Why language models collapse when trained on recursively generated text
https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.14872
Without doing more than scanning this doc, I am lead to wonder at just
what the collective human knowledge base (noosphere?) is if not a
recursively generated text? An obvious answer is that said recursive
text/discourse also folds in sensori-motor engagement in the larger
"natural world" as it unfolds... so it is not *entirely* masturbatory
as the example above appears to be.
seems to make the point in a hygienic way (even if ideal or
over-simplified). We make inferences based on "our" (un-unified) past
inferences, build upon the built environment, etc. In the humanities,
I guess it's been called hyperreality or somesuch. Notice the infamous
Catwoman died a few days ago.
I need to review the "hyperreality" legacy... I vaguely remember the
coining of the term in the 90s?
It all (even the paper Roger just posted) reminds me of a response I
learned from Monty Python: "Oh, come on. Pull the other one." And
FWIW, I think this current outburst on my part spawns from this essay:
Life is Meaningless: What Now?
https://youtu.be/3x4UoAgF9I4?si=7uVDeiDQ8STTJtv7
In particular, "he [Camus] has to introduce the opposing
concept—solidarity. This solidarity is a way of reconstructing mutual
respect and regard between people in the absence of transcendent
values, hence his argument for a natural sense of shared humanity
since we are all forever struggling against the absurd."
Fascinating summary/treatment of Camus and the kink he put in
Existentialism... familiar to me in principle but in this moment, with
this presentation and your summary, and perhaps the "existential crisis
of this moment" (as discussed with Jochen on a parallel thread?) it is
particularly poignant.
Thanks for offering some "solidarity" of this nature during what might
be a collective existential crisis. Strange to realize that it might
be "as good as it gets" to rally around the "meaninglessness of life"?
On 1/7/25 09:40, steve smith wrote:
Regarding Glen's article "challenging the 'paleo' diet narrative".
I'm sure their reports are generally accurate and in fact
homo-this-n-that have been including significant plant sources into
our diets for much longer than we might have suspected. Our Gorilla
cousins at several times our body mass and with significantly higher
muscle tone live almost entirely on low-grade vegetation. But the
article presents this as if ~1M years of hominid development across a
very wide range of ecosystems was monolithic? There are still near
subsistence cultures whose primary source of nourishment is animal
protein (e.g. Aleuts, Evenki/Ewenki/Sami)?
I'm a fan of the "myth of paleo" even though I'm mostly vegetarian.
I like the *idea* of living a feast/famine cycle and obtaining most
of my nutrition from fairly primary/raw sources. Of course, my modern
industrial embedding has me eating avocados grown on Mexican-Cartel
owned farms and almonds grown in the central valley of California on
river water diverted from the Colorado river basin. <sigh>.
On 1/7/25 06:21, glen wrote:
Archaeological study challenges 'paleo' diet narrative of ancient
hunter–gatherers
https://phys.org/news/2025-01-archaeological-paleo-diet-narrative-ancient.html
Renee' convinced me to eat fried chicken the other night. ... Well,
OK. She just put it in front of me and my omnivorous nature took
over. Fine. It's fine. Everything's fine. But it reminded me of the
fitness influencers and their obsession with chicken and [ahem]
"protein". Then I noticed the notorious non-sequitur science
communicator Andrew Huberman is now platforming notorious
motivated-reasoning through evolutionary psychology guru Jordan
Peterson. Ugh. And Jan 6 is now a holiday celebrating those morons
who broke into the Capitol. Am I just old? Or is the world actually
going to hell in a handbasket? Get off my lawn!
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