{
  "id": 9930347,
  "title": "🔮 Safety in numbness",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/safety-in-numbness",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-26T06:49:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Exponential View",
    "slug": "exponential-view",
    "url": "https://www.exponentialview.co/p/safety-in-numbness"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Standardization matters. The French Enlightenment thinker, the Marquis de Condorcet, recognized this in 1794. He was captivated by shared notations and symbolic languages that allowed knowledge to expand. When someone has learned the fundamentals of a subject and seeks to advance further, books serve as the source of new symbols needed to reach greater truths. Standardization was designed to propel fields forward, acting as a ladder for individuals to climb onto the shoulders of giants and push beyond conventional boundaries. This could mean expanding in the same direction, introducing new dimensions, or viewing familiar concepts through fresh perspectives. However, there are instances where standardization has the opposite effect. Rather than elevating everyone, it can lead to flattening the world. In the realm of literature, this phenomenon is exemplified by the rise of Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs in Creative Writing. These programs follow a standardized formula: group workshops followed by critiquing each other's drafts repeatedly. This protocol, Erik argues, has steamrolled literary fiction, resulting in writing that is homogenized and optimized to survive the workshop environment. The end product often resembles \"wan little husks of 'auto fiction',\" lacking the unique edges that might attract objections. The proliferation of MFA programs has been remarkable, with 15 programs in the US in 1975, growing to 250 by 2012. Erik contends that the craft of literature and the program intended to teach it have become indistinguishable. According to him, the literary culture's purpose is to uncover authors who challenge the canon and help us rethink it. He cites Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children as an example of someone who expanded the canon and provided new writers with a more elevated foundation. Rushdie's innovation began as a style, evolved into a category, and eventually became a set of conventions, eventually fading into the background. Now, we must seek the next writer who will transform the form once again. However, the homogenization Erik describes, which he likens to \"safety institutionalized,\" makes this task more challenging.",
  "summary": "On originality, intellectual bravery and why disagreeing with LLMs is a good sign",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}