adults :) No touching other people without permission This includes people of all ages (including infants, for which we can request permission and tune in to their response). It also includes touching any toy/object that another is touching…

hint: almost always — tl;dr — I recommend believing experts on what is the expert consensus on a topic for which they are an expert, and nothing else. Believing what the consensus is does not mean believing the consensus is true, nor does it tell us that they are benevolent, nor how to act. …