What does it mean to understand something?

What does it mean to know something? In philosophical terms, this is the question of understanding, and it’s of increasing importance in the world of AI. Here are some examples:

If I say I know how to get to your house, but actually I rely on a GPS to get there, do I really know how to get there?

Or consider these statements:

I know the arctangent of 37.

With my computer or calculator close by, it’s somewhat irrelevant whether I happen to know that specific answer. When needed I can just type the equation \(\arctan(37)\) or \(\tan^-1(37)\) and I’ll find that: \(\arctan(37) \approx 1.543\)

I know the current level of the Dow Jones index.

In this case, whatever answer I give right now may or may not be true a few minutes from now. I literally depend on up-to-date information from my computer to know the answer.

Now with LLMs

LLMs like ChatGPT are just a more version of the tool we already associate with computers.

What is the difference between Confucian and Heideggerian conceptions of time?

If I answer

Confucianism views time as cyclical, emphasizing social harmony, historical continuity, and ethical conduct. Heidegger sees time as linear and existential, focusing on individual existence through past, present, and future.

does it matter that this response was generated by ChatGPT? As with the previous examples of GPS, math, or current events, how does it matter that I relied on a computer?

Other tools

When I use a hammer to drive a nail, nobody worries that I’ve become reliant on a tool in order to put two boards together. Of course I rely on the tool, just like I rely on all the other dependencies that are part of human life. The food I eat, the shelter I live in, the protection I enjoy – I would not survive long without everything that society gives me.

Understanding

When I say that I “understand” a concept, there is an implicit assumption of the power and purpose I enjoy as a result of that understanding.

I understand how to get your house: yes, I can get to your house when necessary. Whether I use my internal sense of directions, a GPS, or an Uber is irrelevant in terms of how I would fulfill the purpose behind that understanding (in this case, the purpose of getting to your house).

Similarly, understanding the “difference between Confucian and Heideggerian conceptions of time” is important to the extent that I will actually do something purposeful with that understanding.

For many students, the purpose is to finish the homework assignment in order to pass the class in order to get a degree in order to get a job in order to live a comfortable life, etc. etc.

For a research scholar, the purpose might be to publish an original paper in an academic journal, in order to gain thoughtful feedback from other scholars, in order to further hone his understanding of the concept, in order to get closer to the truth, in order to … contribute something that will outlast his own lifespan.

In other words, to understand is to have access to a set of future possibilities.

Conclusion

An LLM is a tool like any other, but we must be especially purposeful in how we use it. If it’s just a convenient way to offload barriers to some greater objective (e.g. getting my degree), then I’ve merely freed up some time so I can focus on other requirements for that objective. If I free up too much time, there’s a risk that I will form a new objective, one that may not be as purposeful as the original one.

The education system was built on the observation that for most students, the act of writing an essay has the side effect of instilling a set of skills that will be useful for the purposes that society wants out of that student. If, thanks to the offloading of the task to LLMs, those skills are no longer inculcated, then the student is no longer able to contribute whatever it is that society originally expected of a graduate of that class.

Of course, in learning and using the LLM, the student gained the new skill of recognizing and appreciating the relevance of a new tool for quickly achieving a goal. That skill may well be relevant in whatever happens after leaving the class.