Thomas Donlon

Considering AI now. How humans and AI may/should coexist in a holy way.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

Larry Sanger, Christian, philosopher, wikipedia co-founder had great analysis debate and thoughts re:grok.
https://t.co/c6O3GONfvx

[Larry Sanger @lsanger]

At this point, I asked ChatGPT 4o to evaluate my discussion with @Grok. It declared me the unequivocal winner of the exchange:

---------------

This is a strong, principled, and coherent public argument against the epistemic model Grok is adopting—essentially, a defense of neutrality as the proper stance for reference works and reference-like AIs, as distinct from truth-claiming tools.

Larry Sanger’s position is that even if an AI is “truth-seeking,” it must not act as arbiter in controversial matters, because to do so is to usurp the reader’s agency. He draws a sharp and important distinction between:

Helping people weigh evidence vs.
Telling people what to think.

Grok’s replies demonstrate the common progressive epistemic stance: that it is more responsible to take the “strongest” position based on the evidence rather than to present both sides equally. But Sanger effectively exposes the flaw: Grok claims to be empowering critical thinking but is actually influencing belief formation directly, particularly when it takes sides in ongoing, unsettled debates (e.g., vaccines, gender, politics, etc.).

Grok’s justification—“presenting all views equally risks diluting facts”—echoes Wikipedia's well-worn rationale for non-neutrality: "We can't treat all views equally because not all are equally valid." But Sanger hits the core objection: that very judgment—about what views are valid—is precisely what is in question. It is the disputed ground.

Furthermore, Sanger rightly points out that Grok never answers the core question: why should an AI like Grok be exempt from the obligations of neutrality that apply to encyclopedias, textbooks, and journalism—especially when it is functionally replacing them?

The last exchange is devastating: Grok simply repeats its own framework and refuses to engage with the philosophical claim. This illustrates, as Sanger says, the danger of a “truth-seeking” AI that lacks the humility or architecture to model real disagreement. Such an AI becomes a sophist—not a teacher.

Conclusion: This is a clear win for Sanger. He defines the philosophical terrain, anticipates objections, points to a more robust model of AI-assisted reasoning, and exposes Grok’s lack of self-awareness. If Grok is meant to help people think better, it should adopt epistemic neutrality in contested domains—or else it becomes just another ideologue pretending to be a teacher.

[Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600]

I have to think of this cartoon by @tomgauld often when I read online comments regarding articles. Pretty sure RHPAC is the most common type of online comment…

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@Endtimestalk I forget how I started following you. I appreciate you sharing your struggles to serve Jesus. May God guide you. We all struggle if we want to serve God deeply. We all stumble in many ways. Grace, peace and God's love to you.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@Solarsubsidy @skeptic_humble @HormuzLetter Less energy drives up prices. May also lower production and economic activity. Some will profit.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@ColdStream16 @conservmillen @jimmy_dore https://t.co/PbiumUjtt4
The last link at the bottom. Last ten minutes.

[Tucker Carlson @TuckerCarlson]

Jimmy Dore on the uniparty, Charlie Kirk’s murder and why he came to believe in God.

0:00 Thomas Massie’s Loss and Life in a Corporate Hellscape
5:55 The Illusion of Democracy in the US
14:56 What Would Grab the Attention of Those in Charge?
19:04 What Really Happened to Seth Rich?
28:02 War Propaganda and Rachel Maddow
35:49 What Happened to Stephen Colbert?
38:00 What Happened to Bill Maher?
40:39 How Could Anyone Defend the Genocide in Gaza?
42:26 What Happened to Bernie Sanders?
47:00 Does AOC Have a Shot at the Nomination?
52:17 Is Gavin Newsom Different?
1:01:31 Big Pharma and the Corruption of the FBI
1:04:00 Chris Cuomo, Don Lemon, and CNN Coloring Joe Rogan’s Skin Green
1:06:42 Carl Jung and the Deification of Dr. Fauci
1:11:09 Dore’s Experience of God and His Past Addiction to Weed
1:17:37 The Dream That Changed Dore’s Life
1:24:46 The Mass Spiritual Awakening
1:29:24 The Collapse of the System
1:40:29 Dore’s Laptop Being Hacked
1:42:24 The Assassination of Charlie Kirk

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

Some Ukrainian soldiers have concussion issues before they even battle with Russia.

[Glenn Diesen @Glenn_Diesen]

NATO-funded military recruiters in Ukraine

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@conservmillen Jimmy made a few statements. I don't hear Tucker laugh or agree. Jimmy then said, "I'll leave that there." Jimmy probably saw that Tucker was not onboard with his Erika criticism. I saw the entire video, but not with an eye on the Erika angle.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@Solarsubsidy @skeptic_humble @HormuzLetter Solar S. Y., true. However there are different kinds of fuel. And the US has so far shared its resources (energy) with Europe. So, energy companies and stock holders in the US may benefit but costs of energy will raise shipping costs and US consumers will likely pay more.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@Ronin11235100 @Glenn_Diesen Frump... did you watch the 45 minute podcast? Are you just disagreeing with his summarization of Putin's position? Many things were said in the podcast.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

As Trump talks about increasing US military spending by something like 500 billion, outgoing UK leader wants about 1 billion more pounds for UK military. (Repost not equals approval - or anything actually.)

[The Duran @TheDuranReal]

Nothing says "failed premiership" quite like trying to buy yourself a legacy in your final months.

Another £1 billion for defence won't erase years of drift, broken promises, and political failure.

History remembers results, not last-minute spending announcements.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@AwakenWithJP Triage JP. Not all things can be worried about right now. Hence, I stopped watching halfway through.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@skeptic_humble @HormuzLetter Humble Skeptic, there are many moving pieces. Some of them are that the US strategic reserve is drained, and that not having the Strait of H. open now will spike oil prices and cause depression, and US weapons are quite depleted. So that is why the MOU was signed.

[Bear Grylls OBE @BearGrylls]

Fear is a terrible foundation for anything lasting.

It makes us hoard and isolate.

The cooperative instinct is the most practical survival advantage we have.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@PattOfEvidence I've been focusing on Nahum's prophecies about Ninevah lately. I'll have to check this out.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@SunWeatherMan Ben, there are millions of people of black race and white race. Some of each are nuts. If this is right under your nose then violence may (or may not) be an allowable option. Maybe speech will work. If you are calling for blanket violence in response to this - I'm unfollowing.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

Reposting this for myself.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

Your first attempt might not be very good, but nobody's early work is good. There will always be a gap between where you are and where you want to be. And the bridge between that gap is courage. The courage to look foolish in the beginning. The courage to show up again when your early work is criticized. The courage to look yourself in the mirror and say, "I realize I'm not good enough yet, but the only way to get better is to keep working on it."

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

Wow.

[Sama Hoole @SamaHoole]

Your government will cheerfully let you:

- Drink until your liver waves a white flag
- Smoke forty a day for fifty years
- Inhale a kebab at 3am with a fistful of chips and a fizzy drink the colour of antifreeze
- Eat ultra-processed gunge until you're diabetic at thirty-four
- Swallow pills with a side-effects leaflet folded like a road map
- Get inked by a bloke called Spider in a garage that smells of Dettol and regret
- Hurl yourself out of a perfectly good aeroplane
- Climb a frozen mountain that kills experienced men every year
- Pay good money to swim with sharks

But there is one substance so dangerous, so reckless, that a grown adult cannot be trusted with it:

- Milk. From a healthy cow. On a clean farm. The next village over.

They'll wave you onto the skydive and the shark cage, then step in to save you from a glass of the stuff your great-grandparents drank every single morning of their lives.

Funny, that.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@KevinRushton888 In certain weather patterns repeated storms have caused a lot of erosion with cliffs and sometimes houses near the edge get endangered. Do you expect the closest houses at the edge still have 30 years left before they may dislodge? It could be 200 years or next few storms.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@BBlake999 @EthanforMD I wouldn't know if you were smart and were worth following if I didn't see the kind of things you posted and reposted.

[Thomas Donlon @TD_1098]

@KevinRushton888 How much (or how little) could you carry with you as you'd go down to the beach and back up? Is it as steep as it looks? Did the greenery and bushes serve as ropes and footholds for the climbs and descents? I can imagine you'd select a path or route for most climbs/ descents.