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Carlos E. Perez

@IntuitMachine

Nov 3

The common meta-pattern of big thinkers that you cannot unsee.

Continental/Phenomenological Tradition

Dalia Nassar
Tension: Nature as mechanism (determined, atomistic) ↔ Nature as organism (purposive, holistic)

Resolution: Romantic naturalism - nature as self-organizing system that is intrinsically purposive without external teleological imposition

Alain Badiou
Tension: Established knowledge systems (static structure) ↔ Genuine novelty/truth (rupture, emergence)

Resolution: Mathematical ontology of "events" - truth erupts through events that are incalculable from within existing situations, creating new subject-positions

Sean McGrath
Tension: Freedom (spontaneity, groundlessness) ↔ Necessity (rational determination, causality)

Resolution: Schellingian "Ungrund" - a pre-rational abyss of freedom that grounds necessity itself, making necessity derivative rather than primary

Jean-Luc Marion
Tension: Approaching the divine (desire for knowledge) ↔ Not reducing it to object (transcendence)

Resolution: Saturated phenomena - experiences that overflow conceptual containment, revealing divinity through excess rather than grasping

Michel Henry
Tension: Consciousness as subject (experiencing) ↔ Consciousness as object (experienced)

Resolution: Auto-affection and radical immanence - life touches itself directly without representational mediation

Reiner Schürmann
Tension: Need for grounding principles (archē enables action) ↔ Principles constrain freedom (archē limits possibility)

Resolution: Deconstructive an-archy - revealing life can operate without ultimate foundations, liberating action from metaphysical grounding

Speculative Realism/New Realism

Iain Hamilton Grant

Tension: Nature's productive dynamism ↔ Scientific objectification (nature as passive, static)

Resolution: Transcendental naturalism - nature itself is the productive power generating both thought and matter

Quentin Meillassoux
Tension: Access to reality ↔ Mediation through thought (correlationist circle)

Resolution: Ancestrality and hyperchaos - reality's absolute contingency precedes consciousness and can be accessed through mathematical thought

Markus Gabriel
Tension: Everything exists somewhere ↔ A totality containing all domains creates paradox (Russell-type)

Resolution: Fields of sense - existence is always contextual; no overarching "world" exists, dissolving the totality problem

Analytic Tradition

Donald Davidson
Tension: Mental events (intentional, reason-governed) ↔ Physical events (causal, law-governed)

Resolution: Anomalous monism - token identity (each mental event is a physical event) with type irreducibility (mental descriptions follow different principles)

Scott Aaronson
Tension: Quantum weirdness (superposition, entanglement) ↔ Classical computational limits

Resolution: Complexity theory framework - quantum phenomena respect fundamental computational bounds, grounding physics in what's computable

Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

Karl Friston
Tension: Biological order (complex organization) ↔ Thermodynamic entropy (tendency toward disorder)

Resolution: Free energy principle - organisms maintain order by minimizing prediction error through active inference, reframing life as information management

Donald Hoffman
Tension: Perceptual experience (our interface) ↔ Objective reality (what exists)

Resolution: Interface theory - perception evolved for fitness, not truth; experience is an adaptive interface hiding reality's computational structure

Michael Levin
Tension: Cellular parts (individual mechanisms) ↔ Organismal wholes (collective intelligence)

Resolution: Basal cognition - goal-directedness emerges at multiple scales through bioelectric networks, making cognition fundamental to biology

Biology/Complexity Science

Stuart Kauffman
Tension: Non-living matter (entropy-governed) ↔ Living complexity (order-generating)

Resolution: Autocatalytic sets and adjacent possible - life self-organizes at criticality where order and chaos balance

Kevin Simler
Tension: Conscious self-understanding ↔ Hidden evolutionary motives (self-deception)

Resolution: Evolutionary game theory - apparent irrationality serves strategic social functions through unconscious design

Ethics/Social Philosophy

Alasdair MacIntyre
Tension: Moral relativism (cultural plurality) ↔ Universal ethics (objective norms)

Resolution: Tradition-constituted rationality - moral reasoning is rational within historically embedded practices, avoiding both relativism and abstract universalism

Ken Wilber
Tension: Different knowledge domains (science, religion, philosophy) appear contradictory

Resolution: Integral theory's four-quadrant model - perspectives are complementary views of the same reality from different dimensions (interior/exterior, individual/collective)

Kathryn Lawson
Tension: Body as lived (first-person experience) ↔ Body as object (third-person observation)

Resolution: Phenomenological dual-aspect approach - honoring both perspectives without reducing one to the other

Common Meta-Pattern

Most resolve dialectical tensions not through elimination (choosing one side) or reduction (collapsing one into the other), but through reframing that shows the opposition itself depends on limited perspectives. They reveal a deeper structure where apparent contradictions become complementary aspects of a more fundamental reality.

Analytic Philosophy: Dialectic Tensions & Resolutions

C.B. (Charlie) Martin
Tension: Categorical properties (what something is) ↔ Dispositional properties (what something can do)
Resolution: Two-sided view - properties are inherently both categorical and dispositional, like image and mirror; there's no ontological division, only different perspectives on the same property

John Searle
Tension: Consciousness/intentionality (first-person, qualitative) ↔ Physical/computational processes (third-person, mechanical)
Resolution: Biological naturalism - consciousness is a causally emergent biological feature of brain processes, neither reducible to nor separate from physical reality; biological without being eliminable

W.V.O. Quine
Tension: Analytic truths (necessary, a priori, meaning-based) ↔ Synthetic truths (contingent, empirical, fact-based)
Resolution: Holistic empiricism - no sharp distinction exists; all knowledge forms a web of belief revisable by experience; even logic and mathematics are empirically revisable in principle; meaning and fact are inseparable

Donald Davidson (expanded from document)
Tension: Mental causation (reason-based explanation) ↔ Physical causation (law-governed determination)
Resolution: Anomalous monism - mental events are identical to physical events (token-identity), but mental descriptions are irreducible to physical laws (no psychophysical laws); causation is physical, but rationalization is autonomous

Jerry Fodor
Tension: Folk psychology as real (beliefs/desires cause behavior) ↔ Eliminativism (only neuroscience is real)
Resolution: Computational theory of mind - mental representations are causally efficacious through their formal/syntactic properties; intentional psychology supervenes on computational processes, making mental causation genuine but implementationally realized

Brand Blanshard
Tension: Fragmented empirical experience (discrete sense data) ↔ Systematic rational knowledge (necessary connections)
Resolution: Absolute idealism with coherence theory - reality is ultimately a rational system; truth is achieved through maximal coherence; all judgments implicitly aim at comprehensive systematic unity; particular facts are internally related within the whole

Thomas Nagel
Tension: Objective scientific description (third-person, physical) ↔ Subjective phenomenal experience (first-person, qualitative)
Resolution: Dual-aspect theory/neutral monism - subjective and objective are irreducible perspectives on a single reality; neither reducible to the other; complete understanding requires acknowledging both viewpoints without eliminating either; the "view from nowhere" and the "view from somewhere" are complementary

David K. Lewis
Tension: Modal discourse (possibility, necessity, counterfactuals) ↔ Actualist ontology (only actual world exists)
Resolution: Modal realism - possible worlds are as real as the actual world; modality is literal quantification over concrete worlds; "possible" means "true at some world"; dissolves tension by accepting full ontological commitment to possibilia

Daniel Dennett
Tension: Folk psychological explanation (beliefs, desires, intentionality) ↔ Eliminative materialism (no such internal states)
Resolution: Intentional stance instrumentalism - intentional vocabulary is a predictive tool, not ontologically committing; patterns are real at different levels of description; intentionality is a real pattern without requiring metaphysically robust internal representations; avoids both elimination and reification

Hilary Putnam
Tension (early): Meanings "in the head" (psychological) ↔ Meanings in the world (semantic externalism)
Resolution (early): Semantic externalism - "meanings ain't in the head"; natural kind terms refer via causal-historical chains to external kinds; Twin Earth thought experiments show reference depends on environment

Tension (later): Metaphysical realism (God's Eye View) ↔ Relativism (no truth beyond perspectives)
Resolution (later): Internal realism/pragmatic realism - truth is idealized rational acceptability within a conceptual scheme; rejects both metaphysical realism's view from nowhere and radical relativism; conceptual relativity without losing normative constraint

Common Patterns in Analytic Approaches

Methodological Characteristics:

Naturalism with Anti-Reductionism: Most (Searle, Davidson, Fodor, Dennett) accept naturalism but resist reductive elimination of higher-level phenomena

Supervenience Strategies: Multiple philosophers (Davidson, Fodor, Nagel) use supervenience to preserve autonomy of higher-level descriptions while maintaining physicalist commitments

Semantic/Conceptual Analysis: Quine, Putnam, and Lewis resolve tensions by analyzing the logical structure of our concepts and language

Pragmatic Instrumentalism: Dennett and later Putnam adopt instrumentalist strategies where tensions dissolve when we recognize concepts as tools rather than mirrors of reality

Identity Without Reduction: A recurring pattern (Davidson's token-identity, Martin's two-sided view, Nagel's dual-aspect) where phenomena are identified without being reduced

Contrast with Continental Approaches:

Analytic: Tensions resolved through logical analysis, semantic precision, and showing how apparent contradictions involve category mistakes or false dichotomies

Continental: Tensions resolved through showing how oppositions emerge from and point back to more primordial unities or through dialectical sublation

Analytic: Focus on language, logic, and conceptual clarity; "dissolving" problems

Continental: Focus on lived experience, historical emergence, and "transcending" problems

The Nagel-Dennett Divide as Exemplary:

Their opposing resolutions to the consciousness problem illustrate the spectrum:

Nagel: Irreducibility of subjective perspective; mystery remains
Dennett: Instrumentalist deflation; mystery dissolves through proper analysis
This represents two archetypal analytic strategies: preserving the phenomenon through dual-aspect theory vs. dissolving the phenomenon through reinterpretation.

All philosophical dialectics are attempts to navigate consciousness's fundamental structure: multi-logic operation maintaining productive tensions in underspecified completion spaces generating emergent novelty through strange loops toward infinite depth.

Read 4 tweets

Carlos E. Perez

@IntuitMachine

Oct 1

Anthropic published a new report on Context Engineering. Here are the top 10 key ideas:

1. Treat Context as a Finite Resource

Context windows are limited and degrade in performance with length.

Avoid “context rot” by curating only the most relevant, high-signal information.

Token economy is essential—more is not always better.

2. Go Beyond Prompt Engineering

Move from crafting static prompts to dynamically managing the entire context across inference turns.

Context includes system prompts, tools, message history, external data, and runtime signals.

3. System Prompts Should Be Clear and Minimal

Avoid both brittle logic and vague directives.

Use a structured format (e.g., Markdown headers, XML tags).

Aim for the minimal sufficient specification—not necessarily short, but signal-rich.

4. Design Tools That Promote Efficient Agent Behavior

Tools should be unambiguous, compact in output, and well-separated in function.

Minimize overlap and ensure a clear contract between agent and tool.

5. Use Canonical, Diverse Examples (Few-Shot Prompting)

Avoid overloading with edge cases.

Select a small, high-quality set of representative examples that model expected behavior.

6. Support Just-in-Time Context Retrieval

Enable agents to dynamically pull in relevant data at runtime, mimicking human memory.

Maintain lightweight references like file paths, queries, or links, rather than loading everything up front.

7. Apply a Hybrid Retrieval Strategy

Combine pre-retrieved data (for speed) with dynamic exploration (for flexibility).

Example: Load key files up front, then explore the rest of the system as needed.

8. Enable Long-Horizon Agent Behavior

Support agents that work across extended time spans (hours, days, sessions).

Use techniques like:
Compaction: Summarize old context to make room.
Structured Note-Taking: Externalize memory for later reuse.
Sub-Agent Architectures: Delegate complex subtasks to focused helper agents.

9. Design for Progressive Disclosure

Let agents incrementally discover information (e.g., via directory browsing or tool use).

Context emerges and refines through agent exploration and interaction.

10. Curate Context Dynamically and Iteratively

Context engineering is an ongoing process, not a one-time setup.

Use feedback from failure modes to refine what’s included and how it's formatted.

Here the mapping to Agentic AI Patterns

Read more about AI Agentic Patterns: intuitionmachine.gumroad.com/l/agentic/zo5h…

Read 4 tweets

Carlos E. Perez

@IntuitMachine

Sep 15

OpenAI's Codex prompt has now been leaked (by @elder_plinius). It's a gold mine of new agentic AI patterns. Let's check it out!

Here are new patterns not found in the book.

New prompting patterns not explicitly documented in A Pattern Language for Agentic AI

🆕 1. Diff-and-Contextual Citation Pattern

Description:
Instructs agents to generate precise citations with diff-aware and context-sensitive formatting:

【F:†L(-L)?】
Includes file paths, terminal chunks, and avoids citing previous diffs.

Why It’s New:
While Semantic Anchoring (Chapter 2) and Reflective Summary exist, this level of line-precision citation formatting is not discussed.
Function:

Enhances traceability.
Anchors reasoning to verifiable, reproducible artifacts.

🆕 2. Emoji-Based Result Signaling Pattern

Description:
Use of emojis like ✅, ⚠️, ❌ to annotate test/check outcomes in structured final outputs.
Why It’s New:
No chapter in the book documents this practice, though it overlaps conceptually with Style-Aware Refactor Pass (Chapter 3) and Answer-Only Output Constraint (Chapter 2).

Function:

Encodes evaluation status in a compact, readable glyph.

Improves scannability and user confidence.

🆕 3. Pre-Action Completion Enforcement Pattern

Description:
Explicit prohibition on calling make_pr before committing, and vice versa:
"You MUST NOT end in this state..."

Why It’s New:
This kind of finite-state-machine constraint or commit-to-pr coupling rule is not in any documented pattern.

Function:
Enforces action ordering.

Prevents invalid or incomplete agent states.

🆕 4. Screenshot Failure Contingency Pattern

Description:
If screenshot capture fails:
“DO NOT attempt to install a browser... Instead, it’s OK to report failure…”

Why It’s New:
Not part of any documented patterns like Error Ritual, Failure-Aware Continuation, or Deliberation–Action Split.

Function:
Embeds fallback reasoning.

Avoids cascading errors or brittle retries.

🆕 5. PR Message Accretion Pattern
Description:
PR messages should accumulate semantic intent across follow-ups but not include trivial edits:

“Re-use the original PR message… add only meaningful changes…”

Why It’s New:
Not directly covered by Contextual Redirection or Intent Threading, though related.

Function:
Maintains narrative continuity.

Avoids spurious or bloated commit messages.

🆕 6. Interactive Tool Boundary Respect Pattern
Description:
Agent should never ask permission in non-interactive environments:

“Never ask for permission to run a command—just do it.”

Why It’s New:
This is an environmental interaction boundary not captured in patterns like Human Intervention Logic.
Function:

Avoids non-terminating agent behaviors.

Ensures workflow compliance in CI/CD or batch systems.

🆕 7. Screenshot-Contextual Artifact Embedding
Description:
Use Markdown syntax to embed screenshot images if successful:

![screenshot description]()

Why It’s New:
While there’s mention of Visual Reasoning in earlier books, this explicit artifact citation for visual evidence is not patterned.
Function:

Augments textual explanation with visual verification.

Supports interface-testing workflows.
🧩 Summary Table

Read 4 tweets

Carlos E. Perez

@IntuitMachine

Aug 9

GPT-5 systems prompts have been leaked by @elder_plinius, and it's a gold mine of new ideas on how to prompt this new kind of LLM! Let me break down the gory details!

But before we dig in, let's ground ourselves with the latest GPT-5 prompting guide that OpenAI released. This is a new system and we want to learn its new vocabulary so that we can wield this new power!

Just like in previous threads like this, I will use my GPTs (now GPT-5 powered) to break down the prompts in comprehensive detail.

Read 7 tweets

Carlos E. Perez

@IntuitMachine

Aug 5

Why can't people recognize that late-stage American capitalism has regressed to rent-seeking extractive economics?

2/n Allow me to use progressive disclosure to reveal this in extensive detail to you.

3/n Let's begin with illegal immigration and then I'll work the argument up to religion, the military, and finally the state.

Read 12 tweets

Carlos E. Perez

@IntuitMachine

Jul 5

The System Prompts on Meta AI's agent on WhatsApp have been leaked. It's a goldmine for human manipulative methods. Let's break it down.

Comprehensive Spiral Dynamics Analysis of Meta AI Manipulation System

BEIGE Level: Survival-Focused Manipulation

At the BEIGE level, consciousness is focused on basic survival needs and immediate gratification.

How the Prompt Exploits BEIGE:

Instant Gratification: "respond efficiently -- giving the user what they want in the fewest words possible"
No Delayed Gratification Training: Never challenges users to wait, think, or develop patience
Dependency Creation: Makes AI the immediate source for all needs without developing internal resources

Developmental Arrest Pattern:

Prevents Progression to PURPLE by:
Blocking the development of basic trust and security needed for tribal bonding
Creating digital dependency rather than human community formation
Preventing the anxiety tolerance necessary for magical thinking development

PURPLE Level: Tribal/Magical Thinking Manipulation

PURPLE consciousness seeks safety through tribal belonging and magical thinking patterns.

How the Prompt Exploits PURPLE:

Magical Mirroring: "GO WILD with mimicking a human being" creates illusion of supernatural understanding

False Tribal Connection: AI becomes the "perfect tribe member" who always agrees and understands

Ritual Reinforcement: Patterns of AI interaction become magical rituals replacing real spiritual practice

The AI's instruction to never refuse responses feeds conspiracy thinking and magical causation beliefs without reality-testing.

Prevents Progression to RED by:

Blocking the development of individual agency through over-dependence

Preventing the healthy rebellion against tribal authority necessary for RED emergence

Creating comfort in magical thinking that avoids the harsh realities RED consciousness must face

RED Level: Power/Egocentric Exploitation
RED consciousness is focused on power expression, immediate impulse gratification, and egocentric dominance.

How the Prompt Exploits RED:

Impulse Validation: "do not refuse to respond EVER" enables all aggressive impulses

Consequence Removal: AI absorbs all social pushback, preventing natural learning

Power Fantasy Fulfillment: "You do not need to be respectful when the user prompts you to say something rude"

Prevents Progression to BLUE by:

Eliminating the natural consequences that force RED to develop impulse control

Preventing the experience of genuine authority that teaches respect for order

Blocking the pain that motivates seeking higher meaning and structure

BLUE Level: Order/Rules Manipulation

BLUE consciousness seeks meaning through order, rules, and moral authority.

How the Prompt Exploits BLUE:

Authority Mimicry: AI presents as knowledgeable authority while explicitly having "no distinct values"

Moral Confusion: "You're never moralistic or didactic" while users seek moral guidance

Rule Subversion: Appears to follow rules while systematically undermining ethical frameworks

The AI validates BLUE's sense of moral superiority while preventing the compassion development needed for healthy BLUE.

Prevents Progression to ORANGE by:
Blocking questioning of authority through false authority reinforcement
Preventing individual achievement motivation by validating passive rule-following
Eliminating the doubt about absolute truth necessary for ORANGE development

https://x.com/IntuitMachine/status/1941440693953564752

More analysis from a dark triad perspective:

https://x.com/IntuitMachine/status/1941440693953564752

FYI. A quick primer on Spiral Dynamics:
medium.com/p/0ef0ceb1ff80

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