Language Models as Critical Thinking Tools: A Case Study of Philosophers
Andre Ye Jared Moore Rose Novick Amy X. Zhang
Current work in language models (LMs) helps us speed up or even skip thinking
by accelerating and automating cognitive work. But can LMs help us with
critical thinking -- thinking in deeper, more reflective ways which challenge
assumptions, clarify ideas, and engineer new concepts? We treat philosophy as a
case study in critical thinking, and interview 21 professional philosophers
about how they engage in critical thinking and on their experiences with LMs.
We find that philosophers do not find LMs to be useful because they lack a
sense of selfhood (memory, beliefs, consistency) and initiative (curiosity,
proactivity). We propose the selfhood-initiative model for critical thinking
tools to characterize this gap. Using the model, we formulate three roles LMs
could play as critical thinking tools: the Interlocutor, the Monitor, and the
Respondent. We hope that our work inspires LM researchers to further develop
LMs as critical thinking tools and philosophers and other 'critical thinkers'
to imagine intellectually substantive uses of LMs.