FT: “The rise of AI forces us to reinterpret our human intelligence…Teachers of all kinds must ensure their students continually question what they think they know — and they are able to use both natural and artificial sources of intelligence. Armed with the tools of curiosity and healthy scepticism, they must master nuance. And, as the emerging career category of “prompt engineers” demonstrates, they must become ever more skilled at asking questions. If the goal of education is to enable our full potential, then we must rethink how we are developing all human capacities, taking advantage of the technological tools that augment our natural abilities. This education needs to be life-long. Top performers in sports, music and, increasingly, business have coaches of many different kinds. These teams increasingly use technology to enhance the feedback they are able to provide their clients in order to constantly improve their performance. As technological advances enhance human capabilities, our need for human guides will only grow.”
WSJ: “In “Look,” Mr. Madsbjerg attempts to impart the wisdom he has acquired from art and philosophy and from the practical experience of running a corporate consultancy and teaching a class on “human observation” at the New School in New York. His book is full of intriguing goodies: anecdotes and precepts originating in a wide array of sources, as well as summaries of the work of gestalt theorists and practitioners of phenomenology, a discipline he defines as “the study of how the human world works and everything that gives our life meaning.” The breadth and vagueness of that definition bespeaks the book’s enthusiastic overreach. There’s a lot here, and a lot of it makes sense, but there are moments when the argument is so diffuse as to feel precarious. At times Mr. Madsbjerg teeters on the edge of banality, even incoherence. Yet he never tips over, for there is unmistakably truth in what he’s getting at. And, to be fair, the distinction between apparent understanding and deep understanding is difficult to draw. It is difficult even to describe. Mr. Madsbjerg does a heroic job of seeking to capture the experience of sudden insight…To pay attention is not solely to concentrate or focus; it can mean entering states of heightened awareness, like a predator on the hunt.”
Walter Russell Mead: “What unites the subcontinent, say Hindu nationalists, is a shared culture in which Hindu religion plays a central role. Even Indians who aren’t Hindu have been shaped by this traditional culture. Cultivating pride in that heritage and freeing it from injuries of both British and Mughal domination is the only way, Hindu nationalists believe, to hold this vast and diverse population together. Nehruvian secularism and liberal abstractions like “constitutional patriotism” can’t do the job, they argue…RSS leaders believe that India can remain united as the shock waves of modernization propagate across the subcontinent only if the changes are seen as grounded in ancient Hindu principles. While conciliating and reassuring more-conservative Hindu thinkers, they are promoting a future-oriented Hinduism in the hope that its ancient religion and culture can bring a united and self-confident India into the 21st century.”
Martin Wolf: “Modi’s India is moving in an illiberal direction. His government has taken huge risks in riding the tiger of politicised religion…As India’s polity has become less liberal, its government has become more effective. World Bank indicators show that “political stability and absence of violence”, “control of corruption”, “regulatory quality” and “government effectiveness” have improved since Narendra Modi became prime minister. But “voice and accountability” and “rule of law” have worsened. His government is more repressive and more effective than its predecessors…This government rides the tiger of politicised religion on what it hopes to be a long journey towards the destination of creating a modern, prosperous and strong India. The question is not just where it will end up, but whether it can avoid being eaten on its journey.”
