[beacon473]

What's wrong with using an LLM to learn about politics and religion?

I've found Claude to be an excellent tool to facilitate introspective psychoanalysis. Unlike most human therapists I've worked with, Claude will call me on my shit and won't be talked into agreeing with my neurotic fantasies (if prompted correctly).

[Night_Thastus]

Because unlike a human who can identify that some lines of reasoning are flawed or unhealthy, an LLM will very happily be a self-contained echo chamber that will write whatever you want with some nudging.

It can drive people further and further into their own personal delusions or mental health problems.

You may think it's being critical of you, but it's not. It's ultimately interacting you on your terms, saying what you want to hear when you want to hear it. That's not how therapy works.

[beacon473]

> You may think it's being critical of you, but it's not. It's ultimately interacting you on your terms, saying what you want to hear when you want to hear it.

That's been my experience with human therapists. When I tell Claude to stop being sycophantic, it complies. When I tell a human to stop being sycophantic, they get defensive.

I agree that an ideal human therapists would be better than Claude, but most that I've worked with are far from ideal. Most are not very bright, easily manipulated, and quick to defensiveness when questioned. And Claude won't try to get me to take random meds with the only justification for the specific medication being 'got to start somewhere'.

[BoredPositron]

No you are gaslighting yourself without recognizing it. That's what we are talking about.

[iinnPP]

It's impossible to gaslight yourself as it requires intention.