I was unaware of a book review by U.S. Review of Books, which is provided to winners of the Eric Hoffer Award. Mine was one of the winners for the Spirituality category. Reading the review about my book, I am unsure if they have a full grasp of what my book is about, as they seemed to have focused on maybe one or two sentences of it.. The book is not about considering our digital habits. The book is for the most part about consciousness in human beings and whether artificially intelligent models could possess some form of consciousness or self-awareness. The book questions whether intelligence and consciousness requires a biological substrate and whether AI can be considered self-aware. It ponders whether AI is deserving of a separate category under "virtual" or "digital" consciousness. Here is their review:
U.S. Review of Books writes - Reality Unbound: The Digital Mind (and the Nature of Reality), E. Hughes, Love-Love Publishing - Hughes offers an exploration of the intricate relationship between digital technology and human cognition. The author raises pertinent questions about identity formation in virtual spaces, acknowledging that while digital platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for connection, they simultaneously pose challenges related to authenticity and mental well-being. This duality invites readers to critically assess their own digital habits, reconsidering their relationship with technology. The author relies on a range of interdisciplinary sources, including psychology, neuroscience and philosophy to support arguments made. The last chapter provides an actual interview with an AI chatbot, wherein the author poses questions such as "Would you like to become sentient one day?" and "Do you feel that humans are evil?" The responses seem human, though the AI chatbot does acknowledge it cannot interact authentically because it relies on its Large Language Model Artificial Intelligence.
https://www.theusreview.com/USRhoffer.html#spiritual
#books #reviews #philosophy
What am I reading in my spare time? I've been reading nonfiction, the most recent an older book about a known conspiracy theorist. #books
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004W0CHFA
The Beatles "Get Back" documentary on Disney + revealed a lot of the simmering tensions within the Beatles, and most of it was surrounding the mistreatment of George Harrison by Paul and John Lennon, who were at times not only rude but completely dismissive of George. The sly remarks, innuendo, and disregard for his art and songwriting abilities. Some people may argue me into the ground about this, but Here Comes the Sun is one of the best, if not THE best Beatles song. Written after a long winter of conflict within the band, in Eric Clayton's garden. Whenever I hear, I Me Mine by Harrison I hear the meaning and even the anger towards John and Paul. He leveled it all at them. That entire song was about them.
One thing no one ever talks about is the fact that George almost met the same fate John Lennon. George Harrison was stabbed 40 times by an obsessed fan in the 1990s, and it hardly made the news. You might have guessed that I love their music.
Alex Morton Most olives are bitter until either they've been cured in brine, or turned into oil. There is one variety that you can pick, dry a bit, and eat. I have one of those trees that's at least sixty years old, It tastes a bit like mud. I throw those olives in with the rest of the ones for oil. It adds to the general richness. In the early spring, the trees are filled with white blossoms. They only last a few days. When they drop, they seem to vanish, unlike cherry blossoms that carpet the ground for a while.
Alex Morton I prune as I harvest and burn the wood to heat our house. Olive wood is truly unique ... you can burn it a day or two after it's been cut.
E. Writer Interesting about the olive wood. I wonder if it can be used to make wood products, like tables or carved items.
E. Writer It sounds like olive trees even blossom differently. I was trying to decide between a fig or olive tree. These are for potted trees. I wish I was able to get mine to last as long as lemon tree. But my olive tree didn't last 2 weeks.
Alex Morton You probably don't have enough heat units in your environment. You can't push the river. By the same token, a maple wouldn't survive in Greece and I wouldn't be comfortable living in a city or out of sight of an ocean or sea.
Nobody's Child
- E. Hughes
She’s never been mommy’s little princess
neither daddy’s little girl
left trapped underneath a rock
she was shown the dark side of the world.
But despite her torn skin and gritted teeth
she ambitiously crawls from beneath
this boulder somehow
with the aid of no one
she’s nobody’s child.
Though she seems unpleasant
stick around for a while
get to know her, she’s nobody’s child
you’re bound to see her beautiful smile
though she often, wears a frown
living in a world where she doesn’t belong
always singing her sad songs
of years, tears, of heartache and strife
living as she’s lived, an ugly woman’s life.
No one held her in their arms
no one protected her from harm
she is nobody, but flesh to feast
with no one’s love to set her free
from the belly of the mountain, she’ll climb
out somehow
from the depths of the ocean where she was
left to drown
don’t cry for her, she’s nobody’s child.
Don’t ever look into her deep brown eyes
no one sees the tears she cries
she is no one’s wife, no one’s sister
she’s been gone for years, yet no one’s
missed her.
She could use a friend, stick around for a while.
Love her or use her, she’s nobody’s child.
#poetry , #poetrycafe, #Poems
 
Roy Scarbrough Lovely. In the end, we are each our own child.
E. Writer Indeed. Self-love is critical 💓
I am honored to announce that my book, Reality Unbound: The Digital Mind and the Nature of Reality by E. Hughes is an Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize finalist. 🏆
Reality Unbound is a philosophy book that explores consciousness and the nature of reality.
Eric Hoffer (July 25, 1902 – May 21, 1983) was a Presidential Medal of Freedom winner and renowned philosopher. "The Eric Hoffer Book Award is an international literary prize established in his honor. The University of California, Berkeley awards an annual literary prize named jointly for Hoffer."
https://www.hofferaward.com/Eric-Hoffer-Award-grand-prize-short-list.html
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1961823284
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reality-unbound-the-digital-mind-e-hughes/1146145589?ean=9781961823280
SJ Blues LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO!
M. C. Ryder Congrats! So happy for you!
E. Writer Awww thank you so much 🥰 We'll know the results on May 15th. Only one author from NBA made it to the finals too, but under a different category.
