Sigal Samuel
@sigalsamuel.bsky.social
I write about the future of consciousness for Vox
Submit a question to my philosophical advice column! https://www.vox.com/your-mileage-may-vary-advice-column
Author of the children's book OSNAT AND HER DOVE and the novel THE MYSTICS OF MILE END
Submit a question to my philosophical advice column! https://www.vox.com/your-mileage-may-vary-advice-column
Author of the children's book OSNAT AND HER DOVE and the novel THE MYSTICS OF MILE END
Pinned
Sigal Samuel
@sigalsamuel.bsky.social
· Feb 10
Your Mileage May Vary
The latest from Sigal Samuel’s advice column, Your Mileage May Vary.
vox.com
I write a philosophical advice column for Vox and I want to hear what questions are plaguing you today! Do you have a personal/ethical dilemma?
Here are some examples: vox.com/your-mileage...
Here's where you can submit your question anonymously: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Here are some examples: vox.com/your-mileage...
Here's where you can submit your question anonymously: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
You can save a kid from starving. Right now. Seriously. It's cheaper than you might think! Do you have $94? Then you can do it today, nothing's stopping you
This is what I found out when reporting this story and it kind of blew my mind
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
This is what I found out when reporting this story and it kind of blew my mind
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
You can keep a child from starving for less than $100
Fighting hunger can feel impossible. But thanks to new innovations, it’s actually never been cheaper.
www.vox.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:22 PM
You can save a kid from starving. Right now. Seriously. It's cheaper than you might think! Do you have $94? Then you can do it today, nothing's stopping you
This is what I found out when reporting this story and it kind of blew my mind
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
This is what I found out when reporting this story and it kind of blew my mind
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
Sigal's asking (and answering) such good questions here about how to build a movement around making sure that AI works for us and not the other way around...feels like we only scratched the surface of a deep and important convo.
For those who hate how generative AI is being rolled out (blindly, uncritically), here's my advice:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Is AI being shoved down your throat at work? Here’s how to fight back.
Resistance to exploitative AI starts with building a movement.
www.vox.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Sigal's asking (and answering) such good questions here about how to build a movement around making sure that AI works for us and not the other way around...feels like we only scratched the surface of a deep and important convo.
For those who hate how generative AI is being rolled out (blindly, uncritically), here's my advice:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Is AI being shoved down your throat at work? Here’s how to fight back.
Resistance to exploitative AI starts with building a movement.
www.vox.com
November 16, 2025 at 5:03 PM
For those who hate how generative AI is being rolled out (blindly, uncritically), here's my advice:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
Does psychology truly improve wellbeing? Or merely help us adjust to an ‘insane’ system? In this 1960s video, the social psychologist, psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm explores the nature of mental health
Can an entire society be mentally ill? A perspective from 1960 | Psyche Videos
Does psychology truly improve wellbeing? Or merely help us adjust to an ‘insane’ system? Erich Fromm on mental health in 1960
buff.ly
November 12, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Does psychology truly improve wellbeing? Or merely help us adjust to an ‘insane’ system? In this 1960s video, the social psychologist, psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm explores the nature of mental health
Always read @drmichaellevin.bsky.social
"Cognition all the way down". Great to see this fine new paper from @robertchisciure.bsky.social & @drmichaellevin.bsky.social out now in Synthese - introducing a new metric to quantify biological intelligence as search efficiency in multidimensional problem spaces link.springer.com/article/10.1...
November 10, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Always read @drmichaellevin.bsky.social
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
The last talk on the second day of the #NaturalPhilosophy Symposium was Anil Seth @anilseth.bsky.social on Can AI Be Conscious? Commentary by E.J. Green.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzvs...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzvs...
November 10, 2025 at 8:18 PM
The last talk on the second day of the #NaturalPhilosophy Symposium was Anil Seth @anilseth.bsky.social on Can AI Be Conscious? Commentary by E.J. Green.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzvs...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzvs...
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
This is an absolute gem. It feels connected to Gibran's "On Crime"--and is a "dilemma" with which I strongly resonate. But I love how this framing makes it more a navigation of an integrated whole than a dilemma.
If setting boundaries never feels totally right to you, maybe you're not the problem. Maybe it's "boundaries."
For @vox.com, I wrote about how our societal language of "boundaries" is broken, and I offer an alternative from Buddhist psychology:
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
For @vox.com, I wrote about how our societal language of "boundaries" is broken, and I offer an alternative from Buddhist psychology:
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
You don’t need better boundaries. You need a better framework.
“Setting boundaries” is broken — but there’s a different way to think about caring for yourself and others.
www.vox.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:39 AM
This is an absolute gem. It feels connected to Gibran's "On Crime"--and is a "dilemma" with which I strongly resonate. But I love how this framing makes it more a navigation of an integrated whole than a dilemma.
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
How NDAs keep AI data center details hidden from Americans:
Big Tech companies use secrecy agreements with local governments to keep communities from knowing who is building in their backyards.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
Big Tech companies use secrecy agreements with local governments to keep communities from knowing who is building in their backyards.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
How Big Tech uses NDAs to hide AI data center details from Americans
Big Tech companies use secrecy agreements with local governments to keep communities from knowing who is building in their backyards.
www.nbcnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:54 AM
How NDAs keep AI data center details hidden from Americans:
Big Tech companies use secrecy agreements with local governments to keep communities from knowing who is building in their backyards.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
Big Tech companies use secrecy agreements with local governments to keep communities from knowing who is building in their backyards.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
> We’re taught that "a boundary…defines you as separate from others" Yet if you believe that we’re all profoundly interconnected and interdependent then that idea of boundaries may feel like it muddies more than it clarifies
Always read @sigalsamuel.bsky.social
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
Always read @sigalsamuel.bsky.social
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
You don’t need better boundaries. You need a better framework.
“Setting boundaries” is broken — but there’s a different way to think about caring for yourself and others.
www.vox.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM
> We’re taught that "a boundary…defines you as separate from others" Yet if you believe that we’re all profoundly interconnected and interdependent then that idea of boundaries may feel like it muddies more than it clarifies
Always read @sigalsamuel.bsky.social
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
Always read @sigalsamuel.bsky.social
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
Shot:
Is withdrawing from the world into a life of contemplation or being in the world trying to heal it the best route to growing spiritually? Turns out, as @sigalsamuel.bsky.social notes, they're not mutually exclusive. The two paths can reinforce each other. More here podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
November 4, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Shot:
If setting boundaries never feels totally right to you, maybe you're not the problem. Maybe it's "boundaries."
For @vox.com, I wrote about how our societal language of "boundaries" is broken, and I offer an alternative from Buddhist psychology:
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
For @vox.com, I wrote about how our societal language of "boundaries" is broken, and I offer an alternative from Buddhist psychology:
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
You don’t need better boundaries. You need a better framework.
“Setting boundaries” is broken — but there’s a different way to think about caring for yourself and others.
www.vox.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:33 PM
If setting boundaries never feels totally right to you, maybe you're not the problem. Maybe it's "boundaries."
For @vox.com, I wrote about how our societal language of "boundaries" is broken, and I offer an alternative from Buddhist psychology:
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
For @vox.com, I wrote about how our societal language of "boundaries" is broken, and I offer an alternative from Buddhist psychology:
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
"If you believe, as I do, that we’re all actually profoundly interconnected and interdependent, that we’re constantly influencing and shaping reality for one another, then that idea of boundaries may feel like it muddies more than it clarifies."
Read @sigalsamuel.bsky.social's advice column:
Read @sigalsamuel.bsky.social's advice column:
You don’t need better boundaries. You need a better framework.
“Setting boundaries” is broken — but there’s a different way to think about caring for yourself and others.
www.vox.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:27 PM
"If you believe, as I do, that we’re all actually profoundly interconnected and interdependent, that we’re constantly influencing and shaping reality for one another, then that idea of boundaries may feel like it muddies more than it clarifies."
Read @sigalsamuel.bsky.social's advice column:
Read @sigalsamuel.bsky.social's advice column:
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
Does being spiritual mean withdrawing from the world to a life of contemplation, or being in the world actively trying to heal it? I talk with @sigalsamuel.bsky.social and Father Greg Boyle about this age old question and how to find balance.
Seeking the Spiritual Life
Podcast Episode · How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality · 10/19/2025 · 28m
podcasts.apple.com
October 19, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Does being spiritual mean withdrawing from the world to a life of contemplation, or being in the world actively trying to heal it? I talk with @sigalsamuel.bsky.social and Father Greg Boyle about this age old question and how to find balance.
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
Proud to serve on the @macfound.org Board + of this initiative
“What we are seeking to do is to invest public interest dollars to ensure that the development of the technology serves humans and places humanity at the center of this development,” @palfrey.org
www.fastcompany.com/91420384/exc...
“What we are seeking to do is to invest public interest dollars to ensure that the development of the technology serves humans and places humanity at the center of this development,” @palfrey.org
www.fastcompany.com/91420384/exc...
Exclusive: Big Philanthropy teams up to take on Big AI
A new coalition of 10 major givers, including the Omidyar Network and Ford Foundation, are investing $500 million in an effort to ensure Americans have a say in how artificial intelligence impacts the...
www.fastcompany.com
October 14, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Proud to serve on the @macfound.org Board + of this initiative
“What we are seeking to do is to invest public interest dollars to ensure that the development of the technology serves humans and places humanity at the center of this development,” @palfrey.org
www.fastcompany.com/91420384/exc...
“What we are seeking to do is to invest public interest dollars to ensure that the development of the technology serves humans and places humanity at the center of this development,” @palfrey.org
www.fastcompany.com/91420384/exc...
Thinking of the time I spoke to Jane Goodall and she
(a) hooted "This is me!" as a chimp would (listen ⤵️)
&
(b) told me it was actually helpful for her to go into the field without scientific training or an academic degree, because that let her see without blinders
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
(a) hooted "This is me!" as a chimp would (listen ⤵️)
&
(b) told me it was actually helpful for her to go into the field without scientific training or an academic degree, because that let her see without blinders
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Jane Goodall reveals what studying chimpanzees teaches us about human nature
The renowned primatologist wants us to remember that humans aren’t so exceptional — we’re animals, too.
www.vox.com
October 1, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Thinking of the time I spoke to Jane Goodall and she
(a) hooted "This is me!" as a chimp would (listen ⤵️)
&
(b) told me it was actually helpful for her to go into the field without scientific training or an academic degree, because that let her see without blinders
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
(a) hooted "This is me!" as a chimp would (listen ⤵️)
&
(b) told me it was actually helpful for her to go into the field without scientific training or an academic degree, because that let her see without blinders
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
What do computer science, quantum physics & Hindu tradition have in common?
It’s more than you might think, Swami Sarvapriyananda, @blaiseaguera.bsky.social & Carlo Rovelli write.
#consciousness #ai #hinduism #quantumphysics
It’s more than you might think, Swami Sarvapriyananda, @blaiseaguera.bsky.social & Carlo Rovelli write.
#consciousness #ai #hinduism #quantumphysics
Consciousness Across Three Worldviews | NOEMA
Central concepts in three different domains — Hindu tradition, computer science and quantum physics — find analogies and reflect one another.
www.noemamag.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:47 PM
What do computer science, quantum physics & Hindu tradition have in common?
It’s more than you might think, Swami Sarvapriyananda, @blaiseaguera.bsky.social & Carlo Rovelli write.
#consciousness #ai #hinduism #quantumphysics
It’s more than you might think, Swami Sarvapriyananda, @blaiseaguera.bsky.social & Carlo Rovelli write.
#consciousness #ai #hinduism #quantumphysics
ICYMI I wrote about Eliezer Yudkowsky's book, which is built on a tower of assumptions, of “maybes” and “probablys” that compound, which makes it wildly overconfident about doom being a sure thing.
The irony is that Mr Probability has stopped thinking probabilistically!
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
The irony is that Mr Probability has stopped thinking probabilistically!
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
“AI will kill everyone” is not an argument. It’s a worldview.
How rational is Eliezer Yudkowsky’s prophecy?
www.vox.com
September 30, 2025 at 4:09 PM
ICYMI I wrote about Eliezer Yudkowsky's book, which is built on a tower of assumptions, of “maybes” and “probablys” that compound, which makes it wildly overconfident about doom being a sure thing.
The irony is that Mr Probability has stopped thinking probabilistically!
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
The irony is that Mr Probability has stopped thinking probabilistically!
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
I get lots of emails from people who believe they've awoken consciousness within ChatGPT. If you come across anyone in that situation, please share this guide I wrote with them.
There's something more interesting going on here than just "delusional people are deluded."
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
There's something more interesting going on here than just "delusional people are deluded."
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Think your AI chatbot has become conscious? Here’s what to do.
If you believe there’s a soul trapped inside ChatGPT, I have good news for you.
www.vox.com
September 29, 2025 at 5:15 PM
I get lots of emails from people who believe they've awoken consciousness within ChatGPT. If you come across anyone in that situation, please share this guide I wrote with them.
There's something more interesting going on here than just "delusional people are deluded."
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
There's something more interesting going on here than just "delusional people are deluded."
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Ah to have been a fly on the wall of that room in Rome!
I was part of a working group on AI and Fraternity assembled by the Vatican. We met in Rome and worked on this over two days. I am happy to share the result of that intense effort: a Declaration we presented to the Pope and other government authorities
coexistence.global
coexistence.global
September 24, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Ah to have been a fly on the wall of that room in Rome!
I had a very trippy experience reading the new Eliezer Yudkowsky book, IF ANYONE BUILDS IT, EVERYONE DIES.
I agree with the basic idea that the current speed & trajectory of AI progress is incredibly dangerous!
But I don't buy his general worldview. Here's why:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
I agree with the basic idea that the current speed & trajectory of AI progress is incredibly dangerous!
But I don't buy his general worldview. Here's why:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
“AI will kill everyone” is not an argument. It’s a worldview.
How rational is Eliezer Yudkowsky’s prophecy?
www.vox.com
September 18, 2025 at 3:24 PM
I had a very trippy experience reading the new Eliezer Yudkowsky book, IF ANYONE BUILDS IT, EVERYONE DIES.
I agree with the basic idea that the current speed & trajectory of AI progress is incredibly dangerous!
But I don't buy his general worldview. Here's why:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
I agree with the basic idea that the current speed & trajectory of AI progress is incredibly dangerous!
But I don't buy his general worldview. Here's why:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
If you read one review of If Anyone Builds It Everyone Dies make it @sigalsamuel.bsky.social 's about competing #AI worldviews
"It was hard to seriously entertain both [doomer and AI-as-normal tech] views at the same time."
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
"It was hard to seriously entertain both [doomer and AI-as-normal tech] views at the same time."
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
The AI doomers are not making an argument. They’re selling a worldview.
How rational is Eliezer Yudkowsky’s prophecy?
www.vox.com
September 17, 2025 at 3:31 PM
If you read one review of If Anyone Builds It Everyone Dies make it @sigalsamuel.bsky.social 's about competing #AI worldviews
"It was hard to seriously entertain both [doomer and AI-as-normal tech] views at the same time."
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
"It was hard to seriously entertain both [doomer and AI-as-normal tech] views at the same time."
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Do you feel like you have to do The Most Possible Good™ ??
I think obsessing about being a good person can backfire. There’s a better way.
My latest:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
I think obsessing about being a good person can backfire. There’s a better way.
My latest:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Obsessing about being a good person can backfire. There’s a better way.
The paradox of moral perfectionism — and how to escape it.
www.vox.com
September 14, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Do you feel like you have to do The Most Possible Good™ ??
I think obsessing about being a good person can backfire. There’s a better way.
My latest:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
I think obsessing about being a good person can backfire. There’s a better way.
My latest:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
At what point does embryo selection become too eugenics-y?
New polygenic testing companies look at all your embryos & claim to predict each one's chance of cancer & depression, but also height, IQ, etc.
Before you try to create a superbaby, read this!
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
New polygenic testing companies look at all your embryos & claim to predict each one's chance of cancer & depression, but also height, IQ, etc.
Before you try to create a superbaby, read this!
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
When does trying to have a healthier baby become eugenics-y?
New genetic testing offers us the chance to create superbabies. It can come with unintended consequences.
www.vox.com
September 2, 2025 at 7:17 PM
At what point does embryo selection become too eugenics-y?
New polygenic testing companies look at all your embryos & claim to predict each one's chance of cancer & depression, but also height, IQ, etc.
Before you try to create a superbaby, read this!
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
New polygenic testing companies look at all your embryos & claim to predict each one's chance of cancer & depression, but also height, IQ, etc.
Before you try to create a superbaby, read this!
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Sigal Samuel
Can AI write sacred texts? @sigalsamuel.bsky.social with some incisive analysis 👇🏻
AI can write you a new Bible. But is it meaningful?
ChatGPT just wrote a sacred text for Buddhists — and it exceeded expectations.
www.vox.com
August 11, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Can AI write sacred texts? @sigalsamuel.bsky.social with some incisive analysis 👇🏻
Can’t commit to vegetarianism or veganism but want animals to suffer less?
You’ve got options!
Here's my pragmatic advice in @vox.com:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
You’ve got options!
Here's my pragmatic advice in @vox.com:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Can’t commit to vegetarianism but want animals to suffer less? You’ve got options.
This doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing.
www.vox.com
August 10, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Can’t commit to vegetarianism or veganism but want animals to suffer less?
You’ve got options!
Here's my pragmatic advice in @vox.com:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
You’ve got options!
Here's my pragmatic advice in @vox.com:
www.vox.com/future-perfe...