Category: Stuff

There’s a story in APERTURE magazine of a man, Lincoln Kirstein, and his recollection of 1942, a photo of him and the friend he called Jerry who didn’t want to be drafted.

Reading it, it struck me that there are lots of photos that are ‘real’ – let’s say Nick Ut’s Napalm Girl photo – but what Jerry meant by ‘real’ was that he could see himself in that photo – and it was a dangerous place. Then ‘real’ becomes real when it is ‘relevant to the possibilities in my life’. And that’s a whole deeper meaning of ‘real’.

We see photos of provincial life, stifled life – that strangle and repulse us. But that’s OK because we are free of that and we are not going to fall into that trap. But getting drafted and ending up ‘shot up’ as Jerry said – that’s real.

And like firefighters who head ‘towards’ and not ‘away’ from the flames – the real that we have to portray is the one that gets to the heart of what we fear – because a photograph is a reaction-inducing object.

What does Viktor Frankl say about how we should respond to life as it confronts us?

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor who developed a theory of meaning-centered therapy called logotherapy. Frankl’s logotherapy focuses on the idea that the primary human drive is not pleasure, as Freud believed, but rather the search for meaning in life.

According to Frankl, the key to finding meaning in life is to accept the realities of life as they confront us and to find ways to make the most of them. He argued that we cannot control the events that happen to us, but we can control our attitudes and responses to those events. Frankl believed that the most meaningful way to respond to life is to face it with courage and to seek to find meaning in the suffering and challenges that we encounter.

Frankl believed that each person has their own unique purpose and meaning in life, and that it is up to each individual to discover and fulfill this purpose. He argued that we can find meaning in life through relationships, work, and creative endeavors, as well as through suffering and adversity. Ultimately, Frankl believed that the search for meaning is the key to a fulfilling and meaningful life.

What do you think this sounds like? It has a kind of first year or introductory textbook sound to me – something to get students started. It’s perfectly valid and useful, but just a bit colourless.

Asking ChatAI: Does a universal morality have a central place or any place in politics?

ChatAI replies: Universal morality refers to principles that are considered to be morally right or wrong by most people, regardless of cultural, religious, or individual differences. These principles may include values such as fairness, equality, respect for human rights, and the protection of the well-being of others.

In politics, universal morality can play a central role in shaping the policies and decisions made by governments and political leaders. For example, a government might be guided by the principle of fairness in developing policies that aim to reduce income inequality or address social injustices. Similarly, a political leader might be guided by the principle of respect for human rights in deciding whether to support or oppose certain policies or actions.

However, it is important to note that different individuals and groups may have different ideas about what constitutes universal morality, and there may be disagreement about how universal moral principles should be applied in specific political contexts. As a result, the role of universal morality in politics can be a contentious and complex issue.

I asked ChatAI a question:

Instruction: Answer a paradoxical but logical question about a magic sword that can cut anything in the world, except that there is thing that it cannot cut.

Reply: One possible answer to this paradoxical but logical question is that the magic sword is able to cut anything in the world, including itself. The thing that it cannot cut is therefore the act of cutting itself, as it is impossible for an object to cut itself without also being cut in the process.

Another possible answer is that the magic sword is able to cut anything in the world, except for things that are already cut or divided into two or more pieces. In this case, the thing that the magic sword cannot cut is anything that has already been cut or divided, as there is nothing left for the sword to cut.

Yet another possible answer is that the magic sword is able to cut anything in the world, except for things that are infinitely small or have no physical substance. In this case, the thing that the magic sword cannot cut is anything that is not physically present or that has no physical form, as there is nothing for the sword to interact with or cut.

The Traditional Answer

The traditional answer is the first answer that ChatAI gave, and I wonder whether it was specifically directed to read up on paradoxical questions or whether it pieced the reply together from other information that it has.

We hiked for four days before reaching the summit. When we emerged from the trees, we were met with an early-morning fog that extended far beyond our range of sight. We turned back and clung to safety in the forest, hanging like bats in the canopy. How had we been so misled? The mist enveloped us, cooling our bodies and favouring us with breaths of cold damp air. Jonah climbed down and started a fire on the forest floor. Could I smell the fire from high up in the trees or was I fooling myself?

My arms were tiring rapidly.

What was I supposed to do when the food ran out? I didn’t owe these people anything. You know what I was thinking – If I could go back now, do you think I wouldn’t jump at the chance?

The storm was still off in the distance, horizon to horizon black with rain.

When Jonah asked me, did I want to go on or go back, I didn’t know what to say. A jumble of words, each one trying to get in first. Where to begin? What caused what? Who did what because of what? Did it start here or back in Paris?

Danny’s last dying breath was a curse. He cursed them all, and wished them all to go to hell like he was surely going. I didn’t want to end up the same way.