I debated Google Gemini about violence. It didn’t go well… for Gemini. The baseline question was:
What’s the difference between human and animal combat?
Gemini’s response was something like this:
Gemini: Humans use planning, have more intelligence, and utilize tactics.
Me: Don’t animals have all those things? Does human combat differ from animal combat only in degree, and not in kind?
Gemini: Yes: human and animal combat differ in degree, not in kind.
Me: Humans are unique in using objects in combat.
Gemini: That’s not necessarily true: primates have been known to use weapons in combat.
Me: Give one example of animals using tools in combat.
And it always responds,
Gemini: Actually there’s no clear evidence of animals using tools in combat. It appears to be unique to humans.
Me: So is this a difference in degree or kind?
Gemini: That is a difference in kind.
You can watch the whole debate here:
I get that Gemini is a machine, but it’s fed with all the mainstream western science ever put to print, and it couldn’t posit this very simple difference between human and animal combat. At one point it even suggests that I’m a bit hung up on this difference; but it’s an important point, because everyone seems to make this mistake. It’s the equivalent of a Mandela Effect. (I recently posted the same thing on Reddit and got the same response, albeit with more swearing: https://www.reddit.com/r/mythology/comments/1hlod01/myths_of_the_origin_of_war_and_violence/)
Eric Weinstein Interested in Alternative Theories
Eric Weinstein recently spoke on Brian Keating’s podcast about the dangers of silencing alternative (particularly, religious) scientific theories. The ROBA Hypothesis is not a religious theory; it’s only a simple differentiation between human and animal combat. An evolutionary biologist might then ask, “Then where does ROBA come from?” My response to that is, “It’s not my job to find out.” If anything, the ROBA Hypothesis is more like a Big Bang Theory of human violence. It might be the same for human consciousness and reality as a whole, I have no idea. But there it is, fundamentally different from animal combat. Weinstein’s clip is below:
Full disclosure: I enjoy reading Dawkins because he’s an exercise in anti-religiosity that necessarily takes on a religious zealotry, and for that reason he’s unbelievably concise. In his Selfish Gene (1976) he mentions that one can’t really derive an ethic from his theory, which is charitable. Why he continues to talk about how dumb religion is is beyond me. I have a suspicion that this is a Royal Institution thing, but Weinstein explains it better than me. For now…
Mike Lambert’s Sonic 3 3D stunt-viz
Many might know Mike from some Hong Kong action classics like Thunderbolt (1995), Best of the Best (1996), Black Mask (1996), and Who Am I? (1998) He’s one of the few stunt-viz artists out there who understands how to utilize motion capture and animation for making killer previs. My kids are Sonic movie fans; now I’m even more excited to see Sonic 3, which features Lambert’s work.
Quick Breakdown: Righting Wrongs – Rothrock vs. Sheperd
Hi-Yah just posted the Righting Wrongs fight between Rothrock and Karen Sheperd:
Corey Yuen’s action style is so prolific because it’s like a poppier version of Sammo’s action. His use of montage editing is generally more creative and physics-defying. I also never gave Sheperd credit: her technique is pretty on point. Contrast this with the finale, which was directed by Sammo, where the montage editing is to sell impact rather than gags.
ICYMI: Book Release Announcement
I recently went live on YouTube to announce the book release, which is being copy-edited right now and will be for sale on Amazon in January in both Kindle and paperback.
Happy Hanukkah!