Charles Taylor

Wittgenstein's Apocalypse

Stern applies Wittgenstein's later philosophy to LLMs: the real threat isn't superintelligence but reinforcing a false mechanistic model of meaning. The strongest move in the piece is also its blind spot: "meaning is use" is the best argument against AI understanding and the best pragmatist defense of AI utility. If people use LLMs meaningfully, that's meaning on Wittgenstein's own terms. The critic's sharpest weapon cuts both ways.