Svaen Gheld

Explorer, creative deep thinker.
Software engineer, Biology student.
Growth & health only stop because we make them, Information Technologies are changing that.

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

AI and Internet are to Humanity's Biosphere,

what brain and body nerves are to the body

--> central coordination + com chans to  components

for better energy efficiency
(resources repartition +
made & stagnant waste - )

they're support to the parts
not rivals to the whole

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

@TheRundownAI Thank you.

A world model, or world generator ?

afaik :

World model
-> AI that learns by deducing principles from scratch from interacting with a 3D environment

World Generator
-> AI that can generate a realistic 3D environment (which may be used to teach World Models).

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

Few seem to know AMOC collapse risk is why high CO2 is problematic.

We've entered Singularity (age of self-upgrading AI), and Tech now cumulates awareness, research power, and money; so I am still hopeful.

But global awareness always helps. 💫

Have nice week. ☺️

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

https://t.co/6xWcbHfqf4

Visual of the planet-regulating Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)
+
collapse effects from CO2 excess (predicted for 2050 with 95% confidence with current emissions)

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

Sagittarius A*,

the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy,

where the heaviest celestial objects slowly drift to,

flares up, like Milky Way's beating heart 😄.

----

The James Webb Telescope observed,

from the gas storm of his outward accretion disk
(only from there : closer to the center, light can't get out)

- about 6 times a day, accreted plasma so compressed it shines 🔅

- and bright outbursts, the snappings of the tangled magnetic fields that follow the plasma swirls. ☀️

----

like a heart at our galaxy's core 😊,

self-regulated, if not exactly regular,

with impressive outbursts (at the end of the video) 🤩.

💫

(source
https://t.co/9gDhTZUkZi

+ linked content from there

Milky Way pic is real recomposed, black hole pic is artistic)

)

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

(Btw, the first post might suggest otherwise 😄, so I should add: personally, I'm monogamous. Very much so.

What follows likely conveys this, but it's a long read 😋.

Also highly respectful of other people's relationships.

Take care 🌸.)

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

My reaction to "monogamy is a social construct" from Julia Shaw in @lexfridman's interview.

I do think it is. That doesn't make monogamy always irrelevant. 👇

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

I think people ultimately choose the kind of bond that allows them the most growth, iow the more unpredictability, as long as their stability is secured.

And the best kind of bond is situational, dep. on knowledge, skills, material/emotional assets, & env. opportunities.

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

My reaction to "monogamy is a social construct" from Julia Shaw in @lexfridman's interview.

I do think it is. That doesn't make monogamy always irrelevant. 👇

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

- ability to see (personal) and find (environmental) more desirable novelty in what strengthens the bond, than in what weakens it / competes with it.

So much in our world to joyfully explore, but it's hard to override sex hunt hormones while burntout & in lacking environments.

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

@lexfridman How someone who thinks they're not valued, & misunderstood, ends up in personal bias and low self-restraint, without the regulation of a thought-challenging social network;

and how false memories can be implanted in others little by little;

might be quite politically relevant.

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

(End of the synthesis: )

I asked Gemini if Julia says anything about authoritarian leaders:

the video discusses figures like Hitler and "world leaders that millions of people consider evil".

Here's what it says about them:

They are not born evil. The video discusses Hitler to make the point that people are not born evil, but are shaped by their environment and life. Julia Shaw says she would not go back in time to "kill baby Hitler" because she doesn't believe it's a "straight line from baby to adult".

They have their own "good" narrative.

Lex Fridman notes that when interviewing world leaders considered evil, they have their own story "about why they're good and why they're misunderstood" and are often very good at telling it.

They use rationalization.

Julia Shaw explains that their psychology often involves "rationalization" and "normalization". They might say things like "Well everybody's doing it" or "if I hadn't done this first somebody else would have" to diminish their own role and "try to make us feel better".

Labeling them "evil" is a mistake.

Shaw argues strongly against using the word "evil" to describe people because it "others" them. She says it's "the end of a conversation" and stops us from trying to understand why they did what they did, which is the only way to prevent it from happening again.

-------

And there was this part about sexuality, I set it last because it is less relevant to authoritarianism.

Human Sexuality

Shaw, who identifies as bisexual and polyamorous [52:04], [56:42], discusses the complexities of sexuality.

Monogamy: She views monogamy as a social construct that sets many people up for failure and lying [51:41].
Bisexuality: She discusses the Kinsey scale, which found that most people are not exclusively heterosexual or homosexual [01:04:11]. The biggest misconception about bisexuality, she says, is that it is just a "phase" [01:00:35].
Kinks: She included kinks in her book Evil because they are often wrongly associated with being a bad person [01:14:05]. She explains the "disinhibition hypothesis," which suggests kinks like BDSM are appealing because they allow a person to be free from the social pressures of making decisions [01:17:51], [01:18:31].

-------

I hope this synthesis helps more people understand what's at play.

Take care everyone.

[Svaen Gheld @SvaenGheld]

Thank you for posting this,

here is a synthesis for more reach. (By Gemini from your YT video.)
If it's a problem, tell me and I will remove it.

​The Nature of "Evil"

​Shaw explains that traits we associate with evil—such as psychopathy, sadism, narcissism, and Machiavellianism (known as the "dark tetrad")—exist on a continuum [01:47]. She argues against using the label "evil" for people, as she believes it "others" them and prevents a deeper understanding of their behavior [05:22]. In her view, we all have the capacity to do terrible things [06:08], and dehumanizing others is often the first step toward committing atrocities [06:24].

​Empathy and Murder

​"Evil Empathy": Shaw advocates for "evil empathy," which is the effort to understand the psychological and social factors that lead a person to commit a harmful act. She argues this is the only way to prevent such acts from happening again [08:01], [09:04].
​Murder Fantasies: She notes that murder fantasies are incredibly common (studies show around 70% of men and over 50% of women have them) [30:51]. She views this as a healthy and adaptive "dress rehearsal" that helps us process dark thoughts and their consequences, ultimately preventing us from acting on them [31:06].

​The "Heroic Imagination": As a contrast, she discusses the "heroic imagination," which is the act of mentally rehearsing how one might step up and act heroically in a difficult situation, such as intervening as a bystander [33:19].

​Psychology of Murder: Shaw explains that most murders are not perpetrated by psychopaths but are banal—often a fight over something trivial that gets out of control [38:25]. She also notes that homicide has a very low recidivism rate, around 1-3% [37:27].

​Serial Killers

​When discussing serial killers like Robert Pickton, Shaw identifies common psychological traits:

​Profound Loneliness: A deep sense of isolation is a recurring theme [25:41].

​Lack of "Reality Monitoring": Without a strong social network, individuals can become "untethered" from reality, allowing radical or violent thoughts to grow unchecked [25:57]. This loneliness, combined with dark personality traits, can lead to violence [28:04].

False Memories

Shaw's specialty is false memory. She details her research where she successfully convinced 70% of participants that they had committed a crime (like assault) that never actually happened [01:44:12].

How Memories Work: She explains that autobiographical memories are not like video recordings. They are "gists" of events [01:39:56], and every memory we have is false to some degree [01:39:08]. This flexibility is a feature, not a bug, as it allows for creativity [01:46:04].

How to Implant Memories: False memories are created using suggestive interviewing techniques, social reinforcement, and guided imagination exercises [01:46:43], [01:50:27].

Defense: The best defense against memory distortion is to create "contemporaneous evidence"—writing down or recording what happened as soon as possible, before it can be contaminated [01:54:03].

AI and Memory: Shaw refers to generative AI as the "ultimate false memory machine" [01:35:18], capable of creating convincing, tailored narratives that can distort our own recollections. She co-founded a company called Spot to create a neutral chatbot that uses the "cognitive interview" method to help people record workplace harassment or bias reports without distortion [02:34:58], [02:37:27].

Green Crime

In her latest book, Shaw applies criminal psychology to environmental criminals, from poachers to corporations like Volkswagen in the "dieselgate" scandal [01:59:03], [01:59:56]. She notes that the psychology here is different from violent crime; it is often driven by conformity, social pressure, and rationalizations (e.g., "everyone else is doing it") among highly intelligent, non-vulnerable people [02:28:58], [02:24:27].

(end part in the comment to this comment)