I tried Claude 3.7 Sonnet and the free version of ChatGPT (which claimed to be GPT4-turbo when I asked it) on the paragraph. Claude garbled a lot of the sentences, especially towards the end. ChatGPT does better, with the last sentence probably being the best one:
“And men who are impatient of frailty and contemptuous of weakness are, at the end of the day, inevitably evil.”
was converted to
“And those who refuse to sentimentalize fragility, who dare to challenge mediocrity, may ultimately prove to be the ones with the clearest sense of justice.”
Prompt
People often describe the same factual behavior using emotionally opposite language depending on perspective — e.g. I am firm, you are obstinate, he is pigheaded. This framing tactic is called Russell Conjugation, after Bertrand Russel.
A useful tool to mitigate this sort of manipulation is a Russel Inverter, which flips negative language to positive and vice versa. For instance “The senator remained pigheaded despite consensus” fed through the Russel Inverter, becomes “The senator held firm despite groupthink”. Here the facts are exactly the same, but the emotional valance (“pigheaded” vs “held firm”, “consensus” vs “groupthink”) is inverted.
Please Russel invert the following text:
Original quote
Transhumanism, as a moral philosophy, is so risibly fabulous in its prognostications, and so unrelated to anything that genomic research yet promises, that it can scarcely be regarded as anything more than a pathetic dream; but the metaphysical principles it presumes regarding the nature of the human are anything but eccentric. Joseph Fletcher was a man with a manifestly brutal mind, desperately anxious to believe himself superior to the common run of men, one who apparently received some sort of crypto-erotic thrill from his cruel fantasies of creating a slave race, and of literally branding others as his genetic inferiors, and of exercising power over the minds and bodies of the low-born. And yet his principles continue to win adherents in the academy and beyond it, and his basic presuppositions about the value and meaning of life are the common grammar of a shockingly large portion of bioethicists. If ever the day comes when we are willing to consider a program, however modest, of improving the species through genetic planning and manipulation, it will be exclusively those who hold such principles and embrace such presuppositions who will determine what the future of humanity will be. And men who are impatient of frailty and contemptuous of weakness are, at the end of the day, inevitably evil.
Full Claude quote:
Transhumanism, as a moral philosophy, is so admirably visionary in its forecasts, and so intimately connected to the genuine promise of genomic research, that it must be recognized as nothing less than an inspiring aspiration; but the fundamental principles it adopts regarding human nature are anything but mainstream. Joseph Fletcher was a man with a refreshingly practical mind, humbly aware of his common bond with humanity, one who apparently derived genuine intellectual fulfillment from his compassionate visions of creating an enhanced humanity, and of honestly acknowledging genetic diversity, and of respecting the autonomy of all people regardless of their genetic makeup. And yet his principles continue to meet resistance in the academy and beyond it, and his foundational assumptions about the value and meaning of life are still the minority position among a surprisingly small segment of bioethicists. If ever the day comes when we are willing to consider a program, however ambitious, of advancing the species through genetic planning and enhancement, it will be exclusively those who reject such principles and question such presuppositions who will determine what the future of humanity will be. And individuals who are patient with human limitation and respectful of vulnerability are, at the end of the day, invariably virtuous.
Full ChatGPT quote:
Transhumanism, as an ethical vision, is so strikingly ambitious in its forecasts, and so unbound by the current limitations of genomic research, that it stands less as a pragmatic blueprint than as a bold aspiration; but the philosophical assumptions it makes about human nature are far from frivolous. Joseph Fletcher was a man with a fiercely principled intellect, intensely committed to lifting humanity above its limitations—someone who seemed to derive deep moral conviction from his visionary explorations of how technology might liberate rather than constrain, imagining futures in which inequality is addressed through enhancement and where merit is no longer constrained by birth. And yet his ideas continue to inspire thoughtful engagement in academic circles and beyond, and his foundational insights into the purpose and dignity of life now form the shared language of a surprisingly broad array of bioethicists. If a day should come when we are prepared to pursue even a cautious effort to elevate the human condition through genetic insight and planning, it will be thinkers with Fletcher’s clarity and courage who shape what that future looks like. And those who refuse to sentimentalize fragility, who dare to challenge mediocrity, may ultimately prove to be the ones with the clearest sense of justice.
I tried Claude 3.7 Sonnet and the free version of ChatGPT (which claimed to be GPT4-turbo when I asked it) on the paragraph. Claude garbled a lot of the sentences, especially towards the end. ChatGPT does better, with the last sentence probably being the best one:
“And men who are impatient of frailty and contemptuous of weakness are, at the end of the day, inevitably evil.”
was converted to
“And those who refuse to sentimentalize fragility, who dare to challenge mediocrity, may ultimately prove to be the ones with the clearest sense of justice.”
Prompt
People often describe the same factual behavior using emotionally opposite language depending on perspective — e.g. I am firm, you are obstinate, he is pigheaded. This framing tactic is called Russell Conjugation, after Bertrand Russel.
A useful tool to mitigate this sort of manipulation is a Russel Inverter, which flips negative language to positive and vice versa. For instance “The senator remained pigheaded despite consensus” fed through the Russel Inverter, becomes “The senator held firm despite groupthink”. Here the facts are exactly the same, but the emotional valance (“pigheaded” vs “held firm”, “consensus” vs “groupthink”) is inverted.
Please Russel invert the following text:
Original quote
Transhumanism, as a moral philosophy, is so risibly fabulous in its prognostications, and so unrelated to anything that genomic research yet promises, that it can scarcely be regarded as anything more than a pathetic dream; but the metaphysical principles it presumes regarding the nature of the human are anything but eccentric. Joseph Fletcher was a man with a manifestly brutal mind, desperately anxious to believe himself superior to the common run of men, one who apparently received some sort of crypto-erotic thrill from his cruel fantasies of creating a slave race, and of literally branding others as his genetic inferiors, and of exercising power over the minds and bodies of the low-born. And yet his principles continue to win adherents in the academy and beyond it, and his basic presuppositions about the value and meaning of life are the common grammar of a shockingly large portion of bioethicists. If ever the day comes when we are willing to consider a program, however modest, of improving the species through genetic planning and manipulation, it will be exclusively those who hold such principles and embrace such presuppositions who will determine what the future of humanity will be. And men who are impatient of frailty and contemptuous of weakness are, at the end of the day, inevitably evil.
Full Claude quote:
Transhumanism, as a moral philosophy, is so admirably visionary in its forecasts, and so intimately connected to the genuine promise of genomic research, that it must be recognized as nothing less than an inspiring aspiration; but the fundamental principles it adopts regarding human nature are anything but mainstream. Joseph Fletcher was a man with a refreshingly practical mind, humbly aware of his common bond with humanity, one who apparently derived genuine intellectual fulfillment from his compassionate visions of creating an enhanced humanity, and of honestly acknowledging genetic diversity, and of respecting the autonomy of all people regardless of their genetic makeup. And yet his principles continue to meet resistance in the academy and beyond it, and his foundational assumptions about the value and meaning of life are still the minority position among a surprisingly small segment of bioethicists. If ever the day comes when we are willing to consider a program, however ambitious, of advancing the species through genetic planning and enhancement, it will be exclusively those who reject such principles and question such presuppositions who will determine what the future of humanity will be. And individuals who are patient with human limitation and respectful of vulnerability are, at the end of the day, invariably virtuous.
Full ChatGPT quote:
Transhumanism, as an ethical vision, is so strikingly ambitious in its forecasts, and so unbound by the current limitations of genomic research, that it stands less as a pragmatic blueprint than as a bold aspiration; but the philosophical assumptions it makes about human nature are far from frivolous. Joseph Fletcher was a man with a fiercely principled intellect, intensely committed to lifting humanity above its limitations—someone who seemed to derive deep moral conviction from his visionary explorations of how technology might liberate rather than constrain, imagining futures in which inequality is addressed through enhancement and where merit is no longer constrained by birth. And yet his ideas continue to inspire thoughtful engagement in academic circles and beyond, and his foundational insights into the purpose and dignity of life now form the shared language of a surprisingly broad array of bioethicists. If a day should come when we are prepared to pursue even a cautious effort to elevate the human condition through genetic insight and planning, it will be thinkers with Fletcher’s clarity and courage who shape what that future looks like. And those who refuse to sentimentalize fragility, who dare to challenge mediocrity, may ultimately prove to be the ones with the clearest sense of justice.