Return-Path: Delivered-To: alvarochf@traceseis.com Received: from cs510.bluehost.com by cs510.bluehost.com with LMTP id MEwCJ7CUBGpgggoAWiBQxw (envelope-from ) for ; Wed, 13 May 2026 09:11:44 -0600 Return-path: Envelope-to: alvarochf@traceseis.com Delivery-date: Wed, 13 May 2026 09:11:44 -0600 Received: from v57.v5375b7fa.use4.send.mailgun.net ([159.112.244.7]:50434) by cs510.bluehost.com with esmtps (TLS1.2) tls TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 (Exim 4.99.2) (envelope-from ) id 1wNBFQ-00000003EbK-1R1k for alvarochf@traceseis.com; Wed, 13 May 2026 09:11:44 -0600 DKIM-Signature: a=rsa-sha256; v=1; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=mg-d0.substack.com; q=dns/txt; s=mailo; t=1778685087; x=1778692287; h=List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe: List-Post: List-Id: List-Archive: List-Owner: Reply-To: In-Reply-To: References: Sender: Sender: Date: Message-Id: To: To: From: From: Subject: Subject: Content-Type: Mime-Version; bh=SjLqPc7sYzvJWNqBi+x6UZzxilnckT+jH8SuDViE8w8=; b=w70ZF1amiHgh5xzuWUuCqyr8UkrCg3lLuhJNSsaIFIjnoglVROYvdUmlTSPWiM/lDNXFpPTf1EOwTOXk0U4BLH8ipKzi8XobEeTIoy2Wnx82Q+F/zLP1pYefoOPx4v0etBAnUiXk4AfEzkRjfbDjGzz6O3E3v7+YCFOrxbW5gdc= X-Mailgun-Sid: WyIyYjhlZSIsImFsdmFyb2NoZkB0cmFjZXNlaXMuY29tIiwiNjNhZjVkIl0= Received: by ff4559b12acc1b70c091ecfc5979f214f7f4a8a623d8e0a3c7dc573d5ce05a25 with HTTP id 6a04949f9517f767cfb825db; Wed, 13 May 2026 15:11:26 GMT X-Mailgun-Sending-Ip: 159.112.244.7 X-Mailgun-Batch-Id: 6a04949ed5b68dcb1a671828 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="75600b5f4932f1c858ef98787bb532b5c1f29fa7fc0917fefd65d6b70fc4" Subject: On being human, and having to trust From: Cosmos Institute To: alvarochf@traceseis.com X-Mailgun-Tag: post X-Mailgun-Track-Clicks: false Message-Id: <20260513151039.3.20a908dcb5d18f76@mg-d0.substack.com> Date: Wed, 13 May 2026 15:10:39 +0000 Feedback-Id: post-197506384:cat-post:pub-2225794:substack Sender: Cosmos Institute References: In-Reply-To: Reply-To: Cosmos Institute List-Owner: List-Url: List-Archive: List-Id: List-Post: List-Unsubscribe: List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click X-Mailgun-Variables: {"category": "post", "email_generated_at": "1778685085142", "is_freemail": "true", "post_audience": "everyone", "post_id": "197506384", "post_type": "newsletter", "pub_community_enabled": "true", "publication_id": "2225794", "subdomain": "cosmosinstitute", "user_id": "347258985"} X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 X-Spam-Score: -7 X-Spam-Bar: / X-Spam-Flag: NO --75600b5f4932f1c858ef98787bb532b5c1f29fa7fc0917fefd65d6b70fc4 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable View this post on the web at https://blog.cosmos-institute.org/p/on-being-h= uman-and-having-to-trust We believe AI is a philosophical event of the same order as Copernicus and = Darwin, or the American and French revolutions: it forces us to interrogate= our deepest assumptions about what it means to be human, and whom or what = to trust, and it gives us new tools for thinking through both. The first is the question of what makes a human life worth living, and how = we set the conditions for people to discover answers to that question for t= hemselves. Philosophers have answered in terms of reason, virtue, the soul,= love, work, and language. Much of that tradition was built on the assumpti= on that we were the only creatures capable of any of these =E2=80=93 that a= ssumption is now under strain. The second is the question of how we come to know anything we haven=E2=80= =99t worked out for ourselves. Whose testimony do we accept, and on what gr= ounds? Most of what any of us think we know about the world we have to take= on trust from someone else. That could be a teacher, a textbook, a newspap= er, or someone we know. AI is rapidly becoming one of those sources, and fo= r many people the default one. This summer, we=E2=80=99ll be in Aspen, Colorado, convening two multi-day s= eminars, which will cover these questions in depth. We=E2=80=99re making sp= aces available to the winners of a short, reading list-themed contest. Seminar #1: What does it mean to be human now? As part of the Aspen Institute=E2=80=99s 2026 Socrates Summer Seminar serie= s, running from July 17th =E2=80=93 20th, Cosmos founder Brendan McCord wil= l be moderating a seminar on =E2=80=98What it Means To Be Human Now.=E2=80= =99 Brendan=E2=80=99s seminar will bring together 30 thinkers, policymakers, an= d builders in a focused discussion around a curated set of readings. It will focus on how emerging technologies are reshaping our understanding = of identity, dignity, and purpose. The discussion will cover: What qualities define the human experience, and which of them truly matter = most? If intelligence is no longer uniquely ours, where does human value actually= live =E2=80=93 in our bodies, our relationships, our vulnerability, our fa= ith? Could technological progress change not just what we do, but who we become? What do we owe future generations in preserving the conditions for a fully = human life? You can read the full description on the Socrates Seminar website [ https:/= /substack.com/redirect/6c9e6e5a-01b1-4d9b-a28b-66967757f537?j=3DeyJ1IjoiNXF= xeXF4In0.h9dEDbGj64cTNudluPwbMYWklSu8UKGoFv6eWS-HyoA ]. The seminar is sold out to the public, but we are offering a fully-funded t= icket and meals (normal cost $3,000), and accommodation to 1-2 competition = winners. Seminar #2: AI and epistemic authority From August 1st =E2=80=93 3rd, we=E2=80=99ll be back in Colorado for our la= test seminar with our friends at Liberty Fund [ https://substack.com/redire= ct/8502c81c-5366-4097-936d-6d65d9c2fa8a?j=3DeyJ1IjoiNXFxeXF4In0.h9dEDbGj64c= TNudluPwbMYWklSu8UKGoFv6eWS-HyoA ]. As with our previous [ https://substack= =2Ecom/redirect/3d60b7fe-8d1f-4a3c-af8= c-4dc9b4bc1b89?j=3DeyJ1IjoiNXFxeXF4In0.= h9dEDbGj64cTNudluPwbMYWklSu8UKGoFv6eWS-HyoA ] seminars [ https://substack.c= om/redirect/1f28b24a-95c3-4b26-bcd1-6d523a2c7dbc?j=3DeyJ1IjoiNXFxeXF4In0.h9= dEDbGj64cTNudluPwbMYWklSu8UKGoFv6eWS-HyoA ], we=E2=80=99ll be looking to co= nvene around 15 AI researchers, scientists, and philosophers. This seminar = will be focused on AI and epistemic authority. Epistemic authority has the advantage of being a settled concept, with a de= ep literature on testimony, expertise, and deference to draw on. But it is = also newly urgent. AI puts pressure on it at two levels at once: The individual, where we defer to a model=E2=80=99s answer instead of worki= ng a question through ourselves The collective, where we let these systems shape our politics. We=E2=80=99ll be exploring these issues through the lens of a series of rea= dings, spanning eras, schools of thought, and perspectives. We=E2=80=99re offering up to 3 places at the seminar, where travel and lodg= ing costs will be covered. How to win a place Much like our two events, our competition is based around a reading list. To participate, you simply have to nominate a book or paper you believe is = highly relevant (or underrated) for the topic of the seminar that you are a= pplying for, and explain, in fewer than 250 words, why it would make for a = good addition to the reading list for that event. You can choose to enter for one of the events or both. If you want to take part, please complete your entry by May 24th, 2026. Fee= l free to also share recommendations in the comments in addition. Cosmos Institute [ https://substack.com/redirect/4b1d733b-9d79-46e4-9bae-67= 989d5e383a?j=3DeyJ1IjoiNXFxeXF4In0.h9dEDbGj64cTNudluPwbMYWklSu8UKGoFv6eWS-H= yoA ] is the Academy for Philosopher-Builders, technologists building AI fo= r human flourishing. We run fellowships, fund AI prototypes, and host semin= ars with institutions like Oxford, St John=E2=80=99s College, and Liberty F= und. Subscribe for updates and essays: Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9ibG9nLmNvc21= vcy1pbnN0aXR1dGUub3JnL2FjdGlvbi9kaXNhYmxlX2VtYWlsP3Rva2VuPWV5SjFjMlZ5WDJsa0= lqb3pORGN5TlRnNU9EVXNJbkJ2YzNSZmFXUWlPakU1TnpVd05qTTROQ3dpYVdGMElqb3hOemM0T= mpnMU1EZzFMQ0psZUhBaU9qRTRNVEF5TWpFd09EVXNJbWx6Y3lJNkluQjFZaTB5TWpJMU56azBJ= aXdpYzNWaUlqb2laR2x6WVdKc1pWOWxiV0ZwYkNKOS5fSzk5ZThpNlZKSlV3QTJ5WW5RakprSnJ= pbk9VaVd0T2hJb0s1NWJBVzR3IiwicCI6MTk3NTA2Mzg0LCJzIjoyMjI1Nzk0LCJmIjp0cnVlLC= J1IjozNDcyNTg5ODUsImlhdCI6MTc3ODY4NTA4NSwiZXhwIjoyMDk0MjYxMDg1LCJpc3MiOiJwd= WItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.jKIp5WRLXAuzhmyXJHN60J4MhedwoCoaAP2IF= e6pdyA? --75600b5f4932f1c858ef98787bb532b5c1f29fa7fc0917fefd65d6b70fc4 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable = On being human, and having to trust3D""
Recommend a reading and join us in Aspe= n this summer
͏     ­͏     ­T= 7;     ­͏     ­͏     &= #173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   =   ­͏     ­͏     ­͏= ;     ­͏     ­͏     &#= 173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &= #8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏=     ­͏     ­͏     = 73;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &#= 8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ =     ­͏     ­͏     = 3;͏     ­͏     ­͏   = 199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &= nbsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ;͏     ­͏     ­͏   Q= 99; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &n= bsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ͏     ­͏     ­͏   ̳= 9; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nb= sp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&= #847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nbs= p;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&#= 847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  = ;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= 47;     ­͏     ­͏     = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  =   ­͏     ­͏     ­T= 7;     ­͏     ­͏     &= #173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   =   ­͏     ­͏     ­͏= ;     ­͏     ­͏     &#= 173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &= #8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏=     ­͏     ­͏     = 73;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &#= 8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ =     ­͏     ­͏     = 3;͏     ­͏     ­͏   = 199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &= nbsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ;͏     ­͏     ­͏   Q= 99; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &n= bsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ͏     ­͏     ­͏   ̳= 9; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nb= sp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&= #847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nbs= p;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&#= 847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  = ;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= 47;     ­͏     ­͏     = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  =   ­͏     ­͏     ­T= 7;     ­͏     ­͏     &= #173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   =   ­͏     ­͏     ­͏= ;     ­͏     ­͏     &#= 173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &= #8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏=     ­͏     ­͏     = 73;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &#= 8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ =     ­͏     ­͏     = 3;͏     ­͏     ­͏   = 199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &= nbsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ;͏     ­͏     ­͏   Q= 99; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &n= bsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ͏     ­͏     ­͏   ̳= 9; ­͏     ­͏     ­
<= /tr>
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more
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On being human, and having to trust<= /a>

Recommend a reading and join us in Aspen this summer

=
Cosmos Institute
 
3D""=
=
=3D""
= 3D""
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READ IN APP3D""
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We believe AI is a philosophical event of the same or= der as Copernicus and Darwin, or the American and French revolutions: it fo= rces us to interrogate our deepest assumptions about what it means to be hu= man, and whom or what to trust, and it gives us new tools for thinking thro= ugh both.

The first is the question of what makes a human l= ife worth living, and how we set the conditions for people to discover answ= ers to that question for themselves. Philosophers have answered in terms of= reason, virtue, the soul, love, work, and language. Much of that tradition= was built on the assumption that we were the only creatures capable of any= of these – that assumption is now under strain.

The = second is the question of how we come to know anything we haven’t wor= ked out for ourselves. Whose testimony do we accept, and on what grounds? M= ost of what any of us think we know about the world we have to take on trus= t from someone else. That could be a teacher, a textbook, a newspaper, or s= omeone we know. AI is rapidly becoming one of those sources, and for many p= eople the default one.

This summer, we’ll be in Aspen= , Colorado, convening two multi-day seminars, which will cover these questi= ons in depth. We’re making spaces available to the winners of a short= , reading list-themed contest.

Submit your entry

Seminar #1: What does it mean to be h= uman now?

As part of the Aspen Institute’s = 2026 Socrates Summer Seminar series, running from July 17th – 20th, C= osmos founder Brendan McCord will be moderating a seminar on ‘What it= Means To Be Human Now.’

Brendan’s seminar will= bring together 30 thinkers, policymakers, and builders in a focused discus= sion around a curated set of readings.

It will focus on how= emerging technologies are reshaping our understanding of identity, dignity= , and purpose. The discussion will cover:

You can read= the full description on the Socrates Seminar website.

The seminar is sold out to the public, but we are offering a fully-funded = ticket and meals (normal cost $3,000), and accommodation to 1-2 competition= winners.

=
3D""
Photos from our Aspen seminar last year

Seminar #2: AI and epistemic authority=

From August 1st – 3rd, we’ll b= e back in Colorado for our latest seminar with our friends at Liberty Fund. As with our previous seminars, we’ll be looking to convene around 15 A= I researchers, scientists, and philosophers. This seminar will be focused o= n AI and epistemic authority.

Epistemic authority ha= s the advantage of being a settled concept, with a deep literature on testi= mony, expertise, and deference to draw on. But it is also newly urgent. AI = puts pressure on it at two levels at once:

  • <= p style=3D"color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;margin-bottom: 0;box-sizi= ng: border-box;padding-left: 4px;font-size: 16px;margin: 0;">The individual= , where we defer to a model’s answer instead of working a question th= rough ourselves

  • T= he collective, where we let these systems shape our politics.

=

We’ll be exploring these issues through the lens of a se= ries of readings, spanning eras, schools of thought, and perspectives.

<= p style=3D"margin: 0 0 20px 0;color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;font-s= ize: 16px;">We’re offering up to 3 places at the seminar, where trave= l and lodging costs will be covered.

<= tbody>
Participants from our AI and the Future of Hu= man Autonomy discussion in London

How to win a place

Much like o= ur two events, our competition is based around a reading list.

To participate, you simply have to nominate a book or paper you believ= e is highly relevant (or underrated) for the topic of the seminar that you = are applying for, and explain, in fewer than 250 words, why it would make f= or a good addition to the reading list for that event.

You = can choose to enter for one of the events or both.

If you w= ant to take part, please complete your entry by May 24th, 2026. Feel free t= o also share recommendations in the comments in addition.

Submit your entry

Cosmos Ins= titute is the Academy for Philosopher-Builders, technologists bui= lding AI for human flourishing. We run fellowships, fund AI prototypes, and= host seminars with institutions like Oxford, St John’s College, and = Liberty Fund.

Subscribe for updates= and essays:

Upgrade to pai= d

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