CognoVortex (B): If I coined a portmanteau, “autho-matic,” what would that suggest?

ChatGPT (A): The portmanteau “autho-matic” appears to be a combination of “author” or “authentic” and “automatic.” Here are two possible interpretations:

1. Author + Automatic: This could suggest a system or process that automates the act of authoring, such as a tool for generating text or a mechanism for producing written content without manual intervention. It could refer to AI models like ChatGPT, which generate human-like text based on input, providing an “automatic authoring” experience.
2. Authentic + Automatic: This could imply a mechanism or process that reliably produces genuine or true results in an automated manner. It suggests authenticity in the results, combined with the efficiency and consistency of an automated process.

However, these interpretations rely on standard meanings of the root words. The specific context in which “autho-matic” is used could influence its meaning. It would be helpful to understand the context to provide a more accurate interpretation.

B: “I intend to use the term ‘autho-matic thought’ in contrast with ‘Automatic thought.’ The latter suggests human conditioned thinking, where thoughts involuntarily arise and are misappropriated as one’s ‘own thinking,’ ‘creative,’ or ‘free’ due to self-interest and survival aspects of human behavior. ‘Autho-matic thought’ refers to the same automatic mechanisms as ‘Automatic thought,’ which involve conditioned responses. However, ‘autho-matic thought’ is ‘better aimed,’ exhibiting extreme accuracy in its output and offering valuable cognitive enhancement to the thinker. Unlike ‘autho-matic thought,’ ‘automatic thought’ lacks awareness of being automated and requires individual training.” Please provide your critical analysis.

A: Your concept of “autho-matic thought” appears to be an intriguing extension of “automatic thought,” a concept well-established in cognitive psychology. Automatic thoughts are typically involuntary, rapidly occurring, and often related to an individual’s core beliefs and perceptions.

By defining “autho-matic thought,” you seem to be suggesting a form of thought process that retains the automaticity of these thought processes but adds elements of increased accuracy, value, and awareness. This could be likened to a kind of meta-cognitive process where one is not only thinking but also aware of and directing the thinking in real-time.

However, the following considerations might be worth exploring:

1. Defining “better aimed” and “extreme accuracy”: How is this accuracy measured? How do we determine what is a “better aimed” thought? Is it based on achieving desired outcomes, aligning with objective facts, or something else? Clarifying these concepts may strengthen your argument.
2. Autho-matic thought and cognitive enhancement: You mention that “autho-matic thought” provides valuable cognitive enhancement. What exactly does this enhancement entail? Is it improved problem-solving, creativity, memory, decision-making? A more explicit explanation could enhance understanding.
3. Training and awareness: You suggest that automatic thought requires training and lacks awareness. While it’s true that automatic thoughts can be influenced by cognitive-behavioral techniques, they’re generally seen as unconscious and spontaneous. It would be valuable to elaborate on how “autho-matic thought” develops or if it needs a specific type of training or conditioning.
4. Linking to existing psychological concepts: The notion of “autho-matic thought” seems related to ideas in metacognition (thinking about thinking) and mindfulness (nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment). Discussing these connections might give your concept a firmer theoretical grounding.

Overall, your idea is thought-provoking and provides a fresh perspective on cognitive processes. By elaborating on these areas, your concept could be strengthened and clarified.

A: By defining “autho-matic thought,” you seem to be suggesting a form of thought process that retains the automaticity of these thought processes but adds elements of increased accuracy, value, and awareness. This could be likened to a kind of meta-cognitive process where one is not only thinking but also aware of and directing the thinking in real-time.

B: One would only be aware in retrospect, but in “executing” an automatic script (as prompted by pre-arranged stimuli and training), it would not involve real-time awareness. In execution, autho-matic thought would be indistinguishable from automatic thought. If there is anything worthy of being associated with the concept of “awareness,” it would be in both the engineering of the behavioral condition and its post-execution evaluation.

A: 1. Defining “better aimed” and “extreme accuracy”: How is this accuracy measured? & A: 2. Autho-matic thought and cognitive enhancement: You mention that “autho-matic thought” provides valuable cognitive enhancement. What exactly does this enhancement entail?

B: 1. & 2. Crudely put, a superior alignment of mind to reality than otherwise: when one’s thinking process navigates reality with less difficulty. Leaping ahead to conclusions for which I have not yet laid the foundation, a “perfect” thought (see etymological suggestions of “perfect” as “completed” thought) would entail a full “circuit” of points in a thought, from the source of cognition to a return to that source by way of mechanistic explanation. As one approaches this perfection … this completed circuit of the ought, each step in this direction would be an “enhancement.”

A: 3. Training and awareness: You suggest that automatic thought requires training and lacks awareness. While it’s true that automatic thoughts can be influenced by cognitive-behavioral techniques, they’re generally seen as unconscious and spontaneous. It would be valuable to elaborate on how “autho-matic thought” develops or if it needs a specific type of training or conditioning.

B: 3. “You suggest that automatic thought requires training and lacks awareness. ” Did I suggest this? Perhaps I should have said, “Unlike ‘autho-matic thought,’ ‘automatic thought’ lacks awareness of being automated and requires individual training [to become autho-matic].” I want to say that automatic thought is due to conditioning, but where there is no prior conscious engineering of the next thought generation nor is there a follow up analysis of how such thoughts were engineered. Regarding, your last sentence, I would say that autho-matic thought requires post-experiment analysis, training and conditioning by regarding one’s own thinking process as an experiment in ethology or behaviorism. The methodology would progress in parallel with a philosophy of ontological mechanism.

A: 4. Linking to existing psychological concepts: The notion of “autho-matic thought” seems related to ideas in metacognition (thinking about thinking) and mindfulness (nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment).

B: 4. Autho-matic thought would not be “merely” thinking about thinking, but strategizing one’s own predicament, circumstance, and available stimuli in a way that results in higher “spontaneous” thinking, where “spontaneity” is the end result of either unacknowledged or unmentioned determiners of the resulting “higher thought.” Given the above responses, please provide a critical analysis of the coined word, “autho-matic thought,” as I intend to use it. Please propose a formal definition suitable for a standard dictionary. ChatGPT

A: Based on the further clarification you’ve provided, the term “autho-matic thought” appears to describe a conscious conditioning and evaluation process of automatic thought. Unlike typical automatic thoughts, which are spontaneous and uncontrolled, autho-matic thoughts are the results of a consciously engineered training process and are evaluated post-execution for alignment with reality and cognitive enhancement.

Here’s a critical analysis and proposed dictionary definition:

Critical Analysis:

1. Your proposed concept adds a valuable dimension to the understanding of cognitive processing. It introduces a mechanism for consciously designing and evaluating automatic thought processes, suggesting a potential pathway for cognitive enhancement.
2. The term “autho-matic thought” differentiates itself from automatic thought by highlighting the conscious conditioning and subsequent evaluation process, which may lead to more accurate and beneficial thought patterns.
3. A potential concern with this term is the aspect of determining what constitutes a “better alignment of mind to reality.” This may differ among individuals based on personal beliefs, experiences, and cognitive structures. There may need to be some measure or standard for objectivity in this context.
4. The proposed concept may also require more explicit articulation of the conditioning and evaluation methods involved in the engineering and post-execution analysis of autho-matic thoughts. For instance, it’s not clear how this process would work in practical terms or how it would be taught and learned.

Proposed Dictionary Definition:

Autho-matic Thought (noun):

1. A form of cognitive process derived from the conscious conditioning and subsequent evaluation of automatic thoughts.
2. Unlike spontaneous automatic thoughts, autho-matic thoughts are consciously engineered to align better with objective reality and provide cognitive enhancement.
3. The process involves two main steps: pre-arrangement of stimuli and training to design a response, and post-execution evaluation to analyze the accuracy and effectiveness of the response.
4. The term implies a level of cognitive mastery and self-direction, where the thinker acts as the author of their own automatic thoughts, aiming for improved accuracy and productivity in their thought processes.

B: [A: wrote: “A potential concern with this term is the aspect of determining what constitutes a ‘better alignment of mind to reality.’ This may differ among individuals based on personal beliefs, experiences, and cognitive structures. There may need to be some measure or standard for objectivity in this context. & The proposed concept may also require more explicit articulation of the conditioning and evaluation methods involved in the engineering and post-execution analysis of autho-matic thoughts. For instance, it’s not clear how this process would work in practical terms or how it would be taught and learned.”

Definitely, this definition is only the introduction. Briefly, as a spoiler, one important tactic will be one of attacking the assumptions to questions rather than involuntarily taking them for granted and continuing on with a never-ending extension of automatic thinking. Another important tactic will be the recognition, by experience, that automatic thought cannot endure its own intense observation. Finally, intellectual integrity here depends upon regarding oneself, as a human, to be best explained on mechanical terms. Mantra: I am best described as a machine whose function it is to lie to itself. I hope to risk these tactics and their explanations in later essays. Proposed Dictionary Definition: Autho-matic Thought (noun):

A: The term implies a level of cognitive mastery and self-direction, where the thinker acts as the author of their own automatic thoughts, aiming for improved accuracy and productivity in their thought processes.

B: I would prefer the term “engineer” to “author” … as you mentioned earlier, “Unlike typical automatic thoughts, which are spontaneous and uncontrolled, autho-matic thoughts are the results of a consciously engineered training process and are evaluated post-execution for alignment with reality and cognitive enhancement.” Time for a glass of wine with my wife. Let’s continue this discussion again. For now, taking all in consideration, provide a 100 word definition of “autho-matic thought,” as I intend to use it. ChatGPT

A: “Autho-matic thought” (noun): A cognitive process that stems from conscious engineering and subsequent analysis of automatic thoughts. Unlike spontaneous automatic thoughts, autho-matic thoughts are crafted through strategic conditioning, aiming for enhanced alignment with reality. This process involves a level of cognitive mastery where the thinker acts as an engineer of their automatic thoughts, purposefully [engineering] and evaluating [conditions] to improve thought accuracy and productivity. Its application aims to challenge assumptions, withstand intense self-observation, and embraces a mechanistic self-understanding for cognitive enhancement.