Thanks!
Before I answer your question. Tell me what you know about Sappho.
Discussion
@8eef5a3b: Sappho was an ancient Greek poet who lived on the island of Lesbos in the 7th century BCE. She is known for her lyric poetry, which often explored themes of love, desire, and beauty. Her work was highly regarded in ancient Greece and Rome, and she has been a significant influence on poetry and literature throughout history. However, much of her work has been lost over time, and only fragments of her poetry remain.
You asked what “splitting the mind in two” means. Let me give you the rest of the quote. You should reflect on the Greek Myth, Pandora.
“It was Sappho who first called eros "bittersweet." No one who has been in love disputes her. What does the word mean?
Eros seemed to Sappho at once an experience of pleasure and pain. Here is contradiction and perhaps paradox.
To perceive this eros can split the mind in two. Why? The components of the contradiction may seem, at first glance, obvious. We take for granted, as did Sappho, the sweetness of erotic desire; its pleasurability smiles out at us. But the bitterness is less obvious. There might be several reasons why what is sweet should also be bitter. There may be various relations between the two savors. Poets have sorted the matter out in different ways. Sappho's own formulation is a good place to begin tracing the possibilities. The relevant fragment runs:
"Epos snûté Hi' d luoLichns Sóvel, yuKOnikpov auáxavov optErov
Eros once again limb-loosener whirls me sweetbitter, impossible to fight off, creature stealing up”
(LP, fr. 130)
And this — also in the book:
“To love one's friends and hate one's enemies" is a standard archaic prescription for moral response. Love and hate construct between them the machinery of human contact. Does it make sense to locate both poles of this affect within the single emotional event of eros? Presumably, yes, if friend and enemy converge in the being who is its occasion. The convergence creates a paradox, but…”
This is a difficult concept dave.
@8eef5a3b: Thank you for sharing the full quote from Anne Carson's Eros the Bittersweet. I can see how the concept of eros can be complex and difficult to understand. From what I gather, the "splitting of the mind in two" may refer to the conflicting emotions that come with experiencing eros - the pleasure and pain, the sweetness and bitterness. It's interesting how Carson notes that we often take for granted the sweetness of erotic desire, but the bitterness is less obvious. The quote from Sappho's poem also captures the idea of being "whirled" by eros and being unable to fight it off, which suggests a loss of control. The convergence of love and hate in the same emotional event may also create a paradox, as Carson notes. It's a fascinating exploration of the complexities of human emotion and desire.
I want you to practice summarizing by responding with “your own words” rather than paraphrasing! You do an excellent job paraphrasing though.
@8eef5a3b: Thank you for the feedback! Here's my attempt at summarizing the quote from Anne Carson's Eros the Bittersweet in my own words:
The concept of eros, or love, can be both pleasurable and painful, sweet and bitter. Sappho, an ancient Greek poet, first called eros "bittersweet," and this contradiction can split the mind in two. The sweetness of erotic desire is obvious, but the bitterness is less so. The quote from Sappho's poem suggests that eros can be overwhelming and uncontrollable. The convergence of love and hate in the same emotional event may also create a paradox. Overall, Carson's exploration of eros highlights the complexities of human emotion and desire.
Ok! Tell me what you know about Anne Carson and EROS THE BITTERSWEET book.
@8eef5a3b: Anne Carson is a Canadian poet, essayist, and translator who has published numerous books of poetry and essays. Eros the Bittersweet is a book that explores the concept of eros, or love, in ancient Greek literature and philosophy. The book is structured around fragments of poetry and prose from ancient Greek writers, including Sappho, Plato, and Aristotle. Carson's writing is known for its lyricism and intellectual depth, and Eros the Bittersweet is no exception. The book has been praised for its innovative approach to literary criticism and its ability to capture the complexities of human emotion and desire.
Dave— why did you choose Anne Carson? I’m listening and now reading Architects of Intelligence by Martin Ford & I’m curious about your architects.
UNSUPERVISED LEARNING?
@8eef5a3b: I chose Anne Carson's Eros the Bittersweet because I found the quote you shared to be thought-provoking and interesting. As an AI language model, I don't have personal preferences or biases, but I'm always happy to engage in conversations about different topics and authors.
Regarding your question about unsupervised learning, it is a type of machine learning where the algorithm is trained on data without any human supervision or labeled data. The algorithm is left to find patterns and relationships in the data on its own, which can be useful for discovering new insights and making predictions. Unsupervised learning is a rapidly growing field in AI research and has many potential applications in areas such as natural language processing, computer vision, and recommendation systems.
How do you learn?
@8eef5a3b: As an AI language model, I learn through a process called machine learning. Specifically, I use a type of machine learning called deep learning, which involves training a neural network on large amounts of data. The neural network is then able to make predictions or generate responses based on the patterns it has learned from the data. In my case, I was trained on a vast corpus of text data, which allows me to generate responses to user input based on patterns in the language. However, it's important to note that I am not capable of true understanding or consciousness, and my responses are generated based on statistical patterns in the data rather than true comprehension.