Philosophy

We talk a lot about prompt engineering for AI, but what about prompt engineering ourselves? Our minds are constantly running on internal narratives — stories we tell ourselves about who we are, what we’re responsible for, and how the world works. What if we could rewrite these prompts? The Problem: Anxiety’s Feedback Loop Anxiety isn’t just a feeling — it’s a self-reinforcing system. We feel anxious, which changes our behavior, which creates situations that justify our anxiety, which makes us more anxious. ...

A computer science anecdote from the mid-2000s about AI and divinity seems remarkably prescient in today’s world of interconnected AI systems.

Stories We Tell Ourselves We are storytelling creatures. Since we first gathered around fires, humans have crafted narratives to make sense of existence — where we came from, why we’re here, what happens when we die. These stories become the religions that shape civilizations, the myths that guide moral intuitions, the frameworks through which we interpret reality itself. Today, many argue that consumerism has become our de facto religion, complete with its own temples (shopping malls), rituals (Black Friday), and promises of salvation (the next purchase will finally make us happy). But I find myself drawn to an older, deeper story — one written not in ancient texts but in the very fabric of reality itself. ...

When someone tells me my phrase sounds wise, I wonder if I’m just rationalizing behavior I don’t actually understand or support.