The Objective Pursuit of Knowledge

2023-12-19 · Source: arg min · Field: Science & Research — Research Methodology & Innovation, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning · Depth: Advanced, short

Summary

The article explores the surprising postmodern nature of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and statistical optimization, arguing that these approaches, despite their Enlightenment rationalist origins, inadvertently embody Jean-François Lyotard's postmodern condition. EBM's focus on population-level statistics and performance metrics, such as reducing costs or increasing productivity, reduces scientific inquiry to local optimality rather than a collective search for universal truth. This perspective suggests that knowledge becomes legitimated by its utility, disregarding explanation or mechanism. The author notes the irony that mathematical rationality, intended as pure reason, has contributed to a "fractured, virtualized, monetized cultural schizophrenia." The piece also contends that historical dismissals of postmodernism by scientists were a "pyrrhic victory," as contemporary issues like LLMs and academic incentives increasingly validate postmodern predictions regarding the conflation of truth and utility.

Key takeaway

For research scientists and AI ethicists evaluating model performance, recognize that optimizing for metrics like "number-go-up" can inadvertently lead to a postmodern condition where utility supplants truth. Your focus on statistical optimization might disregard explanation and individual context. Consider the broader implications of metric-driven knowledge validation. Challenge systems that allow centralized technocratic power to define what counts as knowledge based solely on performance.

Key insights

The pursuit of statistical optimization, exemplified by EBM, ironically embodies postmodernism's rejection of universal truth for local utility.

Principles

• Statistical optimization often ignores individual context.
• Performance metrics can supplant truth in scientific inquiry.
• Centralized power defines knowledge through utility.

Topics

• Evidence-Based Medicine
• Postmodernism
• Statistical Optimization
• Knowledge Legitimation
• AI Ethics
• Lyotard's Postmodern Condition

Best for: AI Scientist, Research Scientist, AI Ethicist

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by arg min.