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Merry, P. (2025, April 18) The Monkey Trap of AI: Zen, Paradigm Shifts, and the Einstellung Effect
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/monkey-trap-ai-zen-paradigm-shifts-einstellung-effect-paul-merry-hiwlf/
- “The monkey is suddenly trapped,” Pirsig writes. “But not by anything physical. He’s trapped by an idea.”
- This is a powerful metaphor for overreliance on AI, and more specifically, LLMs.
- The Einstellung Effect acts like a cognitive trap where familiar solutions crowd out better solutions
- [Flow-Gisten] phlogiston theory of combustion
- At the heart of Zen thought, and Pirsig’s work, is the idea of beginner’s mind, a state not of ignorance, but of openness.
- It is the solution to the Einstellung effect, recognising expertise is not about having answers, but about seeing beyond them, to what might be possible, what has not yet happened or not yet known.
The Classical Greek versions are Aporia; a state of puzzlement, or being at a loss with confusion being a productive disorientation that opens the door to deeper understanding, and Epoche; suspension of judgment or a disciplined puzzlement, allowing room for deeper insight. It also shares many similarities with the Socratic foundational statement of inquiry “”I know that I know nothing.”
- AI is not the enemy. The real threat lies in how tightly we cling to it.
Why do our past experiences prevent us from reaching the best possible outcome?
https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/einstellung-effect