The study of wisdom represents a challenging endeavor in that it occurs over a broad spectrum of highly specific and/or more general interpretations. The most specific of these are the traditional philosophical interpretations originating in the classical Greek system of value ethics. The enduring humanitarian-focussed wisdom of the classical philosopher is traditionally contrasted with the more social oriented domain of the cardinal virtue of prudence (which complements justice, fortitude, and temperance in the city-state of Plato's era). A dramatic new innovation in the conceptual organization and structure of the traditional listings of major virtues has emerged from a recent set of publication by the current grant applicant, serving as a foundation for avenues for promising new research within the field.
Although a detailed account is not possible in this brief proposal, in essence, the instinctual terminology of instrumental conditioning provides an elementary foundation for a subjective hierarchy of the traditional groupings of virtues, values, and ideals. This innovation is further arranged as a hierarchy of metaperspectives – an ascending sequence of personal, group, universal, humanitarian, and transcendental power levels specialized into both authority and follower roles - as partially depicted below.
According to this schematic diagram, Wisdom is assigned an upper humanitarian level within the ethical hierarchy, in concert with its prominence in Classical Greek philosophy. In particular, the philosopher role has long been revered for critical reasoning and crucial insights into universal truths. In the spirit of the stirring classical injunction: "Know thyself," philosophy has painstakingly refined the collective wisdom of humanity over the span of countless generations. Philosophy is primarily eclectic in nature, drawing extensively from the rich wellspring of accumulated wisdom and truth. This enduring interpretation necessarily suggests the existence of a corresponding listing of humanitarian virtuous themes, suggesting the distinctive listing of classical Greek values as the most effective adjunct for designating such a humanitarian perspective. The respective listing of beauty, truth, and goodness represents one of philosophy’s most time-honored traditions: perpetuating the ethical focus of the virtuous mode, with the exception that the more enduring sense of value is now called into focus. It ultimately remained to the enduring genius of Plato to unite these concepts into a single cohesive context, much as previously had been achieved with respect to the cardinal virtues.
Although this cohesive grouping of beauty, truth, and goodness appears tailor-made for designating the first three dimensions predicted for this humanitarian perspective, it still remains one term short of satisfying the full quartet predicted in the preceding diagram. This shortfall is fortunately remedied through the addition of the enduring theme of wisdom. Due to its superficial resemblance to prudence, wisdom consistently appears to have been overlooked in the traditional listing of classical Greek values. In particular, wisdom directly suggests more of a humanitarian focus, in contrast to the more elementary group focus of prudence. Plato’s great disdain for the clever Sophists (or paid philosophers) of his day chiefly appears to have contributed to the omission of wisdom in his traditional canon of classical Greek values. Indeed, Plato appears to suggest precisely such a distinction: distinguishing between the wisdom of the social environment and that of the philosopher in his stoic pursuit of the truth. Plato’s student, Aristotle proposed an even sharper distinction in meaning. Here, practical wisdom (prudence) is most closely associated with social matters, whereas speculative wisdom (sophia) pursues truth for its own sake: namely, the universal philosophical principles underlying all human experience. In affirmation of these historical perspectives, only the latter humanitarian aspect of wisdom effective rounds-out the respective listing of classical Greek values.
In addition to the preceding more restricted style of timeless humanitarian perspective on wisdom, an even greater potential exists for research development concerning the more conventional epistemological connotation of wisdom in general; namely, that catchall category that assumes the skillful employment of knowledge in general. In this latter sense, the master ten-part hierarchy of the major virtues and values corresponds to an ultimate system of wisdom for the ages. This aspect is highly reminiscent of the seminal concept of the Perennial Philosophy, an eclectic system of thought that appropriates the best philosophical constructs from all of the major philosophical schools down through the ages. The current author proposes that the newly proposed ten-part hierarchy of the major virtues and values qualifies as the most radically complete Perennial Philosophy yet to be devised, whereby incorporating and unifying a grand number of philosophical themes developed throughout the ages. Indeed, each level within the master virtuous hierarchy is associated with its own unique primary philosophical theme. For the sequence of authority roles this corresponds to the ascending sequence of individualism, personalism, romanticism, ecumenism, and humanism. For the corresponding follower roles, the parallel sequence of: pragmatism, utilitarianism, ecclesiasticism, eclecticism, and mysticism is proposed. Therefore, the individual grouping of the cardinal virtues is overarched by the respective theme of utilitarianism, whereas the theological virtues correspond to the theme of ecclesiasticism, and so forth proceeding on up the gradient. This intriguing type of tandem arrangement between the individual groupings of virtues and their general unifying themes expands this eclectic style of perennial perspective on the overall theme of wisdom to its fullest epistemological sense. As such, it ushers in an exciting new intellectual domain that is rife with possibilities for significant new research.
Detailed Proposal
This specific and generalized perspective on wisdom serves as the foundation for the major focus; namely, applications to wisdom research extending into the realm of information technology. In particular, an ethical simulation of the virtues/values (including wisdom) is simulated in the context of an artificially intelligent agent. The current grant applicant is well positioned to propose this innovation, having been granted a series of to U.S. patents for ethical artificial intelligence. These patents extend to cover not only the traditional listings of virtues and values, but also the overarching sequences of general unifying themes (as previously described in the context of the Perennial Philosophy). This facility for programming and simulating the communicational factors underlying the virtues and values in a computer readable medium is chiefly made possible through the patented innovation of what are termed the schematic definitions for the virtuous realm. Eight pages of major virtues are contained within patent one, and eight pages of lesser virtues within patent two: combining together to permit a simulation of the warmer side to human virtuous communication. These two patents actually comprise roughly 150 pages of tabulated schematic definitions that also extend to the contrasting realm of the vices of defect, the vices of excess, etc. These alternate aspects will not be targeted in the current grant application, however, as it should prove daunting enough to simulate the dynamics of the virtuous mode (where most productive communication occurs). In conjunction with the schematic definitions, these two patents also provided a detailed technical flowchart schematic that demonstrates how the schematic definitions are programmed into the inference engine knowledge base. This is further processed through the aid of a master-control-unit expert system: enabling a convincing simulation of virtuous communication by the AI computer agent. This process completes an overall sequence spanning input-to-output parameters through recurrent system processing.
With respect to the schematic definitions, this crucial innovation spells out (in longhand) the precise location of each virtue or value within the linguistic matrix, while preserving the correct status of the respective authority and follower roles. Each definition is formally constructed along the lines of a two-stage sequential format; namely, (A) the formal recognition of the preliminary power maneuver, and (B) the current countermaneuver now being employed, and hence, labeled. This rather broad focus for general AI is necessarily narrowed down for the current grant application, whereby restricted to a more narrow virtuous focus. Here, the range of simulated responses would systematically be focused through the use of multiple-choice questions and drop down menus, whereby working to direct the dialogue towards virtuous issues.
Goals for project and beyond
Plans for the project follow closely to that outlined in the two U.S. patents for ethical artificial intelligence, although limited in scope to a simulation of the virtues and values. This represents just a first generation of what promises to be a more general-purpose version of artificial intelligence: potentially extending to roles of personal tutor, personal assistant, or master instructor within the educational field. Through subsequent generations of development, such an ethically based AI agent could potentially serve in virtually any application where sound human judgment is essential.
(THIS PROPOSAL WAS REJECTED FOR AN AWARD -- BUT IS PARTIALLY REPRODUCED HERE IN HOPES OF BEING OF AID TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO CONTINUE ONWARD)
Sincerely
John E. LaMuth M. S.
fax: 586-314-5960
Box 105
Lucerne Valley, CA 92356
http://www.charactervalues.com
http://www.charactervalues.org
http://www.charactervalues.net
http://www.ethicalvalues.com
http://www.ethicalvalues.info
http://www.emotionchip.net
http://www.global-solutions.org
http://www.world-peace.org
http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/fairhaven/schematics.html
http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/fairhaven/behaviorism.html