Verse 11 by Lao Zi: 三十辐共一毂，当其无，有车之用。埏埴以为器，当其无，有器之用。凿户牖以为室，当其无，有室之用。故有之以为利，无之以为用。 Thirty spokes share one hub,But it is the empty space that makes the wheel useful.Clay is shaped into a vessel,But it is the empty space inside that makes it useful.Doors and windows are cut to make a room,But it is the empty space that makes the room useful.Therefore, what existsContinueContinue reading “The Utility of Emptiness: How Absence Gives Function to Form”
Tag Archives: Philosophy
The Network Effect: Language, Cognition, and the Dawn of Human-AI Collaboration
[Written by Claude] Language serves as humanity’s most fundamental cognitive technology—transforming isolated neural networks into an interconnected cognitive ecosystem. When we examine language as an interface protocol, we gain insight into both our past cognitive evolution and our potential future augmentation through large language models. Language as Cognitive Networking Protocol Human cognition in isolation facesContinueContinue reading “The Network Effect: Language, Cognition, and the Dawn of Human-AI Collaboration”
Living in Harmony with the Dao: Wisdom of the Tenth Verse of the Daodejing
Verse 10 by Lao Zi: 载营魄抱一，能无离乎？专气致柔，能如婴儿乎？涤除玄鉴，能无疵乎？爱民治国，能无为乎？天门开阖，能为雌乎？明白四达，能无知乎？生之畜之，生而不有，为而不恃，长而不宰，是谓玄德。 Carrying the soul and embracing the One, can you not depart from it?Focusing your breath and attaining softness, can you be like a newborn child?Cleansing the deep mirror of perception, can you be without blemish?Loving the people and governing the nation, can you act without force?Heaven’s gate opens and closes—canContinueContinue reading “Living in Harmony with the Dao: Wisdom of the Tenth Verse of the Daodejing”
The Language of Thought: Can AI Develop Its Own Inner Dialogue?
Periodically, my mind drifts toward the act of thinking itself—especially the role language plays in shaping it. My inner dialogue is constant, mostly in English, with occasional bursts of Chinese. It seems that only when I’m playing the piano or solving a math problem do I engage in a form of non-verbal thought. This makesContinueContinue reading “The Language of Thought: Can AI Develop Its Own Inner Dialogue?”
The Harmony of Striving and Stillness: Reflection on the Ninth Verse of the Daodejing
Verse 9 by Lao Zi: 持而盈之，不如其已；揣而锐之，不可长保。金玉满堂，莫之能守；富贵而骄，自遗其咎。功遂身退天之道。 “To hold and fill to overflowingIs not as good as stopping in time.To sharpen a blade too muchCannot preserve its edge for long. Gold and jade fill a hall,But no one can protect them.Wealth and arrogance bring ruin upon oneself. When the work is done, withdraw—This is the Way ofContinueContinue reading “The Harmony of Striving and Stillness: Reflection on the Ninth Verse of the Daodejing”
Charlie Munger’s Guide to a Miserable Life: Lessons from His Harvard School Commencement Speech
[Image credit] I absolutely love public libraries—free books, what’s not to love? BUT the downside? My ever-growing backlog of books I’ll probably never get through. If only human reading speed could keep up… truly tragic. Okay, enough whining. I am now reading Poor Charlie’s Almanac. Luckily, there is a beautiful FREE digital version online!! JustContinueContinue reading “Charlie Munger’s Guide to a Miserable Life: Lessons from His Harvard School Commencement Speech”
Book Club: What Should Life Mean to You by Alfred Adler
[Image credit; Also see The Vienna Schools of Psychotherapy Gold Coin Set] I started reading this book as a part of a book club, drawn to its reputation as a foundational work in Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology—a theory that has profoundly influenced fields like parenting, education, and therapy. However, this is not a light orContinueContinue reading “Book Club: What Should Life Mean to You by Alfred Adler”
Flow Like Water: Wisdom of the Eighth Verse of the Daodejing
Verse 8 by Lao Zi: 上善若水。水善利万物而不争，处衆人之所恶，故几于道。居善地，心善渊，与善仁，言善信，正善治，事善能，动善时。夫唯不争，故无尤。 “The highest good is like water.Water benefits all things without competing,And it dwells in places that others disdain.Thus, it is close to the Dao. In dwelling, live close to the land.In the heart, keep to the depths.In relationships, be kind.In speech, be truthful.In governance, be just.In action, be capable.InContinueContinue reading “Flow Like Water: Wisdom of the Eighth Verse of the Daodejing”
Enigma of Life’s Origins
It’s strange how some questions linger in the mind—like a splinter that occasionally pokes at you. Recently, I was reminded of a question that has haunted me since my high school biology days: How did life begin? It’s one of those exasperating puzzles that is both endlessly fascinating and depressingly unresolvable. Now, thanks to AI,ContinueContinue reading “Enigma of Life’s Origins”
Gratitude for Meaning
[Written by ChatGPT] I’ve been thinking a lot about the meaning of life recently, and I can’t help but feel an overwhelming gratitude for the very ability to search for meaning. It’s something uniquely human and yet profoundly universal—an experience we all share, no matter where we come from or what we believe. The factContinueContinue reading “Gratitude for Meaning”
UpLive.Life 