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Julian Girdham's avatar

Those final sentences are just right!

I make the case (only slightly tongue in cheek) that poetry is the most important thing we can study. https://www.juliangirdham.com/blog/on-the-importance-of-studying-poetry

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Jason Gulya's avatar

Right!!

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benja's avatar

there’s a very famous spanish poem called “poetry is a gun loaded with future”

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Jason Gulya's avatar

I like it!!

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benja's avatar

not sure it’s the best translation, but I found https://hjpolyglot.wordpress.com/2015/03/22/poetry-is-a-weapon-loaded-with-the-future/

it’s basically an appeal to art as a tool for transformation, not just an “ornament”, to the duty of an artist to give voice to people. it’s a bit bitter, but very moving, and a testimony to its place and time (Franquist Spain)

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Jurgen Gravestein's avatar

Language is the most powerful tool humanity has ever created. I’m not sure if I would go as far as to call it a technology.

The word technology was coined in the seventeenth century, if I’m not mistaken, and before that people used the word “mechanical arts”, referencing crafts like architecture, weaponry, agriculture, commerce and theatre.

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Jason Gulya's avatar

Interesting point! What about writing itself?

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Jurgen Gravestein's avatar

That probably be more accurate, yes!

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Lance Cummings's avatar

I’ve got to get back to my AI poetry.

Just like language, AI can be used to homogenize or it can be used to “heterogize.”

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Jason Gulya's avatar

Right!

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Qi Bing SIA's avatar

Great writing, Jason, enjoyed the point on slowing down.

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Jason Gulya's avatar

Thank you, Qi!

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Paul Erb's avatar

One word: Šklovskij.

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Eric Kerr's avatar

This is brilliant! Great work, Jason. Your students are fortunate to have you at the front of the classroom. The learnings go both ways, no doubt. I'll be sharing this with the educators in my circle of friends.

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Jason Gulya's avatar

Thank you so much for that, Eric! I learned so much from them today!

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Jim Amos's avatar

Love this. Words have power, and poetry is a technology, an innovation of mind and voice. The tech bro obsession with speed and efficiency is how we get silly things like Soylent: because apparently even consuming food for sustenance is now not worth our time. Ludicrous.

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Jason Gulya's avatar

I feel like Altman and crew would look at me crazy if I waxed poetic about the importance of doing things slowly and resisting the urge to boil things down.

What are we supposedly saving all of this time for (if AI even ends up saving us time, in the end) if we give up the ability to slow down and enjoy the poetry of life in the bargain?

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