Why AI Is Not a Collaborator Artificial Intelligence, at least in the form of Large Language Models (LLMs), has rapidly changed how we interact with computers. Before, computers were machines that we gave instructions to. Now it seems like we can have conversations with them. If we can have conversations with them, that sounds like we can collaborate with them, rather than merely commanding them. Those seem like really different relationships. When I command something be done, I am responsible for what I commanded, and I’m to some extent responsible for making sure my commands were interprete ..read more

Why a New Reformation Is Needed in Our Approach to Work ,"Work hard, and you shall be rewarded."   Would you be surprised to know that this mantra is not just a simple adage? It’s really informed by a deeply religious stance that originated during the Protestant Reformation (1517-1648).   Depending on who you are, its putative wisdom may sound inspiring or off-putting. Whatever the case, it’s important to see that its spiritual foundation informs the general Western attitude toward hard work.   It is, in short, the Protestant Work Ethic.   Nonetheless, while its emphasis o ..read more

“Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.” Elwood P. Dowd, ,Harvey ,(1950) Forget the question of being, whether To Be or Not to Be? The more immediate problem, especially as social media has made interaction a bit more tense, is whether or not we can control ourselves in the face of irritation, disagreement, anger, or even rage. To be or not to be an asshole? In this blog, we’ll consider an easy self-assessment exercise inspired by aspects of existentialism. The main culprit we’ll bring into focus is how our goals and projects may be causing us to veer into the dark territory of jer ..read more

How Being Goal-Oriented at Work Can Affect Personal Life The average person will spend about one-third of their life at work. Workplace culture is more than just a place to put a company’s vision and values into practice. It’s one of the main influences shaping our behavior and attitudes as persons. So, even if you refuse to identify with your job, chances are that your job may be influencing your personal development in not-so-obvious ways. When a workplace culture is poorly developed or toxic, it can not only make one’s life miserable, it can have knock-on effects that can change one’s char ..read more

Technological Incapacitation Is Real A futurist, utopian vision of human development is one where we become more capable of doing things by way of being more integrated with technology. However, the paradox of technology is that while it can increase our human capacities to do things, it often removes or hinders our capacity to do other things. As a philosopher, I like to call this cost technological incapacitation. It derives from a rich tradition of philosophy called hermeneutics, where philosophers like Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900-2002) and Paul Ricoeur (1913-2005) note intriguing limitations ..read more

,How to Get Retention Right Micro and small businesses employing up to 100 people can often face retention complications that can go unnoticed. This is because smaller businesses tend to have fewer managerial resources to identify the overall cultural health of the workplace. Profitability often occupies most of the attention of owners, management, and staff in a way that larger businesses don’t face since they often have entire departments dedicated to employee relations. Particularly with small businesses that are family run, there can be an assumption that because the business is small or ..read more

Don’t Feel Like You Belong? Oddly, you’re not alone. Belonging to a group or community may seem straightforward, but it can be quite complicated and emotionally challenging. Three factors to consider in any instance where you’re uneasy and not quite fitting in: Belonging is an essential human need. There are norms about acceptance that we tend to glance without much thought and which often involve an arbitrary exercise of power over others. Social media often figures into belonging dynamics and can be a harmful form of communication, often exacerbating the norms of belonging and thus creatin ..read more

Getting the Right Perspective on Your Relation to Work Parallax is a technical term used in astronomy to describe a certain visual effect when there appears a shift in the position of an object, or displacement, in relation to your viewpoint (as the observer). It’s calculated in relation to three points—observer, object observed, and the background. A simplified example from Space.com: “[H]old out your hand, close your right eye, and place your extended thumb over a distant object. Now, switch eyes, so that your left is closed and your right is open. Your thumb will appear to shift slightly a ..read more

One of the key distinctions that you will find in the variety of existential philosophies of the 20th century: What counts as an authentic life and inauthentic one. What typically sets the two apart is a genuine value, purpose, or project that underwrites how one lives. Sounds straightforward enough? Just remember that what is meant by “genuine” and “authentic” does not typically involve familiar and conventional aims, such as getting wealthy; having children; getting promoted; being famous; being happy. This is because one of the central maxims of existential thinking is that we misunderst ..read more

A Philosophically Practical Guide Margo Gasser awoke one morning after uneasy dreams to find, after several years in her career, she was an impostor at her job. To be sure, her job was going well; and nothing much had really changed, apart from having to deal with the cumbersome technological interfaces of remote working. In fact, with remote work it was easier to hide behind the scenes. Temporal disjunction and physical distance actually made it easier to present deliverables, almost as if she was a wizard with extensive knowledge and power. But she felt more like the Wizard of Oz. A sham ..read more