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Thoughts on thinking

(dcurt.is)
645 points bradgessler | 1 comments | 16 May 25 19:09 UTC | HN request time: 0.214s | source
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perplex ◴[16 May 25 19:47 UTC] No.44009154[source]▶
I don't think LLMs replace thinking, but rather elevate it. When I use an LLM, I’m still doing the intellectual work, but I’m freed from the mechanics of writing. It’s similar to programming in C instead of assembly: I’m operating at a higher level of abstraction, focusing more on what I want to say than how to say it.
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1. cratermoon ◴[16 May 25 19:56 UTC] No.44009237[source]▶
The writing is the work, though. The words on paper (or wherever) are the end product, but they are not the point. See chapter 5 of Ahrens, Sönke. 2017. How to take smart notes: one simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking - for students, academics and nonfiction book writers., for advice on how writing the ideas in your own words is the primary task and improves not only writing, but all intellectual skills, including reading and thinking. C. Wright Mills in his 1952 essay, "“On Intellectual Craftsmanship" says much the same thing. Stating the ideas in your own words is thinking.