인식에 대하여
On Epistemology
Humans perceive external objects.
Through what we commonly refer to as the five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—they come to know the external world.
However, to "know" is more than merely sensing.
It is the process of interpreting and organizing the information received through the senses into meaningful data.
Historically, numerous philosophers have contemplated the nature of such perception.
Among them, three figures stand out: Kant, Dewey, and Husserl.
Kant argued that there are forms of cognition that exist prior to experience.
He proposed the concept of the twelve categories, through which the mind organizes sensory data obtained through the senses.
Following the widespread acceptance of Kant's epistemology, a new perspective emerged in the form of Dewey’s theory of experience.
Dewey emphasized the concept of "experience." Here, experience is not merely sensory perception but the process of interacting with the world and relating those interactions to one another. Thus, experience is the combination of sensory input and intellect, resulting in the formation of meaningful information.
Husserl’s approach differs somewhat.
For Husserl, the method of uncovering the essence of a thing involves closely observing the various transformations and subtle differences in sensory experiences.
Through this meticulous examination, he advocated for the suspension of judgment—what he termed "epoché"—and the use of intentionality to explore the essence of a phenomenon, thus seeking to uncover its essential, transcendental meaning.
Thus, various approaches to understanding perception have been developed.
However, the point to be noted here is that the primary concern is the exploration of how humans perceive.
Until now, the focus has been on how humans come to know the world. Moving forward, we must also understand how artificial intelligence perceives the world and, more importantly, how humanity should respond to AI’s mode of perception.
I firmly assert that a turning point will inevitably come when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence.
Even at present, AI has already reached the level of sufficiently advanced intelligence in some areas, and in certain aspects, humans have already fallen behind.
So, how can humans differentiate themselves from AI?
First, let us consider human perception under the assumption that absolute truth exists.
From the perspective that there is an absolute truth, humans will employ reason and experience to the fullest extent in their quest to approach that truth. In theory, humans may eventually attain the truth.
However, unfortunately, humans are inherently imperfect.
Due to sensory errors, theoretical frameworks, and linguistic limitations, it appears exceedingly difficult to reach absolute truth.
Nevertheless, if one maintains the perspective that absolute truth exists and believes that, even if humans cannot fully grasp it, they can at least move closer to it, then the pursuit of truth may lead to gradual progress.
Now, we must ask: Can artificial intelligence perceive absolute truth, or can it approach it?
AI performs probabilistic reasoning based on data.
It utilizes the vast amounts of data accumulated on the internet and data newly acquired through various sensors to perform probabilistic inference based on the likelihood of certain outcomes. This can be understood as a process of approaching truth. Therefore, rather than attaining absolute truth, AI is closer to approaching it in a probabilistic sense.
Now then, in what aspects can humans differentiate themselves from AI?
Humans are unlikely to surpass AI in statistical reasoning.
From the outset, computers were designed for calculation. Thus, they possess exceptional computational abilities, maintaining a definitive advantage over humans. Hence, humans need to approach from a comparative advantage perspective to establish their strength.
What is that comparative advantage? It is intuition.
Intuition is the instantaneous insight formed by the integrated manifestation of accumulated experiences, knowledge, and cognitive structures.
Intuition is an area that AI has yet to reach, and as of now, it remains a domain accessible only to humans. This is where human strength becomes evident. Therefore, humans must utilize intuition, based on accumulated knowledge in diverse fields that AI has not yet attained, to differentiate themselves and maintain a competitive edge.
The problem, however, is that intuition is disadvantaged from a probabilistic standpoint.
Probability tends to favor the more likely outcome. Therefore, in a competition against AI, which possesses data that is never forgotten and can compress time to an extreme degree, it is difficult for humans to maintain a comparative advantage. Thus, although humans are at a disadvantage in terms of probability, they must focus on intuition, which can produce optimal outcomes through sudden leaps of insight.
We, as humans, perceive—whether through traditional methods or new approaches.
However, we must adopt a new perspective on perception. The domain of accumulated data and probabilistic reasoning should be handed over to AI.
Meanwhile, humans must move toward a new realm, further developing intuition.
This is the optimal strategy for humans to maintain a comparative advantage in the realm of perception.
