> [!NOTE] Beyond Human Intelligence > `Author:` [[James Bridle]] `Availability:` > [!info] ![[Ways of Being.cover.jpg]] > Narrated by: James BridleLength: 12 hrs and 1 min ## Summary **Ways of Being** by James Bridle explores how humans, machines, and systems perceive and interact with the world, emphasising that intelligence and agency are not exclusively human. Bridle examines how technologies—from AI to digital platforms—shape behaviour, [[Culture]], and [[Society]], and argues for understanding the multiple “ways of being” that coexist in our increasingly complex, interconnected world. ## Key takeaways - [[Technology]] shapes [[perception]] and experience: digital platforms, algorithms, and AI influence how we interact with the world. - Ways of being are multiple and emergent: Bridle emphasises that both humans and machines participate in creating [[Meaning]], and understanding this multiplicity is key to navigating the modern world. - [[Corporations]] operate like artificial intelligences, pursuing their own internal logic and imperatives. - [[Charles Stross]] compares the corporate age to the aftermath of an alien invasion, driven primarily by growth and profit above all else. - Organisations and systems can behave autonomously in ways that affect individuals, echoing ideas from [[Niklas Luhmann]]’s [[Systems Theory]]: social systems have their own logic and [[Boundaries]], shaping human behaviour. ## Quotes - ## Notes - intelligence is not something that just exists in the head, literally, in the case of the octopus. It’s not something to be tested but recognised. - To anthropomorphic all intelligence as what humans do is to narrow how we think about intelligence. - Bridle’s exploration of non-human agency and the multiple ways entities perceive and act in the world resonates with **[[Knowledge/Object-Oriented Ontology]] (OOO)**, which emphasises the independent existence and agency of objects beyond human perception. `Concepts:` [[Ecology]] [[Books index]]