The current collision between the Department of Defense and Anthropic over whether Anthropic's A.I. models should be bound by ethical constraints or made available for all uses the Pentagon might have in mind raises significant concerns about the future of AI governance.
In clinical speech therapy, we use strategic pauses throughout a session with a client. This is similar to resting between physical therapy exercises. When we are teaching people how to use their speech sounds or helping them increase their vocabulary, it's helpful to let the mind rest in between sets.
The principle of intellectual charity is fundamental to constructive political conversations. This principle states that, in any discussion, we should accept the best version of an opponent's ideas, not a distorted version or a "straw man." Exaggeration and distortion of opposing opinions (always present, to some degree, in political debates) have become the standard form of political argument in contemporary America.
1) "I'm not sure what you mean by that. Can you explain? This is my go-to response because it forces the other person to spell out their actual intention. Most passive-aggressive comments rely on plausible deniability. When you ask for clarification, you're essentially calling their bluff. The beauty of this phrase is that it's completely neutral because you're just asking a question. If they really meant nothing by it, they can clarify; if they were being passive-aggressive, they now have to either own it or backtrack.
Relationships that matter will, at some point, require two people to sit across from each other and have a hard conversation. Disappointment, hurt, boundaries, power, change, or loss-no matter how emotionally challenging the topic, they're all non-negotiable subjects that need to be discussed in relationships. In a sense, they're a part of the regular relationship curriculum that people don't talk about.
Recently, we saw Art, a play whose premise centers on three sophisticated, middle-aged friends who descend hell-ward in a bitter fight that tears the otherwise resilient fabric of their friendship. The trio's scorching verbal combat ignites when one of them acquires a "work of art" consisting of a contentless, blank-white canvas, which he purchased for the profligate sum of 300,000 dollars!
