3 ms·

I agree that we shouldn't have iPads and similar electronics in the classroom. But I would advise into reading too much into the societal beliefs of inventors a

by bko 7mo ago

I agree that we shouldn't have iPads and similar electronics in the classroom. But I would advise into reading too much into the societal beliefs of inventors and how their tech will play out. Consider Lee de Forest, one of the early pioneers of radio. He expected radio to act almost like a moral and intellectual uplifter for society. He thought people would use it to essentially listen to religious sermons and educational lectures.

bombcar 7mo ago
To be fair to the Forest, both of those did and do occur! But they were vastly overwhelmed by "entertainment" - similar to the printing press and other mass-media opportunities. The Internet allows you to get every classical work of philosophy or theology online immediately both in the original language or in translation. You can find videos discussion many of them in-depth. Someone in Nepal with an Internet connection can get an education that would rival the best universities of the 1800s, if they want. Or you can watch cat videos.
- zozbot234 7mo ago
  > The Internet allows you to get every classical work of philosophy or theology online immediately both in the original language or in translation. LLMs also do quite well at "decoding" the obscure language of these classic works and rephrasing it in more contemporary terms. Even a small local LLM will typically do a good enough job of this, though more world knowledge (with a bigger model) is always preferable.
  - FarmerPotato 7mo ago
    No, they don't. I'm close-reading Aristotle in a Meetup group where we compare many translations and indulge the controversies in translating the Greek. When I've tried to get LLMs to bear on a topic, they can't even relate to the concept I'm looking at, instead generating a summary of the easiest parts. LLM is basically a beginner student.
- FarmerPotato 7mo ago
  Um... you'd think so... but the Perseus catalog is notoriously incomplete. They don't have all the key works of Aristotle in Greek.

by bko 7mo ago

bombcar 7mo ago

To be fair to the Forest, both of those did and do occur! But they were vastly overwhelmed by "entertainment" - similar to the printing press and other mass-media opportunities. The Internet allows you to get every classical work of philosophy or theology online immediately both in the original language or in translation. You can find videos discussion many of them in-depth. Someone in Nepal with an Internet connection can get an education that would rival the best universities of the 1800s, if they want. Or you can watch cat videos.

zozbot234 7mo ago
> The Internet allows you to get every classical work of philosophy or theology online immediately both in the original language or in translation. LLMs also do quite well at "decoding" the obscure language of these classic works and rephrasing it in more contemporary terms. Even a small local LLM will typically do a good enough job of this, though more world knowledge (with a bigger model) is always preferable.
- FarmerPotato 7mo ago
  No, they don't. I'm close-reading Aristotle in a Meetup group where we compare many translations and indulge the controversies in translating the Greek. When I've tried to get LLMs to bear on a topic, they can't even relate to the concept I'm looking at, instead generating a summary of the easiest parts. LLM is basically a beginner student.
FarmerPotato 7mo ago
Um... you'd think so... but the Perseus catalog is notoriously incomplete. They don't have all the key works of Aristotle in Greek.