Growth Mindset Plus Healthy Life Habits and Step-by-step Training (Quote of the Week)

   "Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

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"Believing you're incapable or clumsy can create a self-fulfilling prophecy that leads people to disengage. To reframe these beliefs, think of your abilities as an experience rather than an identity."

Uncoordinated? You Can Still Be an Athlete.

By Jenny Marder

July 6, 2023

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/06/well/move/clumsiness-coordination-sports-exercise.html

***

The article above presents an encouraging proposition that clumsy individuals have the potential to enhance their motor skills. Drawing parallels with stroke patients who can relearn to walk despite significant neuronal damage, the article proposes that clumsy people can undoubtedly improve their bodily coordination. However, this transformation should ideally follow three steps: adopting a new mindset, nurturing a healthy lifestyle, and following precise instructions.

First, the article encourages a critical shift in mindset. While it does not explicitly mention the terminology, the article essentially discusses changing from a 'fixed mindset' - the belief that one's capabilities are innate and unchangeable, to a 'growth mindset' - the view that one can evolve through experiential learning (see this video for a brief explanation of the two concepts). The latter perspective views failures as stepping stones toward improvement. Thus, the first step involves emancipating oneself from the self-imposed belief that one cannot change. Apparently, altering long-held fixed beliefs may be challenging, but the subsequent steps can facilitate the transition toward a growth mindset.

The second component of this skill acquisition pertains to fostering a healthy lifestyle, particularly sound sleep and mental tranquility. Quality sleep and a serene mind are pivotal to motor coordination, as confirmed by numerous world-class athletes who disclose their techniques for rest and mental calm. Though a healthy lifestyle may appear blatantly obvious as a secret to success, its importance cannot be overstated.

Finally, the article advises an analytical approach. To master a skill, one needs explicit, step-by-step instructions. When detailed guidance is unavailable, one should actively observe, reflect, and discover the specifics of the skill. Unlike natural-born athletes, ordinary people cannot instantly mimic a complex feat. Analytical breakdown of the skill components is crucial for successful mastery.

Extending beyond the scope of the original article, I believe that the synergy of these three elements equally applies to cognitive development. After all, without self-confidence, how can one even start to act? When one is exhausted or stressed, efforts are likely to be wasted. When flying to the mountaintop is impossible, the rational strategy is to discover a feasible route and ascend, one step at a time. While these lessons might lack initial appeal at first glance, one's self-belief, self-care, and analytical approach to learning are crucial determinants of a fulfilled life.

[Written with ChatGPT]

AI may be advancing "digital neoliberalism" (Quote of the Week)

   "Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

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"Yet neoliberalism is far from dead. Worse, it has found an ally in A.G.I.-ism, which stands to reinforce and replicate its main biases: that private actors outperform public ones (the market bias), that adapting to reality beats transforming it (the adaptation bias) and that efficiency trumps social concerns (the efficiency bias)."

Evgeny Morozov

June 30, 2023

The True Threat of Artificial Intelligence

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/30/opinion/artificial-intelligence-danger.html

***

Neoliberalism persists robustly in the current socio-economic landscape. It is apparently bolstered by the burgeoning expectation in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). The remarkable achievements of contemporary Artificial Intelligence, advancing towards AGI, seem to strengthen neoliberal ideology, amplifying its three tenets: market bias, adaptation bias, and efficiency bias.

The market bias implies an inherent superiority of private enterprises over public institutions. This position manifests itself when individuals involved in public matters innocently proclaim the superior problem-solving capabilities of AI. Undoubtedly, this is the case in many instances. However, an essential question to address is whether AI primarily serves the interests of the affluent alone. Vital public sectors, such as education and healthcare, must benefit all people. Therefore, the proponents of AI, including myself, need to critically examine whether they are unknowingly advocating for the neoliberal agenda of privatizing public affairs.

The adaptation bias constrains cognitive views to minute, incremental modifications, impeding the potential for revolutionary transformation. The allure of AI's gamification might engage a subset of students, but its success could deter educators from delving into the root causes of students' disinterest. The present trajectory of AI's advancements may yield a myopic perspective, leading us to mistake a single tree for the entire forest.

The efficiency bias, the final tenet, manifests in a societal fixation on quantitative data. This inclination is prevalent in a capitalist society where numerous social practices, including educational pursuits, are commodified. Most educators recognize that education's ultimate goal pertains to holistic human development. However, they frequently feel compelled to forgo discussions on the humanistic aspects of education due to the non-quantifiable nature of these aspects. The prevailing discourse, which praises objectivity and accountability, prioritizes efficiency metrics at the expense of social concern, typically conceptualized only in abstract manners.

AI technology may become the embodiment of "digital neoliberalism." The widespread enthusiasm for AI could be inadvertently disseminating the notion that public affairs ought to be relegated to AI applications that withstand rigorous market scrutiny because they mandate measurable changes. The implications of AI extend beyond mere technological considerations. It is vital to foster political awareness concerning the utilization of AI.

[Written with ChatGPT]

Navigating Incrementally in a Turbulant Era (Quote of the Week)

   "Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

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“There’s very little market for, ‘Well, AI has a lot of important pros and cons, and we have to incrementally navigate’,” he says. “But that’s probably where the wisdom is.”

AI is making Washington smarter

The Economist, Jun 29th 2023

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/06/29/ai-is-making-washington-smarter

In the digital age, social networking platforms have increased the volume of the emotional pitch of debates. Standpoints often split into vehement advocates and adamant naysayers. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no exception to such polarizing debates. It frequently hosts utopian dreamers and dystopian pessimists, often isolated within their respective echo chambers.

Presumably, the whispers of the AI doomsayers have reached the corridors of European policymaking. The European Union has proposed a sweeping array of AI regulations, potentially blocking the technology's widespread adoption in the region. In comparison, political initiatives aimed at reining AI companies in the United States seem more reactive than proactive, evolving only too slowly.

However, given the inherent unpredictability of technological advancements, an attentive and continuous regulatory strategy could be the most effective means of supervising the industry. Embracing pros and cons at the same time may be a sign of wisdom rather than a lack of understanding.

[Written with ChatGPT]

LLMs will Compound the Interplay of the Three Complex Systems: The Market System, Bureaucracy, and Electoral Democracy. (Quote of the Week)

  "Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

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“We eke out freedom by setting one against another, deploying bureaucracy to limit market excesses, democracy to hold bureaucrats accountable, and markets and bureaucracies to limit democracy’s monstrous tendencies. How will the newest shoggoth change the balance, and which politics might best direct it to the good? We need to start finding out. “

Artificial intelligence is a familiar-looking monster, say Henry Farrell and Cosma Shalizi

June 21st, 2023. The Economist

https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2023/06/21/artificial-intelligence-is-a-familiar-looking-monster-say-henry-farrell-and-cosma-shalizi

***

Many computer scientists in Silicon Valley perceive Large Language Models (LLMs) as such an enigma that they liken them to the shoggoth, a fictional eerie octopus-like monster [1][2]. This comparison is shared by the authors of the featured article, Farrell and Shalizi, a professor of international affairs and democracy and a professor of statistics and machine learning, respectively. Yet, they posit that LLMs are not the first 'shoggoth' modern societies have faced: humans have been co-existing with similar incomprehensible entities for centuries: the market system, bureaucracy, and electoral democracy.

The market system, as Friedrich Hayek [3] explains, is too complex for any individual intellect or governmental body to predict its outcomes accurately. In the same vein, James Scott [4] argues that while bureaucracy is a massive information processor, making vast amounts of data visible to politicians and citizens, the mechanisms of its complex, multi-layered system remain elusive to any observer. Likewise, electoral democracy generates policies that no individual can entirely foresee. A myriad of representations and abstractions ensures that no single individual's plan fully materializes. Hence, these commonplace institutions for modern societies, the market system, bureaucracy, and electoral democracy, resemble 'shoggoths' in their complexity and their defying of any single person's comprehension.

Significantly, the present-day world is shaped by the interplay of these three gigantic and intricate systems. The introduction of LLMs will compound the current complexity of the world. The ensuing interactions promise to be more elaborate, widespread, and unpredictable than ever before. What is required from humans is not the unfeasible pursuit of knowledge to predict and control these monsters, but rather a depth of wisdom to navigate their complexities.

[Written with ChatGPT]

[1] The Wisdom of Humanities in the Age of Technology (Quote of the Week) http://yosukeyanase.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-wisdom-of-humanities-in-age-of.html

[2] Google image search, "Shoggoth": https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1PWSB_jaJP967JP968&q=shoggoth&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjujq6CgNj_AhVOxWEKHUo3AakQ0pQJegQICBAB&biw=2327&bih=1179&dpr=1.1

[3] Wikipedia, "Friedrich Hayek": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek

[4] Wikipedia, "James Scott": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_C._Scott

India in the Multipolar World (Quote of the Week)

 "Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

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"The relationship is therefore a test case for the messy alliance of democracies emerging in a multipolar world."

Joe Biden and Narendra Modi are drawing their countries closer

Leaders: The Economist. Jun 15th 2023

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/06/15/joe-biden-and-narendra-modi-are-drawing-their-countries-closer

***

India is set to play a critical role in shaping the world's multipolar future. Its large population, high-standard higher education system, and abundance of English speakers mean it will significantly impact the global economy. However, India's values do not perfectly align with Western ones. While it is a democratic nation, some describe it as an "illiberal" democracy, as the article above does.

India's relationship with the United States will probably have far-reaching effects on global politics, as the article indicates, for it may establish stronger connections with Russia or China, if it fails.

Simultaneously, Indian English is becoming more prominent in English language teaching. We're moving past the times when it was okay to make fun of its accent. Meet an intelligent Indian English speaker below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU-zhajzad4

The Wisdom of Humanities in the Age of Technology (Quote of the Week)

 

"Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

***

"There is no time in our history in which the humanities, philosophy, ethics and art are more urgently necessary than in this time of technology's triumph," said Leon Wieseltier, the editor of Liberties, a humanistic journal. "Because we need to be able to think in nontechnological terms if we're going to figure out the good and the evil in all the technological innovations. Given society's craven worship of technology, are we going to trust the engineers and the capitalists to tell us what is right and wrong?"

Don't Kill 'Frankenstein' With Real Frankensteins at Large

May 27, 2023

By Maureen Dowd

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/27/opinion/english-humanities-ai.html

***

Many computer scientists utilize the Shoggoth, a fictitious octopus-like creature, to illustrate the bizarre traits of generative AI. [1]  I draw a parallel to the Monkey King [2] in an upcoming short essay for the special issue of English Language Education. [3]

My analogy also emphasizes that while generative AI can imitate human-like behavior extraordinarily well, it is, in essence, non-human. The understanding of its cognitive patterns remains unknown to even its creators. In the Japanese televised adaptations of the Monkey King tales, the monk Tang Sanzang squeezes a restraining band around the head the Monkey King when it abuses its supernatural abilities. Additionally, the Monkey King found it impossible to escape from Buddha's hand no matter how hard it tried. These two episodes suggest that the extraordinary powers produced by non-human entities need to be governed by profound wisdom, symbolized here by the monk and Buddha.

Recently, many experts and public figures have endorsed the Statement on AI Risk: "Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war." [4] This concern underscores the significance of the quote above.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/technology/shoggoth-meme-ai.html

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_King

[3] https://www.taishukan.co.jp/book/b202193.html

[4] https://www.safe.ai/statement-on-ai-risk

[Written with ChatGPT]

Language learning for diversity and openness (Quote of the Week)

 

"Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

***

"The rhetorical and linguistic preferences that North American professors honed into me were not just a different writing style or literacy practice, but a different way of knowing. They trained me to write a transparent prose with explicit language which left no room for ambiguity and made me take sole responsibility for conveying meanings to detached readers in a self-standing text. The text was thus treated as disembodied and autonomous."

Decolonizing Academic Writing Pedagogies for Multilingual Students

21 May 2023

TESOL Quarterly.

https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3231

***

Reflect on the quote above as it relates to the journey you're embarking on: writing in English. It involves learning to formulate and express thoughts in an entirely different medium from your mother tongue. Remember, writing encompasses more than merely following rules of spelling and grammar. It is a tool that compels you to structure your thoughts in a particular framework, often called "logic."

However, it's crucial to understand that "logic," in this broad sense, varies across cultures. What English speakers value as logical writing may come across as overly assertive to a Japanese audience. Conversely, a nuanced passage in Japanese, replete with care and consideration, could be misinterpreted as winding and lacking clarity by English readers. Therefore, writing in a foreign language necessitates a cognitive transformation rather than just a simple linguistic modification.

Learn to communicate effectively in English, as it can significantly expand your horizons. However, resist the notion that English writing is the universal standard. Instead, cherish the richness of cultural diversity, for it fosters tolerance and adaptability among us. Your journey of learning English should inspire openness, not narrow-mindedness.

[Written with ChatGPT]

Achievement and accomplishment (Quote of the Week)

 "Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

***

"Achievement is the completion of the task imposed from outside -- the reward often being a path to the next achievement. Accomplishment is the end point of an engulfing activity we’ve chosen, whose reward is the sudden rush of fulfillment, the sense of happiness that rises uniquely from absorption in a thing outside ourselves."

What We Lose When We Push Our Kids to ‘Achieve’

May 15, 2023

By Adam Gopnik

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/opinion/youth-achievement-happiness.html

***

Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, the prevalent approach in many schools is still the classic "carrot and stick" model. [1] A significant number of educators and school leaders firmly believe that students' behaviors should be manipulated through rewards and punishments. They maintain that clear goals should be set for students so that their "achievements" can be precisely measured.

However, pursuing higher achievements can often devolve into a stressful race for status, causing individuals to lose sight of the true purpose of their relentless competition. Too frequently, they lose a sense of personal agency in their own lives. Educators and administrators must recognize that intrinsic motivation--the internal drive of an individual--is more powerful and long-lasting than extrinsic motivation, which is externally driven.

When people engage in actions that they personally value, they experience the joy of "accomplishment." Distinct from achievement, accomplishment springs from within the individual. It does not require external rewards or acknowledgment; the individual becomes the authentic agent of their actions. Accomplishment should be the benchmark in the current education, which values diversity.

The unique values held by each person cannot be easily standardized or measured. Those who find satisfaction in controlling other persons depreciate the meaning of individual accomplishment. Nevertheless, education should not cater to such perspectives. Instead, students should prioritize personal accomplishment and the intrinsic joy it brings rather than seeking achievements dictated by external forces.

[1] 動機づけに関するDan Pinkの動画

http://yanaseyosuke.blogspot.com/2018/04/dan-pink.html

[Written with ChatGPT and QuillBot]

Banality and Creativity (Quote of the Week)

 "Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

***

"TV has always relied on formula, not necessarily in a bad way. It iterates, it churns out slight variations on a theme, it provides comfort. ... That’s also what could make them among the first candidates for A.I. screenwriting."

TV’s War With the Robots Is Already Here

By James Poniewozik

May 10, 2023

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/arts/television/writers-strike-artificial-intelligence.html

In our everyday life, people usually find comfort in banality. Watching TV is a prime example, as the article above indicates. After a hard day, people often look forward to sitting in front of the TV to relax. They want a story that differs from their own life but only needs a little cognitive effort. That explains why TV shows offer too many familiar stories with just a few changes. People love these programs for their predictable banality. 

Predictability is the bedrock of big data. The same patterns people keep creating are the basis of machine learning. Artificial Intelligence (AI) utilizes this data to create "new" texts that are only too familiar. As the article suggests, AI could start writing parts, or possibly all, of the scripts for some TV shows in the near future.

However, a life replete with predictability and banality is not worth living. People occasionally need surprises, challenges, and even disturbances. While AI excels in generating familiar products, it is not yet as creative as inventive humans. 

Education should shift its emphasis from teaching conformity to developing individuality. It should encourage students to be original and innovative. People should leave routine tasks to AI and focus on being creative. If education changes too slowly, it is up to each individual to educate themselves anew.

[Written with ChatGPT and QuillBot]

From Jerome Roos (2023) "We Don’t Know What Will Happen Next." (Quote of the Week)

 

"Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in my assignment reminder emails to my students.

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To truly grasp the complex nature of our current time, we need first of all to embrace its most terrifying aspect: its fundamental open-endedness. It is precisely this radical uncertainty -- not knowing where we are and what lies ahead -- that gives rise to such existential anxiety.

 

We Don’t Know What Will Happen Next

April 18, 2023

By Jerome Roos

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/opinion/global-crisis-future.html

People of a particular mindset crave certainty. They wish for a world where everything is predictable and accountable. For such individuals, the current era must be daunting, with global issues such as climate change, geopolitical tension, and the dramatic rise of artificial intelligence.

Those people tend to be drawn to one of the two opposing worldviews: a progressive narrative ("Everything will be okey") or a doomsday narrative ("Our days are numbered"). Both stances exhibit a one-sided perspective that sees history as a linear development, either ascending or descending.

Mr. Roos, an expert on the history of global crises, reminds us of the complexity and open-endedness of the world. The world is perpetually changing, sometimes subtly and occasionally drastically. Furthermore, nobody can predict the extent of the consequences, for changes are endless.

Liberal education emancipates individuals from their narrow-mindedness. Broaden your horizons and accept the complexity of the world. That is how you live a brave life.

[Written with ChatGPT and Bard]

From Sam Altman (2019) "How to be successful." (Quote of the Week)

 

"Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in my assignment reminder emails to my students.

***

"One of the great joys in life is finding your purpose, excelling at it, and discovering that your impact matters to something larger than yourself."

Sam Altman (2019) "How to be successful." 

https://blog.samaltman.com/how-to-be-successful

Sam Altman's 2019 essay details the mindset that propelled him to become the CEO of OpenAI and earned him the title "ChatGPT King" (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/technology/sam-altman-open-ai-chatgpt.html).

The quote above is from the section "Work Hard," one of the 13 principles for success outlined in his essay. 

He exemplifies what he says, particularly the following:

"Getting good at communication --particularly written communication-- is an investment worth making. My best advice for communicating clearly is to first make sure your thinking is clear and then use plain, concise language."

Altman's essay serves as a prime example of effective business communication. This essay will be beneficial for your personal and professional growth.

[I used ChatGPT and QuillBot for revising the text above.]