Reflections • Continuing my exploration of How the Mind Works. It occurs to me that even the most obtuse, seemingly “dumb” human still deserves a deep respect for the sheer complexity of the brain’s machinery. Pinker’s clarity makes that truth unavoidable. • His subtle humor catches me off guard in the best way — like the bit about the married woman’s “1.57 times per week.” That sort of dry wit in a dense book about cognitive science makes it unexpectedly human and engaging. • I keep circling back to his argument about AI and symbol manipulation. Even if AI is “just regurgitating symbols,” the sophistication of that regurgitation is becoming so intricate that the difference might no longer matter. The boundaries of understanding and sentience are going to need a serious rewrite. • We humans wear our “sentience” like a badge of honor, but when you really look at how irrational, biased, and contradictory we are — is it such a big deal? • I’m more convinced than ever that listening at 1.3× speed is sharpening my learning and retention. The pacing keeps me mentally alert — less drifting, more synthesis. At normal speed, I’d likely lose focus. • I’ve now reached 58% completion, moving faster than expected, and I feel like the ideas are sticking better at this tempo. It’s like Pinker’s logic flows naturally at a quicker cadence. • The close of Chapter 2 hit hard on sentience. My takeaway tonight: sentience feels closer to conscious awareness — a feedback loop, not an elevated state of being. That’s a subtle but meaningful shift in understanding. • I only just realized the book was published in 1999. Despite its age, most of his insights hold up remarkably well. Only the specific technological examples feel dated — yet even those point toward the path we’re now walking with modern AI. I’d love to know what Pinker would say today about generative intelligence.
• Continuing my exploration of How the Mind Works. It occurs to me that even the most obtuse, seemingly “dumb” human still deserves a deep respect for the sheer complexity of the brain’s machinery. Pinker’s clarity makes that truth unavoidable.
• His subtle humor catches me off guard in the best way — like the bit about the married woman’s “1.57 times per week.” That sort of dry wit in a dense book about cognitive science makes it unexpectedly human and engaging.
• I keep circling back to his argument about AI and symbol manipulation. Even if AI is “just regurgitating symbols,” the sophistication of that regurgitation is becoming so intricate that the difference might no longer matter. The boundaries of understanding and sentience are going to need a serious rewrite.
• We humans wear our “sentience” like a badge of honor, but when you really look at how irrational, biased, and contradictory we are — is it such a big deal?
• I’m more convinced than ever that listening at 1.3× speed is sharpening my learning and retention. The pacing keeps me mentally alert — less drifting, more synthesis. At normal speed, I’d likely lose focus.
• I’ve now reached 58% completion, moving faster than expected, and I feel like the ideas are sticking better at this tempo. It’s like Pinker’s logic flows naturally at a quicker cadence.
• The close of Chapter 2 hit hard on sentience. My takeaway tonight: sentience feels closer to conscious awareness — a feedback loop, not an elevated state of being. That’s a subtle but meaningful shift in understanding.
• I only just realized the book was published in 1999. Despite its age, most of his insights hold up remarkably well. Only the specific technological examples feel dated — yet even those point toward the path we’re now walking with modern AI. I’d love to know what Pinker would say today about generative intelligence.