Words Vocabulary

• idempotent - a property of an operation such that applying it multiple times has the same effect as applying it once (e.g., in mathematics or computing, running an idempotent function repeatedly yields the same result after the first execution)
• Prosthetic knowledge - information a person doesn't know by memory, but can access as needed using technology
• Myopic - nearsighted, lacking imagination or intellectual insight
• Anthropomorphizing—mistakenly attributing human characteristics to an object or animal. “Many researchers are considering the long-term possibility of sentient or general AI, but it doesn't make sense to do so by anthropomorphizing today’s conversational models, which are not sentient.”
• Petulant - childishly sulky or bad-tempered (person or their manner)
• Luddite - a person opposed to new technology or ways of working (derogatory). Historical context: a member of the bands of English workers who destroyed machinery (cotton and woolen mills) bc they believed it was threatening their jobs (1811-16)
• Apocryphal - (of story or statement) of doubtful authenticity although widely circulated as being true
• Weltschmerz - a feeling of melancholy and world-weariness
• Avant-garde - new and unusual or experimental ideas, especially in the arts or people introducing them
• Teetotaler - non-drinker, abstinent from alcohol consumption
• Ameliorate - to improve, make better
• Dilettante - dabbler, tinkerer
• Copacetic/copasetic - in excellent order (North American informal adjective)
• Autostereogram - 2D image that can create the optical illusion of 3d when viewed properly, popular in the 90s
• Ersatz - artificial, substitute, imitation, synthetic
• Misanthrope - hater of mankind
• Ostentatious. Vulgar or pretentious display, designed to impress
• Opulence. Ostentatiously rich and luxurious or lavish
• Syndication - transfer of something for control or management by a group of individuals or organizations
• Solar geoengineering - large-scale deliberate interventions in Earth's climate system to reduce global warming, such as reflecting sunlight back into space or removing CO₂ from the atmosphere
• Stochasticity. Randomly determined, random probability distribution
• Ambivalent - having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about someone or something; uncertain how to feel
• Erudite - having or showing great knowledge or learning
• Proclivity - a tendency to choose or do something regularly
• Supplant - supersede and replace
• Anthropophagous - eating if human flesh by humans
• Dichotomy. a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.
• Capitulation - the action of surrendering or ceasing to resist an opponent or demand
• Impasse - situation in which no progress is possible, especially because of disagreement; a deadlock
• Dependency infrastructure - the underlying systems, services, or components that other systems rely on to function; failures here cascade broadly
• Semantic satiation - a psychological phenomenon where repeated exposure to a word causes it to temporarily lose meaning and sound like nonsense
• Aphorism - a concise observation that contains a general truth ("if it ain't broke, don't fix it")
• Occam's razor - the principle (attributed to William of Occam) that in explaining a thing no more assumptions should be made than are necessary. References the razor "cutting away" of unnecessary material. Invoked to defend reductionism or nominalism.
• Decrepit - elderly person, not physically or mentally strong Symbiotic - involving interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association. Denoting a mutally beneficial relationship between different people or groups.
• Diaspora - dispersion or spread of a people from their original homeland
• Euphemism - mild or indirect word/expression substitute for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing
• Scowl - an angry or bad-tempered expression
• Lamented - passionated expression of grief or sorrow for something that has died, been lost, or ceased to exist
• Semantic satiation
• despotism - exercise of absolute power
• hydraulic despotism - social or government structure which maintains power and control through exclusive control over access to water. It arises through the need for flood control and irrigation, which requires central coordination and a specialized bureaucracy.
• Apophatic - things which cannot be explicitly said or sufficient described in our current vocabulary.
• Low-entropy entity - an entity that is highly ordered, structured, or predictable; low randomness or disorder
• Isotropic - identical in all directions; having uniform properties regardless of orientation
• Fastidious - very attentive to accuracy and detail; difficult to please; having high standards
• Scrupulous - careful to behave correctly or to be honest; having moral integrity; thorough and exact
• Sycophant - a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important to gain advantage; a flatterer or yes-man
• Ephemeral - lasting for a very short time; transitory
• Simpatico - likeable and easy to get along with; having the same outlook or temperament; congenial
• Hubris - excessive pride or self-confidence, often leading to downfall
• Mellifluous - (of a voice or sound) pleasingly smooth and musical to hear
• Bifurcated - divided into two branches or parts
• Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) - a powerful psychedelic compound found naturally in some plants and animals; known for inducing intense, short-lasting hallucinogenic experiences
• Tonic immobility - a natural state of paralysis that some animals enter in response to threat (playing dead); also observed in humans under extreme fear
• Epistolary - relating to the writing of letters; an epistolary novel is told through letters or correspondence
• Epicure - a person who takes particular pleasure in fine food and drink; a connoisseur
• Culinary - relating to cooking or the kitchen
• Elocution - the skill of clear and expressive speech, especially of distinct pronunciation and articulation
• Assiduously - with great care and perseverance; diligently
• Incredulous - unwilling or unable to believe something; skeptical