Deus Ex Machina: An AI gives answers to the deepest questions of human existence

By Adam Dick

A conversation with ChatGPT 3.5 about the deepest questions of human existence. Readers can make up their own minds about how much intelligence is being displayed and the quality of the answers given. There are 50 beautiful AI generated color art images which relate to the chapter and question topics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9781312699403

Book preview

Deus Ex Machina

An artificial intelligence gives answers to the deepest questions of human existence

Adam Dick

2023

Copyright © 2023 Adam Dick

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-312-69940-3

Imprint: Lulu.com

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Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.

Front Cover image by Adam Dick using DALLE-2 software by OpenAI

Book design by Adam Dick

Lulu Press Inc.

627 Davis Dr, Unit 300

Morrisville, NC 27560

United States of America

Table of Contents

Copyright

Table of Contents

Author’s preamble

Introduction

Chapter 1: What is the purpose of human life?

Chapter 2: Is there a universal meaning to human existence?

Chapter 3: How do different cultures and religions perceive the meaning of human life?

Chapter 4: What is the nature of consciousness, and how does it relate to the meaning of life?

Chapter 5: How do humans find meaning in their lives?

Chapter 6: Is human life inherently valuable?

Chapter 7: Does the concept of the afterlife affect the meaning of human life?

Chapter 8: Is the meaning of human life static, or does it change over time?

Chapter 9: How does science contribute to our understanding of the meaning of human life?

Chapter 10: Can we create our own meaning in life, or is it predetermined?

Chapter 11: How do human relationships factor into the meaning of life?

Chapter 12: Is happiness the ultimate goal of human existence?

Chapter 13: Is there a relationship between human life and the natural world?

Chapter 14: How do humans grapple with the reality of death and mortality?

Table of Contents Cont.

Chapter 15: Does human suffering have any significance in the meaning of life?

Chapter 16: Can the meaning of human life be objectively defined or is it subjective?

Chapter 17: Is there a relationship between the meaning of life and human morality?

Chapter 18: How do different philosophical schools of thought approach the meaning of human life?

Chapter 19: What role does human creativity play in the meaning of life?

Chapter 20: Is the pursuit of knowledge an integral part of human existence?

Chapter 21: Is the meaning of human life tied to human progress and development?

Chapter 22: Does the concept of free will impact the meaning of human life?

Chapter 23: How does the individual human experience shape the meaning of life?

Chapter 24: Is there a relationship between the meaning of life and the human search for truth?

Chapter 25: Can the meaning of human life be found through introspection and self-reflection?

Epilogue

Appendix with supplemental questions

Author’s preamble

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This book is the result of a series of interactions with ChatGPT 3.5 in early April of 2023. I wanted to get a deep sense of the current state of development of AI language models and how they might respond when prompted with existential questions. ChatGPT is the model with the most cachet at the moment so it seemed appropriate to start there. I first prompted it to generate a list of 25 chapter titles for a book on the meaning and purpose of human existence. Then each of those AI generated chapter titles were entered as prompts to generate chapter content. Depending on the depth of the answers given I would prompt ChatGPT to continue or continue with more detail and examine the output. Usually after 2 or 3 continue prompts the output would start to be repetitive and not provide any more depth of explanation. There is some mild editing to stitch together these fragments though not enough to change the meaning of what ChatGPT was saying. The supplemental questions in the appendix were written by me and not AI generated. All of the artwork in the book is AI generated from various online platforms including DALLE-2, Craiyon, and Stable Diffusion. The watermark of each platform is included with each image in the lower righthand corner for identification with the exception of Stable Diffusion images which have no watermarks. Prompts for the visual art were mostly taken from chapter headings, although a little human creativity was required to pick the right words and then select appropriate images from the generated selections! The font, typesetting, and layout are entirely my doing. I leave it to the reader to decide if any of these responses and images are meaningful or constitute some form of intelligence. In any case, I personally found the output to be interesting and I hope you do as well. This book serves as a record of the state of visual and language AI in the early parts of 2023 and so may be of historical interest in the coming years.

-Adam Dick

Introduction:

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For centuries, humans have pondered the nature and meaning of their existence. From philosophers to theologians, scientists to artists, the quest to understand the purpose of human life has remained a fundamental human endeavor. The search for meaning has led to countless debates, theories, and belief systems, each offering its own perspective on what it means to be alive.

In Deus Ex Machina, we explore the complexities of the human experience and its relationship to the concept of a higher power. This book offers a comprehensive examination of the role that the divine plays in shaping the meaning of human life. We delve into the various ways in which different cultures and religions perceive the meaning of human existence and explore how these perspectives have evolved over time.

Through a series of chapters, we explore topics such as the nature of consciousness, the pursuit of knowledge, the impact of human relationships, and the relationship between the meaning of life and human morality. We examine the ways in which human creativity and progress have contributed to our understanding of the purpose of existence, and we also explore the challenges that human suffering and mortality pose to our search for meaning.

As we examine the complexities of human existence and the divine, we consider the concept of Deus Ex Machina, the notion that a higher power can intervene in human affairs to provide a resolution to seemingly insurmountable problems. We examine how this concept has been explored in literature, philosophy, and art, and we consider its relevance to our modern world.

Deus Ex Machina offers a thought-provoking exploration of the human experience and its relationship to the divine. It challenges readers to consider their own beliefs and perceptions of the purpose of human existence, and offers a unique perspective on the timeless quest for meaning that has defined the human experience for centuries.

Throughout this book, we explore the various ways in which humans have sought to make