# John Twelve Hawks

- Quotes: 44
- Author page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks

## Books

- [Spark](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark.md) — 19 quotes
- [The Dark River](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/the-dark-river.md) — 2 quotes
- [The Golden City](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/the-golden-city.md) — 2 quotes
- [The Traveler](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/the-traveler.md) — 21 quotes

## Recently added quotes

> All language – everything we say – is just an approximation of reality.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/all-language-everything.md)

> It took me years to realize that a computer would never truly be able to say cogito ego sum although dozens of lurid Hollywood movies about robots want to leave that impression. A computer thinks....that is, it realizes it has been switched on...but it doesn't know it exists.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/it-took-me-years.md)

> Artificial intelligence is a concept that obscures accountability. Our problem is not machines acting like humans -- it’s humans acting like machines.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/artificial-intelligence-is-a-concept.md)

> Machines, no matter how sophisticated, can only follow programs. If we sleepwalk through our lives, then we’re no better than machines. Only humans are capable of a job done well -- which means thinking about the consequences of our actions. A job done well pays the bills, but it also improves the lives of everyone around us.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/machines-no-matter.md)

> Bland is the truest expression of an advanced civilization. It took a great deal of money to create this pocket of cool, calm bland among the rickshaw men and the beggar children tapping on the car windows.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/bland-is-the.md)

> What happens in our future can change the meaning of what has happened in our past.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/what-happens-in-our.md)

> A Vast Machine watched and evaluated them, remembering their past actions and predicting their future behavior.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/a-vast-machine.md)

> Most conscious thought is simply an attempt to claim ‘authorship’ for a choice that has already been made. Our thoughts are just an ongoing attempt to explain what we’ve already decided.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/most-conscious-thought.md)

> In reality, the universe is neutral about our existence. Only dogs care.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/in-reality-the.md)

> The Turing Test tried to make a distinction between humans and machines. But these days Shadow programs like Edward and Laura can be programmed to say "I love you" or imitate other emotions. If a machine wanted to act like a human, then it had to deny the truth. Lying, not love, is the fundamental indication of humanity.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/the-turing-test.md)

> True ideology has vanished, replaced by fear and fantasy. The right wing wants corporate control and a return to a past that never existed. The left wing wants government control and a future that will never exist. Both groups lose sight of the essential questions: how can the individual speak and think and create freely? New ideas are the only evolutionary force that will save us from destruction.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/true-ideology-has.md)

> No machine can daydream. When they’re not switched on, they’re as cold as a toaster in a midnight kitchen.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/john-twelve-hawks/spark/no-machine-can.md)