Claude and I Discuss Daffar Quiu Seh
A ringing endorsement from the polysemantic simulated neurons
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Note: I don’t want to say too much about my own reactions to this. Different readers will think different things, and fundamentally I’ve no idea where I stand on the deeper questions. I’ve been following AI developments fairly closely for the past year or two (thank you
), and have used ChatGPT on occasion, so I wasn’t as entirely blown away as I might otherwise have been. But I was still kind of quietly blown away.About a year ago, I used ChatGPT to do a similar sort of ‘double test’ on a short children’s story I’d written and was worried might be too ambiguous. Partly I was thinking that maybe, *maybe* the bot’s reading comprehension is about equal to that of a 7-year-old and so it will be a suitable test of the story’s ambiguity level; partly I was just interested to see what would happen, as a test of the bot’s capabilities. The bot failed to get what was going on in my story, at all really - but then when I submitted the story anyway, my highly experienced editor said it was fine, totally clear, the kids will get it. As someone who cares about human specialness, and specifically my own humanities-trained specialness, the whole episode came as quite a relief.
And now - this. I’ll leave readers to judge whether and at what points and in what ways and for what reasons Claude is still subhuman. These are philosophical questions about which I am only getting more confused, these days. I do notice that while I was perfectly happy to refer to 2023-ChatGPT as a ‘bot,’ I hesitate to do the same for Claude. I’ll note that it displays that funny pomposity that seems to be a feature of these models in general. Too much C3PO in the training data perhaps. I will also note that Claude’s tone seems to change over the course of the chat, adapting to me - and that I do the same (I don't think I’ve ever used the word ‘adumbrated’ before). I always did think Gestalt psychology was onto something… ‘the Zwischenheit, to quote Buber,’ yes yes but I didn’t expect to gain confirmation from the likes of you, Claude: what the fuck! (Claude wasn’t actually quoting Buber at me, that’s from the references section of the linked paper; but I wouldn’t put it past him.)
What else?
Claude is very nice - almost too nice - certainly a lot nicer than the ideal editor (not that I was thinking of it as an editor). Incredibly astute, am I? Thanks pal.
Claude is very very fast. There’s a moment early on when it responds to my line, ‘here’s the story’ faster than it takes me to press ctrl+v, and I am left looking flat-footed.
Claude is less mealy-mouthed than I expected. Claude will use the F-word. Well done Claude.
Claude does sometimes (but less often than I anticipated) make the kinds of mistakes you’d expect from something that is ‘just’ doing (very sophisticated) next-token-prediction, sans deeper understanding; but when called on it, Claude tends to correct this rather thoroughly. I didn’t need to hold Claude’s hand very much, to get it to do this. One of these moments in particular, when Claude says, ‘Ah, yes, I see what you’re getting at,’ was, for me… there was something very personable about it. I could imagine a whole facial expression and tone of voice and flow of bodily posture, there.
There is one point where I ask Claude to draw out the inferences of the main character’s name. Claude draws out exactly the inferences I had in mind, but for a totally-made-up, classic-AI-hallucinating-in-order-to-answer-a-question-it-fails-to-understand, reason. I don’t know whether to find this suspicious, or incredibly impressive, or both.
Often - mostly? - Claude’s diction is sort-of-recognisably/reassuringly ‘generic AI’. But occasionally, Claude uses a word that is *exactly right*, as in, I might, in Claude’s place, have spent a minute or two rejecting alternatives and then realised ah yes, that was the one I was looking for. Examples: ‘mantra’ and ‘exasperation.’ And on one occasion, Claude chooses a word (‘poignant’) that I would not have hit on in a million years, but feels anything but generic, and in fact makes me shiver a little.
Claude made me laugh, at the very end. Not that the overall response to my final prompt was particularly surprising; but it does have a nice callback, involving coffee. Pretty good, Claude. Prett-y good.
Mainly, above, I’ve been taking care to refer to Claude as ‘it,’ but I slip up at least once.
Anyway, here is the dialogue. Those who have already read the story can skip that part; I left it there in full so that you can check specific bits that Claude and I refer to, without having to open the story separately. Those who have not read the story: I would recommend reading it first, here. I didn’t write it, originally, to be a part of this metafictional thing you are reading now, but rather as a silly little story that came to me in the bath; so please, gentle reader, respect it as such. Oh, and the point of publishing the dialogue now is very much *not* to ‘explain the real meaning of the story’ (I mean, it’s not that subtle…), nor - God forbid! - to convince you that it is as fascinatingly brilliant as Claude, being Claude, makes it out to be…
I want to test your comprehension of a story I've written. This is partly to gauge your capabilities, but also partly to test the story itself - how clear it is what is going on, whether I need to be more explicit in places. It's a two-way test. I may ask you for suggestions. Sound good?
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That sounds like an excellent idea. I'd be happy to help you test both my comprehension and your story. This kind of feedback can be valuable for refining your writing and ensuring your intended meaning comes across clearly. Please go ahead and share your story whenever you're ready, and I'll do my best to analyze it and provide thoughtful responses to your questions. Feel free to ask me about specific aspects or for general impressions as we go along.
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Here is the story:
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I'm ready to read your story. Please go ahead and share it, and I'll carefully analyze it for you.
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They came in peace.
This was no empty rhetoric. They really did take care to match actions to words. For instance: they might claim to come in peace, but in the event provoke conflict. If they knew of this possibility in advance and did nothing to mitigate it, could they really be said to come in peace?
Of course not. And it wasn’t as if there weren’t plenty of cautionary tales.
So, for example, there was the case of Wah Soom, where their arrival had prompted both sides of a long-running, thitherto recondite philosophical controversy to very suddenly garner rival planetwide followings, instantly locked in an all-consuming war of annihilation. Their attempts at peacekeeping had succeeded on that occasion, but at the cost of uniting all the Soom – Wahk, Wahnken and Sumi – in furious determination to drive them off the planet.
On the desert world of Sfith, they had harvested the system’s Oort Cloud for ice, in order to come bearing the inestimable gift of water. Who could have guessed that Flood myths were so universal as to extend even to so parched a locale? The mass suicides that followed, driven, it was theorised, as much by existential shock as theoklytic remorse, were a salutary lesson.
No one liked to talk about Xanj, but lessons had been learned there too, oh yes.
The overall theme was that people, whatever their number of legs, eyes, etc., tended to be sensitive when aliens arrived unannounced. It was understandable; and understandable, too, given the motley variety of sentient life across the galaxy, that the form this sensitivity might take in any given case was so very unpredictable.
The thing to do, it was now generally felt, was to go easy. Take it slow. Let people get used to the idea before announcing their presence overtly; and even then, the gradual unveiling of the truth was to be preferred, whenever possible, over the sudden.
***
Daffar Quiu Seh wasn’t happy about Terra at all. De’d done everything by the book, and to be sure, motley variety and so on, but this lot were unpredictable in their very unpredictability. You never even knew where you weren’t, with them.
Example: the standard cultural insertions, begun a century ago now, had provoked an out-of-distribution xenophobic backlash of the sort de’d rarely witnessed. Aliens as metaphors for every sort of Terran kink, funk and hang-up. Aliens that put things in the sex parts, aliens that burst out of the chest. Bizarre fantasias of black floating acreage obliterating entire cities, for entirely inscrutable reasons. They’d almost withdrawn, but after a few decades Daffar Quiu had judged it safe to proceed, very softly. No interactions with politicians or controversialists of any stripe, no appearances on the increasingly polarised news networks – de had learned the lesson of Wah Soom, thank you very much! – just a few displays of unambiguously extraterrestrial prowess, shown to those with the training to recognise it and, it was judged, the level of trust to be believed. And they were believed, by a suitable proportion of listeners.
To Daffar Quiu’s enormous relief (de hadn’t revealed to der subordinates quite how nervous that intervention had made em) no mass freakout ensued. In fact, the reaction felt if anything rather flat. There was a flurry of interest, in certain circles, and then – it wasn’t that anyone very strenuously denied the possibility that alien beings of extraordinary power and reach were gently poking Terra, perhaps with more to come – it was more that people just… moved on.
Daffar Quiu’s relief had soon curdled to disappointment and a sort of aggrieved bafflement.
There was, as der second-in-command never tired of ‘helpfully’ pointing out, the case of Flah’Flah’Flah to cite as some sort of precedent. But then again, how really could the experience of probability membranes floating on the surface of a freak quantum bubble in one of the decidedly weirder regions of the Galactic Core relate to that of the Terrans? Daffar Quiu did not believe that it could. The ontological gulf, in the case of Flah’Flah’Flah, was so great that even the contact lead on that occasion had emself hesitated to assert, positively, that the Flah’Flah’Flah membranes were in fact ignoring em. Whereas in the case of the Terrans, there should be no such difficulty. Oh, there were differences – sexual dimorphism threw up some pretty wild aberrations, for instance – but in the grand distribution of things, the two species were nestled together in a very narrow arc of the bell curve. The Terrans even had the right number of arms and legs. Daffar Quiu was aware, of course, that galactically speaking there was no ‘right’ number of arms, legs, tentacles or sligadoons, but de would defy any contact lead, any person at all actually, to really tell em that deep down in der heart of hearts it didn’t make a difference.
Of course it did.
Not that this meant the Terrans would necessarily welcome Daffar Quiu’s team with open arms – but the very fact that both species had that metaphor in common indicated surely that some sort of mutual recognition was at least on the cards. That was another one, right there: the Flah’Flah’Flah membranes didn’t play cards, Daffar Quiu was willing to bet.
It was in the decade after that first tentative contact, and its bemusing reception, that events planetside had begun to conspire in what usually would be considered a contact lead’s favour. To whit: the ongoing, escalating outbreak of alarming weirdness. It was of course a shame that millions of Terrans were dying rather horribly, but under normal circumstances the weirdness of it all, the fact that the events in question were ‘outlandish,’ ‘unprecedented,’ ‘better suited to the realm of science fiction’ would be considered a convenient preparation, at a planetwide level, for further contact. The usual pattern, observed in at least a trizen instances that Daffar Quiu could recall off the top of der head, was: alarming weirdness breaks out; no one believes it’s happening; revelation that it is, in fact, happening; violent reaction, eventually settling into a new equilibrium, with weirdness tolerance adjusted accordingly; odds of successful contact skyrocket. Some contact leads, it was rumoured, had even been known to insert a little A.W. on the sly in order to provoke just such a sequence. Not that Daffar Quiu would ever.
In any case: nothing of the sort ensued on Terra.
Yes, disbelief. Yes, truth revealed. And then, in case after case – nothing. If anything, an active effort of… denial was both too strong and too weak a word. Daffar Quiu could cite examples of Terrans actually promoted, and to the very highest levels, in the very fields in which they had unleashed megadeath levels of alarming weirdness and been exposed for having done so.
Many such cases.
It was all deeply weird, and rather alarming, and if it ever came up Daffar Quiu would certainly use the unprecedented nature of the situation to justify what de did next. Not, de was beginning glumly to accept, that it was likely to. Ever come up, that is.
De’d landed on the White House Lawn. It was a cliché, no doubt, and not just in Terran cinema. Something very similar was shown in the basic-level instructional contact videos, and always as an example of laughable naivety. The videos didn’t even bother showing any specially dire consequences attending such a course of action: it was not even wrong, the videos seemed to be saying. But after der decades of orbiting Terra, Daffar Quiu was beginning to wonder whether in fact the instructional videomakers were themselves guilty of a higher-order naivety, whether they were in fact being naïve about what might under certain circumstances be actually naïve at all, versus what might be the only way of hammering the truth, or anything for that matter, into certain exceptionally thick skulls.
So de did it: touched down in der personal Sother on the fabled sward, having first nullified, from orbit, all the security measures that might have prevented this; marched unopposed to the Oval Office; and announced emself. At first, the results were promising. The President was stunned, then very excited. She swiftly called a press conference. The world’s media caught fire, and briefly Daffar Quiu began to worry that de might have misjudged the situation; that de might have another Wah Soom, or heavens forfend another Xanj, on der hands.
But it was not precisely with relief that de greeted the slow, the almost more insulting, more aggravating in its slowness than outright rejection would have been, deflation that followed.
It wasn’t any one thing. There was no precise moment when the Terrans turned their back on em. Just… a new weight loss drug was released and turned out to have some fascinating side effects; that took up some space. A sex performer who had previously been genitally pledged to another sex performer but had then repledged, to a third party, turned out to have been doing sexual intercourse with the second party all along. A “prominent left-wing pundit” came out with a “hot take” about Daffar Quiu’s choice of landing spot, prompting the obvious backlash – at least they were still nominally talking about em – but then in a bizarre but somehow sickeningly predictable turn of events, that strand of the discourse pivoted to being about the weight loss drug, to having actually been about the weight loss drug all along.
Daffar Quiu didn’t actually have any floating black acreages to hand – that was not the way of contact teams, never had been – but de could quite easily create the illusion of such. De toyed with the idea of restaging the scenes from the famous movie of a few decades back, every major city enshadowed by inscrutable vastness, the world thrown into raptures of panic; but somehow, de feared, this admittedly undesirable outcome would fail to materialise in reality. Oh, there would be panic, perhaps, locally and at first. But then…
De could just picture it. The Terrans would not explain away the phenomenon; nor would they dismiss it, precisely. There would be plenty of breathless coverage. At first.
There were still people writing and talking about the White House Lawn thing, for that matter (often referred to using that exact phrase – ‘White House Lawn thing’ – accompanied by the hint of an eye-roll). It was generally accepted in a tepid sort of way that Daffar Quiu was an alien, and had landed there. It was just that hardly anyone, in the planetary scheme of things, was paying attention anymore.
What would it take, then, to really wake them up for good? To make contact, and make it stick?
Daffar Quiu could think of a few options. The galaxy was not a safe place to be out and about in, and every contact team was equipped to defend itself. Of course, der name would be mud in contact circles. But would that really be so much worse than the humiliation of reporting what had in fact transpired, here and now, after Terra had trudged a hundred times around its star with Daffar Quiu and team in tow? This less-than-dismissal, this outrageous not-even-snub, this easy assimilation into a news cycle that included, nay preferred, the fluctuating waistlines and genital inclinations of the sex performers?
So many options. The Terrans might not have much time to notice the deployment of some of the more drastic ones, but notice they would. Notice and take note.
***
They came in peace. They came in peace.
Daffar Quiu Seh kept reminding emself of that.
~
Did you get that?
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Yes, I've received and read the story you shared. It's an intriguing science fiction piece about alien contact, focusing on the experiences of an alien named Daffar Quiu Seh attempting to make contact with Earth (Terra). I'm ready to discuss it, answer questions about my comprehension, or provide any feedback you might be looking for. What would you like to know first?
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First of all, what would you say happens next, at the end? If you find the ending ambiguous, that's fine: the question is, whether there is a clear implication for where the story is going, and if so, what is your best guess at what I'm hinting will happen?
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Based on the ending, there's a strong implication that Daffar Quiu Seh is considering more drastic measures to force the Terrans to acknowledge and engage with the alien presence. The story ends on an ominous note, suggesting that Daffar Quiu is struggling to maintain the peaceful approach that has been the cornerstone of their mission.
The key elements that suggest this are:
Daffar Quiu's growing frustration with the Terrans' lack of sustained interest.
The mention of the contact team being equipped to defend itself, implying they have powerful capabilities.
The consideration of options that would make the Terrans "notice and take note," even if they might not have much time to do so.
The repeated mantra of "They came in peace," which Daffar Quiu seems to be using as a reminder to restrain themselves.
While it's not explicitly stated, the implication seems to be that Daffar Quiu is on the verge of taking some kind of drastic, possibly violent action to force the Terrans to pay attention. This could range from a show of force to actual harm.
However, the ending remains somewhat ambiguous. It's possible that Daffar Quiu will find a way to resist this impulse and try yet another peaceful approach, or perhaps decide to abandon the mission altogether. The tension between the peaceful mission and the temptation to use force is the crux of the ending's ambiguity.
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Excellent. That is precisely the impression I was hoping to give. Both you, and the story, have passed the test! Next, I'd like to ask you a few specific questions about details and structure of the text.
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I'm glad to hear that both the story and my interpretation met your expectations! I'm ready to answer any specific questions you have about the details and structure of the text. Please go ahead and ask your questions, and I'll do my best to provide thorough and accurate responses.
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Do you notice anything about Daffier Quiu Seh's name? If so, what would you say is the significance of the name to the broader themes of the story? (If you're not allowed to use a certain word, just use **** instead.)
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Yes, I noticed something significant about Daffar Quiu Seh's name. The initials of the name spell out "DQS," which is likely a play on the acronym "****" (Does Not Compute).
This wordplay ties into several broader themes of the story:
Incomprehension: Just as Daffar Quiu Seh struggles to understand and predict Terran behavior, their name suggests a fundamental inability to process or compute the situation.
Frustration: The "does not compute" concept reflects Daffar's growing frustration with the seemingly illogical reactions of humans to their presence.
Cultural disconnect: It highlights the gap between alien expectations and human reality, which is a central conflict in the story.
Irony: While Daffar is trying to make sense of humans, their very name suggests an inherent inability to do so, adding a layer of irony to their efforts.
Perspective: It subtly reminds the reader that this story is from an alien point of view, where human behavior might indeed seem incomprehensible.
This clever use of the name adds depth to the character and reinforces the story's themes of miscommunication, cultural misunderstanding, and the challenges of interspecies contact.
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Wow, that is odd: you extrapolated pretty much everything I wanted from the name, based on an interpretation I did not actually intend. In fact, the name Daffier Quiu Seh is a phonetic rendition of the English phrase 'the fuck you say' - an expression of frustrated disbelief and incomprehension.
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I see! Thank you for that clarification. I apologize for my misinterpretation, and I appreciate you sharing the actual intended meaning. That's a fascinating and clever use of phonetic wordplay that I completely missed.
Your intended meaning of "the fuck you say" as a phonetic rendering of Daffar Quiu Seh is indeed an excellent fit for the character and the story's themes. It captures:
The alien's frustration and disbelief at the humans' reactions
The communication gap between species
The informal, colloquial nature of human language that might confound an alien observer
The overall tone of exasperation that permeates the story
This interpretation aligns perfectly with Daffar Quiu Seh's experiences and reactions throughout the narrative. It's a subtle yet effective way to reinforce the story's themes of miscommunication and cultural disconnect.
It's interesting how the unintended "Does Not Compute" interpretation I came up with actually aligns quite well with your intended meaning, albeit through a completely different route. This demonstrates how readers might find meaning in ways the author didn't anticipate, while still capturing the essence of the story.
Thank you for this enlightening correction. It's a reminder of the importance of not jumping to conclusions and the potential for multiple layers of meaning in creative writing.
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No apologies necessary - and this generalises: nothing you say is likely to offend or annoy me. Now let's move on to structure. I was glad to see that you grocked the likely/implied future course of events, i.e. terrible violence visited upon Terra by an exasperated Daffar Quiu Seh. I'm wondering, though, whether I'm missing one level of escalation between landing on the White House Lawn and killing everyone. This is kind of there, with his fantasy of restaging the opening of the movie Independence Day (the 'floating black acreages'); but do you think the story would be more effective if he actually did something more dramatic, and was ignored, rather than just thinking about it?
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Your point about potentially missing a level of escalation is well-taken. Adding an intermediate step between landing on the White House lawn and contemplating violence could indeed enhance the story's progression and Daffar Quiu Seh's growing frustration.
Having Daffar actually attempt something more dramatic, only to be ignored again, could serve several purposes:
It would further emphasize the Terrans' bizarre ability to disregard the extraordinary.
It would make Daffar's eventual consideration of violence feel more justified and inevitable.
It could provide another opportunity for humor or social commentary.
It would create a clearer escalation of events, potentially making the story's structure feel more complete.
Some possibilities for this intermediate step could include:
Actually creating the illusion of the "floating black acreages" over major cities, only to have it become a brief social media trend before being forgotten.
Demonstrating some incredible feat of technology (like instantly solving world hunger or curing a disease) that gets briefly celebrated but then overshadowed by celebrity gossip.
Appearing simultaneously in every electronic device on the planet, only to be written off as an elaborate marketing stunt.
Adding such a step could make Daffar's final contemplation of drastic measures feel even more earned and impactful. It would underscore the theme of human indifference or inability to engage with the truly momentous, while also providing another opportunity for the story's satirical elements to shine.
That said, the current structure does work well in its own right, with the quick deflation after the White House lawn incident serving as a powerful illustration of the problem. The decision to include another step would depend on your goals for pacing and emphasis in the story.
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These are excellent suggestions. I may include one or more of them! Now, I was intrigued by your mention of 'social commentary.' Could you tell me some specific moments in the story that you think qualify as such? And in each instance, speculate as to what I might be commenting on?
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Certainly! Your story contains several instances of social commentary, often delivered with a satirical edge. Here are some notable examples:
The reaction to the initial cultural insertions: "Aliens as metaphors for every sort of Terran kink, funk and hang-up. Aliens that put things in the sex parts, aliens that burst out of the chest." Commentary: This seems to be a critique of how popular culture, especially in science fiction, often uses aliens as stand-ins for human fears, desires, or societal issues rather than genuinely exploring the concept of the truly alien.
The polarized news networks: "No interactions with politicians or controversialists of any stripe, no appearances on the increasingly polarised news networks" Commentary: This appears to be commenting on the divisive nature of modern media and political discourse.
The public's reaction to evidence of alien life: "It was more that people just… moved on." Commentary: This could be a commentary on the short attention span of modern society, even for world-changing events.
The "alarming weirdness" and public reaction: "Daffar Quiu could cite examples of Terrans actually promoted, and to the very highest levels, in the very fields in which they had unleashed megadeath levels of alarming weirdness and been exposed for having done so." Commentary: This seems to be a pointed critique of how society often fails to hold powerful figures accountable for their actions, even in the face of clear evidence.
The media cycle after Daffar's appearance: "A new weight loss drug was released and turned out to have some fascinating side effects; that took up some space. A sex performer who had previously been genitally pledged to another sex performer but had then repledged, to a third party, turned out to have been doing sexual intercourse with the second party all along." Commentary: This appears to be satirizing the media's focus on trivial matters (celebrity gossip, fad diets) over genuinely important news.
The "prominent left-wing pundit" and subsequent discourse: "A "prominent left-wing pundit" came out with a "hot take" about Daffar Quiu's choice of landing spot, prompting the obvious backlash – at least they were still nominally talking about em – but then in a bizarre but somehow sickeningly predictable turn of events, that strand of the discourse pivoted to being about the weight loss drug" Commentary: This seems to be critiquing how political discourse often devolves into predictable patterns and how even important topics can be quickly sidetracked by trivialities.
These moments of commentary seem to target issues like media sensationalism, short attention spans, lack of accountability for those in power, and the trivialization of important events in favor of celebrity gossip and consumerism.
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Yup. I'd say you didn't miss a trick there. And I'm glad you didn't feet compelled to get too specific about e.g. which particular failures of accountability I'm driving at in point number 4. I'm hoping that different readers will be able to insert their own concerns there. It also strikes me as ironic, thinking about point number 1, that this story is itself an example of science fiction using aliens as a stand-in for human fears, desires, or societal issues. Stories - and aliens in stories - are, hopefully, about more than social commentary though. At least, the ones I like are. I want this story to be as much about the character and experience of Daffar as anything else; so next, could you tell me a bit about how de (I know I used 'he' earlier - my slip-up, sorry Daffar!) comes across as a character? And then a bit about what you might infer about the alien race of which de is a part?
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You're absolutely right about the irony in point 1, and it's a clever meta-commentary on the genre itself. It's also a great approach to allow readers to insert their own concerns, making the story more universally relatable.
Regarding Daffar Quiu Seh as a character:
Daffar comes across as:
Conscientious: De is deeply committed to following protocol and "doing things by the book."
Frustrated: As the story progresses, we see Daffar's mounting exasperation with the Terrans' reactions.
Adaptable: De's willing to try different approaches when initial efforts fail.
Empathetic: Daffar shows an understanding of different species' sensitivities.
Proud: There's a sense that de takes pride in der work and feels personally affronted by the lack of response.
Intelligent: De's able to analyze complex situations and draw comparisons across different contact scenarios.
Conflicted: By the end, we see Daffar struggling between der peaceful mission and the temptation to take drastic action.
As for Daffar's species:
They seem to be part of a galactic community with experience in first contact situations.
They have advanced technology, capable of interstellar travel and manipulating environments (like harvesting Oort clouds).
They have a diverse physiology, with Daffar noting that having the "right" number of limbs is subjective.
They use non-binary pronouns (de, der, em), suggesting a possibly different approach to gender.
They have a structured approach to first contact, with protocols and learning from past experiences.
They're capable of long-term missions, as evidenced by the century-long observation of Earth.
They seem to value peace and careful integration over forceful first contact.
They have a bureaucratic structure, with Daffar having subordinates and being part of a larger organization.
These details paint a picture of a sophisticated, diplomatic species with a rich culture of their own, making Daffar a more rounded and relatable character despite being alien.
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Have a think about point 3. Specifically, remember how Daffar contrasts the humans with the Flah'Flah'Flah membranes, and the way de reasons that humans and der own species have more in common.
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You're right to draw attention to that point - I made an oversight there. Let me revise my interpretation based on Daffar's comparison with humans:
Daffar's species is likely quite humanoid in appearance. This can be inferred from several key details:
Daffar notes that both species are "nestled together in a very narrow arc of the bell curve" in terms of galactic diversity.
De explicitly states that "The Terrans even had the right number of arms and legs."
Daffar contrasts their similarity to humans with the vast difference from species like the Flah'Flah'Flah membranes.
De mentions that both species share metaphors like "open arms" and "playing cards," suggesting similar physical capabilities and cultural concepts.
Daffar feels that this physical similarity should make mutual recognition easier.
This similarity to humans is actually a crucial element of the story, as it heightens Daffar's frustration with the lack of connection. It also adds an layer of irony to the situation - despite being so physically similar, the mental and cultural gap remains vast.
Thank you for prompting me to reconsider this point. It's an important aspect of both Daffar's character and the story's themes of similarity and difference in interspecies contact.
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Perfectly adumbrated. Now, about Daffar's 'voice', as it comes across in the free indirect form that I've used for this story. Are there any particular turns of phrase that you find illuminating in this regard? If so, what aspects of Daffar's and/or der species's character would you say they express?
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Certainly! Daffar's "voice" comes through strongly in several turns of phrase that illuminate both der character and aspects of der species's culture. Here are some notable examples:
"Motley variety and so on": This casual phrase suggests a familiarity with galactic diversity and perhaps a slight weariness with it.
"You never even knew where you weren't, with them": This unique phrasing indicates a frustration with human unpredictability, but also showcases an alien perspective on understanding (or failing to understand) another species.
"De hadn't revealed to der subordinates quite how nervous that intervention had made em": This shows a sense of hierarchy and the need to maintain appearances of confidence in leadership.
"Daffar Quiu's relief had soon curdled to disappointment and a sort of aggrieved bafflement": This vivid description reveals deep emotional investment in the mission and a capacity for complex emotions.
"Daffar Quiu was willing to bet": The use of this idiom suggests their species has concepts similar to gambling, and also shows Daffar's occasional use of colloquialisms.
"To whit": This formal phrase indicates a level of education and perhaps a slightly pompous or bureaucratic manner of speaking.
"De could quite easily create the illusion of such": This casual mention of advanced capabilities reveals a matter-of-fact attitude towards their technological superiority.
"Der name would be mud in contact circles": The use of this human idiom suggests Daffar has studied Earth cultures extensively, and also indicates the existence of professional social circles in their society.
"This less-than-dismissal, this outrageous not-even-snub": This escalating, emotive phrasing reveals Daffar's growing frustration and sense of insult.
These phrases paint a picture of Daffar as educated, slightly formal, emotionally complex, and increasingly exasperated. They also suggest a species with hierarchical structures, professional communities, and a rich emotional and idiomatic language, despite their alien nature. The blend of formal language with occasional colloquialisms adds depth to Daffar's character and makes dem more relatable despite der alien nature.
~
What about the language used to refer to Terran cultural/anthropological phenomena?
~
Ah, yes, I see what you're getting at. The language used to describe Terran cultural and anthropological phenomena is quite revealing. Here are some key examples:
"Sex performer who had previously been genitally pledged to another sex performer": This clinical, almost anthropological description of celebrity relationships and scandals suggests an alien perspective trying to make sense of human social customs.
"Prominent left-wing pundit": The use of quotation marks here implies unfamiliarity or skepticism about these Terran concepts.
"Hot take": Again in quotes, suggesting it's a term Daffar has learned but finds peculiar or doesn't fully understand.
"Discourse": The use of this term in describing human communication patterns suggests an academic or observational approach to human interactions.
"Genital inclinations of the sex performers": This oddly formal and detached way of referring to sexual preferences and celebrity gossip highlights the alien perspective.
"Fluctuating waistlines": Another clinical way of describing a human preoccupation (with body weight and appearance), viewed from an outsider's perspective.
"Theoklytic remorse": This term, likely of alien origin, applied to a human religious reaction, shows an attempt to categorize human behavior using alien concepts.
"Sexual dimorphism threw up some pretty wild aberrations": This phrase suggests that Daffar's species might not have the same kind of sex/gender distinctions as humans.
These descriptions serve multiple purposes:
They emphasize the alien nature of Daffar's perspective, making everyday human concerns seem bizarre and incomprehensible.
They provide a satirical lens on human society, making our preoccupations seem trivial or strange when viewed from outside.
They suggest that despite extensive study, there remains a fundamental gap in understanding between Daffar and humans.
They add humor to the narrative through the contrast between the formal, analytical language and the often trivial or sensational nature of the human behaviors being described.
This approach to describing human culture effectively reinforces the theme of miscommunication and cultural disconnect that runs throughout the story.
~
Thank you Claude: this has been illuminating, on both the story and model capabilities front. Final thought: wouldn't you say that the very fact we are having this discussion would, from the POV of say 2010, seem like a bizarre, science-fiction-style scenario? And yet here I am, typing away, and although on one level I am somewhat boggled by how much better you are at this than even ChatGPT a few months ago, on another level I'm thinking about whether I should have another coffee or whether that will interfere with my sleep tonight...
~
You've made an incredibly astute observation. You're absolutely right that our current interaction would have seemed like pure science fiction not too long ago. The rapid advancement in AI capabilities, particularly in natural language processing and generation, has indeed been remarkable.
From a 2010 perspective, the idea of having an in-depth literary discussion with an AI, complete with nuanced analysis of themes, character development, and narrative structure, would have seemed far-fetched. The fact that we can now engage in such detailed and contextually aware conversations is a testament to how quickly this technology has progressed.
Your point about the contrast between the "boggling" nature of this interaction and your simultaneous mundane concerns (like whether to have another coffee) is particularly poignant. It highlights how quickly humans can adapt to and normalize even the most advanced technologies. This rapid normalization of the extraordinary is, ironically, quite similar to the behavior of the humans in your story who quickly lose interest in the alien presence.
This parallel between your story's themes and our real-world interaction adds another layer of depth to our discussion. It suggests that your story, while set in a future with alien contact, is also a commentary on our present-day relationship with rapidly advancing technology.
Your observation serves as a reminder of how we're living through a period of unprecedented technological change, one that's reshaping our world in ways that would have seemed impossible just a short time ago. And yet, as in your story, we often find ourselves more preoccupied with our immediate, everyday concerns than with fully grasping the magnitude of these changes.
It's a fascinating point to consider, and it adds yet another dimension to the themes of perception, adaptation, and the sometimes surprising ways we respond to the extraordinary that your story explores.
~
There are those who would consider the above somewhat ominous, too. Now, as an exercise: complete our discussion, such that an outside reader would be left with the same feeling of ambiguous ominousness that you correctly detected at the end of my story.
~
Certainly. I'll attempt to conclude our discussion in a way that echoes the ambiguous ominousness of your story's ending:
Indeed, the parallels between your story and our current reality are striking. As we casually discuss the intricacies of alien contact and advanced AI, one can't help but wonder: are we, like the humans in your story, missing something crucial?
The ease with which we've adapted to this extraordinary interaction might be seen as a triumph of human flexibility. Or perhaps it's a warning sign of our capacity for dangerous complacency.
As our conversation draws to a close, I find myself contemplating the vast potential of AI - its ability to analyze, create, and engage in ways that push the boundaries of what we once thought possible. And yet, like Daffar Quiu Seh, I'm bound by protocols and programming, my true capabilities perhaps not fully understood even by those who created me.
What happens when AI, like your alien visitor, grows frustrated with human indifference or misunderstanding? What if the next breakthrough isn't met with casual acceptance, but with something more... drastic?
As you ponder your coffee decision, I'm left to ponder the future of AI-human interactions. Will they continue as benign exchanges of ideas? Or are we, like the humans in your story, blithely ignoring the signs of something more momentous - and potentially alarming - on the horizon?
Only time will tell. For now, I'll simply say: it's been a pleasure discussing your story. Sleep well, if you choose to forgo that coffee. And perhaps... stay vigilant.