The Meaning of Thought

From populist propaganda attacking knowledge as ‘fake news’ to the latest advances in artificial intelligence, human thought is under unprecedented attack today. If computers can do what humans can do and they can do it much faster, what’s so special about human thought?  In this new book, bestselling philosopher Markus Gabriel steps back from the polemics to re-examine the very nature of human thought. He conceives of human thinking as a ‘sixth sense’, a kind of sense organ that is closely tied our biological reality as human beings. Our thinking is not a form of data processing but rather the linking together of images and imaginary ideas which we process in different sensory modalities. Our time frame expands far beyond the present moment, as our ideas and beliefs stretch far beyond the here and now. We are living beings and the whole of evolution is built into our life story. In contrast to some of the exaggerated claims made by proponents of AI, Gabriel argues that our thinking is a complex structure and organic process that is not easily replicated and very far from being superseded by computers.  With his usual wit and intellectual verve, Gabriel combines philosophical insight with pop culture to set out a bold defence of the human and a plea for an enlightened humanism for the 21st century. This timely book will be of great value to anyone interested in the nature of human thought and the relations between human beings and machines in an age of rapid technological change.

Acknowledgements Notes Preface Notes Introduction Notes 1 The Truth about Thought Complexity without end What is thinking? Humans are not the only thinkers The scope of the universe Aristotle’s senses Common sense made sensible The meaning of ‘sense’, or: the many ways of being wrong The loneliness of cosmic exile Not all objects are things Are there (really) any red bottle caps? Thinking is not an irritation of the nervous system Nothing but the truth The world as a wish list Frege’s thoughts Information and fake news Our sixth sense Notes 2 Thought Engineering The map and the territory Can computers speak Chinese? Photos don’t remember Crete An ant is crawling on a patch of sand, and why this has nothing to do with Winston Churchill The God of the Internet Civilization and its discontents The god of the internet Emotional intelligence and hidden values in the digital labyrinth A religion called ‘functionalism’ Thought is not a vending machine … … and the soul is not a pile of beer cans Pacemakers for the brain? The idea of technology, or: how do I build a house? Total mobilization Society is not a video game The Achilles heel of functionalism Notes 3 The Digital Transformation of Society It’s perfectly logical, isn’t it? Some set-theoretical ping-pong Everything crashes eventually Do computers really know anything? Heidegger’s murmurings One miracle too many In the age of ‘complete orderability’ Trapped in The Circle? A fleeting visit to Winden – society as nuclear power plant One consciousness to go, please! Who has a problem here? Notes 4 Why Only Animals Think The nooscope On souls and index card boxes ‘And now come, thou well-worn broom’ Illuminated brains Consciousness first – Tononi meets Husserl Inside, outside or nowhere A slimy and intricate piece of reality Notes 5 Reality and Simulation Mental cinema meets smartphone The unavoidable Matrix In memoriam: Jean Baudrillard Horror and hunger (games) Beautiful new world – welcome to The Sims Are you awake or trapped in your dreams? Do you know Holland? Matter and ignorance What is reality? A hybrid reality Fish, fish, fish The shimmering spectrum of reality Caesar’s hairs, India’s manhole covers and Germany Frege’s elegant theory of facts On the limits of our knowledge Do thoughts lurk within the skull? The difference between cauliflower, cognac and the thought of thought Human AI The end of humanity – tragedy or comedy? Notes The End of the Book – a Pathos-Laden Final Remark Glossary Index