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by beardedwizard 541 days ago
Why is this distinction lost in every thread on this topic, I don't get it.
2 comments

Because it’s a distinction without a difference. You can say the same thing about people: many/most of our decisions are made before our consciousness is involved. Much of our “decision making” is just post hoc rationalization.

What the “LLMs don’t reason like we humans” crowd is missing is that we humans actually don’t reason as much as we would like to believe[0].

It’s not that LLMs are perfect or rational or flawless… it’s that their gaps in these areas aren’t atypical for humans. Saying “but they don’t truly understand things like we do” betrays a lack of understanding of humans, not LLMs.

0. https://home.csulb.edu/~cwallis/382/readings/482/nisbett%20s...

A lot more people are credulous idiots than anyone wants to believe - and the confusion/misunderstanding is being actively propagated.
Seeing dissenting opinions as being “actively propagated” by “credulous idiots” sure makes it easy to remain steady in one’s beliefs, I suppose. Not a lot of room to learn, but no discomfort from uncertainty.
I think we have to be open to the possibility it's us not them, but I haven't been convinced yet