Noam Chomsky: Buddhism, ChatGPT, and the Hard Problem of Mind

Noam Chomsky’s ideas are examined alongside Buddhism, AI, and the mind‑body problem, questioning whether language rules and consciousness can be reduced to algorithms. The conversation also tackles the impact of ChatGPT, modern language models, and philosophical implications for science and morality.

- 00:00:00 - Introduction
- 00:02:50 - AI world government concept
- 00:06:23 - Introspection limits and power
- 00:09:02 - Buddhism, Taoism, language, suffering
- 00:09:54 - Human survival question
- 00:10:44 - Progress on language rule study
- 00:13:02 - Recursive merge
- 00:26:08 - Dolphin and sperm whale language complexity
- 00:29:32 - Philosophy of science
- 00:32:54 - Symbol grounding and moral philosophy
- 00:41:20 - Science analogy quote
- 00:42:36 - Mind‑body problem critique
- 00:51:21 - Hossenfelder on ChatGPT understanding language
- 00:55:00 - Language models refute Chomsky
- 00:58:56 - Bare phrase structure theory
- 01:01:09 - Intentionality and Chinese Room
- 01:05:45 - Generative grammar and CTMU
- 01:07:52 - Consciousness creating reality?
- 01:11:59 - Universal Grammar vs Bayesian modeling
- 01:13:28 - AGI scares Chomsky
- 01:14:56 - Linguistic successors of Chomsky
- 01:16:11 - Human language vs arithmetic capacity
- 01:20:23 - Certainty, nihilism

SPONSORS:

- Patreon: early access to ad‑free audio episodes! https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal
- Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE
- PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt
- Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs
- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802
- Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e
- Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything
- TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch

RESOURCES:

- YouTube link: https://youtu.be/DQuiso493ro
- Paper "refuting" Chomsky by Piantadosi: https://lingbuzz.net/lingbuzz/007180
- Sabine Hossenfelder video on ChatGPT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP5zGh2fui0
- Every Noam Chomsky on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlORiRfcaQe8ZdxKxF-e2BCY
- Terrence Deacon on TOE (Symbol Grounding Problem): https://youtu.be/PqZp7MlRC5g

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science.

SPONSOR: I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE

FOLLOW: Substack | Spotify | YouTube | Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices