Evaluating the changes brought by the digital age on World Philosophy Day, Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yazıcı stated, “We can ask artificial intelligence all the questions that come to our minds, but the final decision about what we will do and how we will live must always belong to us.”
Stating that it is possible to talk about a unique field that can be discussed under the name of artificial intelligence philosophy, Prof. Dr. Yazıcı said, “Artificial intelligence philosophy addresses and discusses various moral and practical questions that the place artificial intelligence occupies in our lives may raise, the relationships, differences, and similarities between the human mind and artificial intelligence, and the relationships between humans and machines.”
Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yazıcı, Head of the Philosophy Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, emphasized the importance of philosophy in the digital age on World Philosophy Day, which is celebrated every year on the third Thursday of November.
Philosophy calls for developing the skill of thinking with differences
Pointing out that UNESCO states World Philosophy Day belongs to everyone interested in philosophy, Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yazıcı said, “World Philosophy Day aims to create a tolerant environment where we can discuss the problems and crises of our age by strengthening rational, intercultural dialogue. In other words, philosophy is not merely an activity content with understanding and knowing ourselves; it is also an activity that calls for encountering those different from us, recognizing these differences, and developing the skill of thinking alongside these differences.”
In the digital age, has the meaning of thinking and questioning changed?
Stating that it is necessary to see the fact that digitalization has significantly simplified our lives and will continue to do so in the future, Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yazıcı said, “Through artificial intelligence, we can access much more data than ever before on topics we are thinking about or researching. Artificial intelligence can process this data and provide us with meaningful results. However, this digitalization cannot take away the human responsibility to engage with important questions about one’s own life and existence, and to seek and give answers to these questions through the decisions and choices made in their lives. For example, we can ask artificial intelligence all the questions that come to our minds, but the final decision about what we will do and how we will live must always belong to us. Therefore, critical thinking, a genuine curiosity and questioning about ourselves, others, and the world can never be achieved with artificial intelligence. We can say that even in the digital age, the meaning of thinking and questioning has not changed, but it has gained much greater importance, value, and urgency compared to before.”
Questioning the transformative power of technology is a philosophical necessity
Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yazıcı noted that from the very first moment humans began to exist on Earth, they attributed meaning to themselves and the world around them in one way or another, “They interpreted and transformed it in a specific way. Technology is actually one of these transformative tools. Therefore, how and into what humans will transform themselves and the Earth through technology remains an open question that technology itself cannot answer. Considering the wars, raw material, and climate crises experienced today, this question is extremely vital and urgent. This question can only be addressed within the new horizons that philosophical activity and a philosophical life can open before theory and practice.”
Stating that it is possible to talk about a unique field that can be discussed under the name of artificial intelligence philosophy, Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yazıcı, “Artificial intelligence philosophy addresses and discusses various moral and practical questions that the place artificial intelligence occupies in our lives may raise, the relationships, differences, and similarities between the human mind and artificial intelligence, and the relationships between humans and machines.”
It doesn't seem very possible for us to program conscious computers in the near future
Evaluating whether artificial intelligence has the capacity for “thinking” or “consciousness,” Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yazıcı continued:
“While intelligence means the ability to solve problems, consciousness also refers to the ability to feel things like pain, joy, love, and anger, and to be self-aware. Artificial intelligence can become much more skilled than humans in solving problems with data. However, this does not mean it will gain consciousness over time. Since we do not yet have enough information about the origin of consciousness and how it emerges, it seems unlikely that we will be able to program conscious computers or machines in the near future. Those interested in this topic can refer to Yuval Noah Harari’s book titled “21 Lessons for the 21st Century.””
Artificial intelligence can process human-made ideas and thoughts to produce a new philosophy
Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yazıcı also addressed the question of whether a system that is a product of the human mind can create its own philosophy, concluding her words as follows:
“When it comes to creating a philosophy, a human-made system can only imitate humans. If we are talking about an AI-like system as a product of the human mind, then artificial intelligence can only process human-made ideas and thoughts as data and put forth a new philosophy. But this philosophy cannot be independent of what the human mind has produced; it can extract examples of philosophical theories from previously unwritten, more comprehensive compilations of philosophy history by compiling the data that people have transferred through their collective accumulations. Moreover, what kind of question will the philosophy put forth by artificial intelligence revolve around, that is, what will be its starting point? Why would artificial intelligence need to propose a new philosophical system? It can only do this due to an external influence, for example, upon a human’s request. Philosophy can only maintain its authenticity as a product of a human-specific need for meaning-making.”
