ChatGPT, Will Fool, God (Twice)

To say that I have been somewhat obsessed with OpenAI's ChatbotGPT would be somewhat of an understatement.  It's amazing, even if it's a very thin veneer over a basic recombination of what already exists on the internet somewhere.

I started with asking questions about climate change because I've been having that discussion in realspace, but I also wondered what the bot would have to say about the god question.  So here are two mirrored stories about some guy called Will Fool and his relationship with "God".

Story 1:

Instruction:

Write a 3000 word story about Will Fool who doesn't believe in God, how he reached that conclusion and the strongest arguments that persuaded him.

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Will Fool was raised in a religious household and attended church regularly with his family. However, as he grew older, he began to question his beliefs. He was a curious and analytical person by nature, and he couldn't bring himself to blindly accept the teachings of the church without evidence.

As he entered his teenage years, Will began to read extensively on the subject of religion and spirituality. He studied the major world religions, as well as a variety of philosophical and scientific perspectives on the existence of God. He was particularly fascinated by the arguments of prominent atheists, such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.

Despite his religious upbringing, Will found himself drawn to the logical and evidence-based arguments of the atheists. He was particularly swayed by the concept of Occam's Razor, which states that the simplest explanation for a phenomenon is often the correct one. In the case of the existence of God, Will found that the complexity of the concept and the lack of concrete evidence made it less likely to be true.

Another argument that resonated with Will was the problem of evil. If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why does evil exist in the world? How could a loving God allow for natural disasters, disease, and suffering? Will found it difficult to reconcile the idea of an all-powerful and all-loving God with the existence of evil.

Will also took issue with the idea of faith. He saw faith as a crutch that people used to avoid confronting difficult questions and uncertainty. He didn't believe that faith alone was sufficient to justify one's beliefs, and he felt that a lack of evidence for God's existence should be enough to reject the idea.

As Will continued to explore and study the subject of God and religion, he became more and more convinced that belief in God was not rational. He didn't see any compelling evidence to support the idea of God, and he found the arguments of the atheists to be more logical and persuasive.

Despite his lack of belief in God, Will was not an aggressive or confrontational person. He didn't try to convert others to his point of view, and he was respectful of the beliefs of others. He simply saw himself as someone who had thought deeply about the subject and reached a conclusion based on the evidence available to him.

Over time, Will's lack of belief in God became a central part of his identity. He was confident in his position and was not troubled by the thought of living in a world without God. He saw life as a precious and beautiful gift, and he believed that each person had the responsibility to make the most of their time on Earth.

Despite the strength of his convictions, Will was not immune to moments of doubt and uncertainty. There were times when he felt a twinge of fear or anxiety at the thought of there being no higher power or greater purpose to life. However, he always reminded himself of the logical arguments and evidence that had led him to reject the idea of God, and these doubts would quickly dissipate.

In the end, Will Fool was a man who had rejected the belief in God based on reason and evidence. He was not a bitter or angry person, but rather someone who had thought deeply about the subject and reached a conclusion that made sense to him. He lived his life with confidence and purpose, and he did not let his lack of belief in God hold him back in any way.

Story 2

Instruction:

Write a 3000 word story about Will Fool who doesn't believe in God but came to believe that God exists as he got older, how he reached that conclusion and the strongest arguments that persuaded him.

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Will Fool had always been a skeptic. Growing up, he had never been religious and had always scoffed at the idea of a higher power controlling the universe. He believed that everything could be explained by science and logic, and the idea of a God seemed like nothing more than a fairy tale to him.

But as he got older, Will started to question his beliefs. He had always been a logical person, and he couldn't help but wonder if there might be something more to life than what he could see and touch. He started to read up on the arguments for and against the existence of God, and he was surprised to find that many of them were surprisingly compelling.

One of the arguments that really caught his attention was the argument from design. This argument stated that the complex and intricate design of the universe and all of its systems showed that it must have been created by a higher power. Will had to admit that the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. The universe was so vast and complex, and it seemed impossible that it could have come about by chance.

Another argument that Will found convincing was the argument from morality. This argument stated that the existence of objective moral values and duties showed that there must be a higher moral lawgiver who created them. Will had always believed in doing what was right and avoiding what was wrong, and he couldn't help but feel that there must be some kind of higher authority behind these moral values.

But despite the strength of these arguments, Will still had doubts. He didn't want to believe in something just because it was comforting or convenient. He wanted to be sure that the existence of God was a fact, not just a belief.

So he decided to put his skepticism to the test. He started to explore the world around him, looking for evidence of God's existence. He spent hours pouring over books and articles, and he even traveled to different parts of the world to see the natural beauty and complexity of the universe for himself.

And as he continued to search, Will began to see more and more evidence that pointed towards the existence of God. He saw the beauty and majesty of the natural world, and he couldn't help but feel that there must be some kind of higher power behind it all. He also saw the incredible complexity of the human body, and he was amazed by the intricate design that must have gone into its creation.

Finally, Will came to the conclusion that he could no longer deny the existence of God. He had seen too much evidence, and he couldn't ignore it any longer. He had come to believe in God, not because it was comfortable or convenient, but because it was the only logical conclusion based on the evidence he had seen.

And in the end, Will realized that his belief in God wasn't just a matter of faith, but a matter of fact. The arguments for the existence of God were strong, and they couldn't be denied. He had come to believe in God not because he wanted to, but because the evidence was overwhelming.

In the end, Will was grateful for the journey that had led him to this conclusion. He had always been a skeptic, but he had also always been open-minded. And by staying open-minded and following the evidence wherever it led, he had come to believe in the existence of God.

----

I am pretty sure that the stories that I ask ChatbotGPT to create for me are synthesised from what existed on the internet when it was being trained.  (Although I do have an example of a story that probably isn't, more of that later.)

For this reason, although I did not say that Will Fool used to be religious, the bot still created a narrative from belief to disbelief in Story 1.  It attributed certain characteristics to Will that perhaps are common among people who make that journey (curiosity and analytical nature) and placed the transition in Will's teenage years.  I accidentally prevented that option in Story 2 by saying that Will transitioned "when he got older", but I never said anything about scoffing or the idea of god being "nothing more than a fairy tale" but again, this may be common in the stories of people who become religious.  It certainly seems to be a common refrain in the backstories of amateur apologists.

Anyway, I was using the story format to trick the bot into providing supporting arguments for certain positions which it might not otherwise be willing comment on (as it appears to avoid political and possibly other charged topics).  The really interesting aspects of these stories are, therefore, the strongest arguments for each case.

In summary:

For god:

• The argument from design (presented twice)
• The argument from morality
• The beauty of the world (via an argument from incredulity)
• Use of arguments as evidence (note that I did ask for "strongest arguments", but the bot implies that these are evidence)

Against god:

• Authority (although to be fair, it is only stated that their arguments are "particularly facinat(ing)"
• Logic and evidence-based arguments
• Occam's Razor
• Problem of Evil
• Issues with faith as a concept and the lack of rationality associated with it
• Lack of evidence for the existence of a god

Interestingly, the bot made a bit of an effort to cast Will Fool the atheist as a good guy (despite his lack of belief), but managed to almost contradict itself by saying that Will "was confident in his position and was not troubled by the thought of living in a world without God" and then saying, in the next paragraph, that he was troubled, albeit only occasionally.  However, the bot wrote "(t)here were times when he felt a twinge of fear or anxiety at the thought of there being no higher power or greater purpose to life", which could arguably be something other than a god.  Also there's a question as to what constitutes being "troubled".

It occurs to me that perhaps the best approach, as an anti-apologist, may be to address what seems to be agreed to be the strongest arguments for god  and promote the strongest arguments for the non-existence of god (leaving aside appeals to authority though).

---

As a bonus, here's a story which I am pretty sure does not exist out there on the internet or anything like it, as told by ChatbotGPT.  (I am not responsible for the spoiler by the way.  The bot seemed obsessed with giving things away, even if I didn't ask for that. It also ignored my request to start the scene properly.  I was actually aiming for a narrative in which Eldon was either gaslighting Rachel or simply unaware that Deckard was a penguin.  Unsuccessfully.  I had also hoped that the Voight-Kampff questions would be skewed in a bizarre way by the fact that Deckard was a penguin, but the bot went off in a totally different, unexpected direction.)

Instruction:

Rewrite the scene in Blade Runner where Deckard meets and tests Rachel, but make Deckard a penguin.  Eldon Tyrell is helping administer the test but only Rachel notices that Deckard is a penguin.  Start from the owl sequence.

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As Deckard the penguin entered the room, Eldon Tyrell greeted him with a nod. "Deckard, this is Rachel. She's one of our most advanced replicants. I'll be administering the Voight-Kampff test to determine her emotional capacity."

Rachel looked at Deckard curiously, noticing his unusual appearance. "Is that a penguin?" she asked.

Eldon chuckled. "Yes, Deckard is a highly trained animal. He's very good at administering the Voight-Kampff test."

Deckard waddled over to Rachel and began the test, peering at her with his beady eyes. Rachel answered the questions calmly and confidently, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Deckard.

As the test continued, Rachel's suspicions grew. She couldn't help but notice the way Deckard moved, the way he held himself. It was almost as if he was more than just a penguin.

Finally, Rachel couldn't take it anymore. "Eldon," she said, turning to him. "Deckard is a replicant, isn't he?"

Eldon's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, Rachel. Deckard is a replicant, just like you."

Rachel nodded, a mix of emotions passing over her face. "I knew it," she said. "I could tell from the way he moved, the way he looked at me. He may be a penguin, but he's still one of us."

Deckard looked at Rachel, his expression unreadable. "You're right, Rachel," he said. "I may be a penguin, but I'm still a replicant, just like you."