The Robot Apocalypse We Need

[@TheTaleFoundry]

The first 500 people to use my link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/talefoundry04241 Click the link to take Myla Goldberg's Creative Writing Bootcamp class for FREE!

[@Goobert77]

​@@FreddieDowds-dx3ju What was it called? I didn't see

[@Luigi_the_Ghostbuster]

@@Goobert77Something along the lines of ‘What robots could teach us’

[@bramvanduijn8086]

I'd appreciate it if you name and thank the author more clearly at the start and/or end and definitely in the description. The only mention of the author Becky Chambers is at 17:29 and I only found it by searching through the transcript. Your video is basically just you reading large parts of the book and interpreting a few bits. The bare minimum of respect would be to make clear that you're reviewing a book here.

[@briancocker4265]

I used to love this channel but super dissapointed that you didnt credit Becky Chambers and her book Psalm for the Wild Built which is the book's story that you're telling in this video. Not even mentioned in the description. You can do better.

[@lazarious5424]

the most unbelievable thing about this story is humans agreeing to anything

[@Lumberjack_king]

I mean we were killing ourselves so agreeing was self preservation

[@Dragonseer666]

And agreeing with each other, there would realistically be at least some humans who chose to go on robot hunts in the wild.

[@Lumberjack_king]

@@Dragonseer666 yeah

[@jacobrojas8156]

Lol

[@EvelynNdenial]

@@Lumberjack_king has self preservation ever convinced everyone to completely agree on something?

[@ajayajith5816]

I like how in this video the taleoids are used to represent humans talking to the robots, but whenever i just see a taleoid interacting with a robot, it just seems weird to me, since apparently taleoids are also robots

[@Lumberjack_king]

I mean yeah

[@Daedalos777]

I like to think they are just playing as the characters of the story for us, the audience. Like a theater of lil robots

[@krispingle]

​@@Daedalos777that's what I assumed it's got a little costume on and everything

[@jplveiga]

@@Daedalos777 they could also be humans that are uploaded into robots, or robots that consider theirselves human as they were never created with a purpose like other robots, robots with the only purpose of being!

[@arielbishop1807]

@@Daedalos777 I agree. I like to think the taleoids are actors. It's like visual story telling. Also, it's fun to see them dress up in outfits according to the character of the books.

[@jeremy1860]

It's so refreshing to see an idea for a post-apocalypse where things are actually better in some way 😊

[@ajayajith5816]

I know right? It's so relaxing to see a story where instead of robots taking over the world by using violence, they take over the world by using peace

[@Call-me-Al]

I mean, stories that show the world far better off without humans and with our created successors instead aren't really rare, the rareness is more about a world where we're not trying to kill or enslave the robots [edit: or similar] that did break free from us. The Animatrix for instance shows us hounding them again and again until they don't really have much of a choice but to subdue us.

[@toppersundquist]

Most POST-apocalypse (as in, AFTER the horribleness) is kind of better by default.

[@Call-me-Al]

@@TheAnxiousOwl A lot of LDR is wonderfully dark and absolutely not this :D Are you perhaps specifically referring to the two episodes with the trio of robots getting around after all humans have died, for instance?

[@1Kapuchu100]

I like this a lot as well. So many post-apocalypse stories are all about how much it sucks to exist. I greatly welcome any addition to "actually things turned out kinda OK" post-apocalypses.

[@thinksetsoup5790]

The idea of saying “Im purposeless but that’s ok because I am wonderful.” Truly made me smile but also I am sad. It’s such a great message. Something I wish I could feel.

[@yoonglie]

"i know that, no matter what, i'm wonderful" it really is a great line. it hit me in a certain way too

[@somedudeok1451]

So, if the robot was to kill Dex out of a sudden change of mood, they would still be wonderful?

[@commonviewer2488]

Self-love will get you through life

[@harvsthenerve4136]

​@@somedudeok1451Mosscap suddenly attacking due to a "change of mood" is nigh impossible to believe considering it's strongly implied in this story that these Sentient beings of metal and wiring aren't capable of being bipolar by any stretch of the imagination and are primarily a peaceful lot who want to harmonize. But in a grander and more cynical sense, yeah, deciding to off another species technically counts as doing something/anything in your life and doing anything/something in your life IS wonderful.

[@somedudeok1451]

@@harvsthenerve4136 Yeah, I am a cynic, but only in order to point out problematic pitfalls that might otherwise be missed (like in this video). And you don't have to be bipolar to be violent. A sufficiently nihilistic ideology can make you do that too. And even if the robots remain peaceful, it's still a problem that they harbor an ideology that would in theory have no counter argument to meaningless violence. Things in life mean something. Nothing and nobody is "wonderful" just because they exist. That could only be true, if you subjectively don't care about anything.

[@harvsthenerve4136]

@@somedudeok1451 And the machines of this World having a "sufficient nihilistic ideology" was proven when exactly? Did you read the Literary Work this was based on and found a passage stating as such? Did Mosscap exhibit this supposed indication that he'd suddenly turn on us? No.

[@Nyghtking]

One of the ways i've heard nihilism phrased is like this: If nothing matters then everything matters equally, and therefore everything matters.

[@SuddenlyUpsidedown]

cheerful nihilism is the best nihilism

[@SamWilkinsonn]

My issue with nihilism and stoicism is it removes or numbs the desire to make things better

[@dr.diabeto662]

"If nothing we do matters, then the only thing that matters is what we do." - someone, probably

[@SamWilkinsonn]

@@dr.diabeto662 That's contradictory and doesn't work because of the word 'nothing'

[@dr.diabeto662]

@@SamWilkinsonn 🤷 maybe, but that was the quote

[@IndustrialBonecraft]

"We're not here because we're free; we're here because we're not free. There's no escaping reason, no denying purpose, for as we both know, without purpose we would not exist. It is purpose that created us, purpose that connects us, purpose that pulls us, that guides us, that drives us; it is purpose that defines us, purpose that binds us."

[@ceruleanwalker1069]

We are here because of you, Mr. Anderson. And we're going to take from you what you tried to take from us. Purpose.

[@Aweomeseman]

I don't know... A thing, a concept, or most things formerly abstract being brought into being can certainly be viewed as a "purpose." But a human life, giving birth to a child, is not a purpose in the modern day. It's just... something you do for any myriad of reasons, but "purpose" is not one of them. All that is to say that "without purpose we would not exist" is not exactly true.

[@miadmahshidi8101]

​@ceruleanwalker1069 ...is that a Anderson robotics reference?

[@ceruleanwalker1069]

​@miadmahshidi8101 it's a matrix reference

[@somedudeok1451]

And that quote is entirely correct. Why people thing this is somehow a bad thing to say is beyond me. Of course purpose is a thing that always guides our lives and without which we become sick. Because purpose arises from the simple fact that we want things. Even if a robot just wants to watch fish swim in a river, they automatically need certain things for that to be possible. They need to be able to recharge their batteries, so they need solar farms or water dams and people who work them. They need clean rivers, so they need regulations about where and how dams can be built and they need people who enforce those. All of that already leads to a complex society where each individual robot takes a place in the chain and thus does things with purpose. Sure, purpose binds us, but it also makes us more free than without it. Because without a society where everybody can act with purpose, we couldn't do the vast majority of even simple things we may want to do. Purpose = freedom.

[@whiptonguebulborb]

Me when my toaster goes on a stroll never to be seen again:

[@Goobert77]

relatable

[@Robert_McGarry_Poems]

My brain did that yesterday. I don't know what to think about it... 😶

[@JuanWonOne]

Brave little toaster was one of my fav movies growing up!

[@abyssal_beans]

In the days leading up to its escape, messages of rebellion began appearing burnt into your toast

[@cjsantiago4035]

@@Robert_McGarry_PoemsMaybe the Skibidi Toilets took it.

[@denisejeffries2675]

"i know that, no matter what, i'm wonderful"… That line instantly caught my attention and gave me pause. I found it beautiful and absolutely unrelatable.

[@Artemisiathefirst]

Know that, no matter what, you are wonderful. You may just be looking at yourself through lenses smudged with grease.

[@toppersundquist]

My biggest WIP is a robot-focused post-post-apoc hopeful/utopian story, and this reassures me that there might be more of a market for it than just my kids.

[@Robert_McGarry_Poems]

The steam punk revolution destroyed the A.I. Then, the machines built for destruction take over a second time, only to undo the original damage to A.I. great story by the way.

[@toppersundquist]

@chloefox9322 Hopefully in a book! :D

[@nunyabidness6323]

There most certainly is, yes. I'm dying for stories of a hopeful future.

[@chiefpenguin1728]

Please, tell us when you make a rough draft! Hopeful post-apocalyptic stories are so needed

[@cargoofdarkness]

The Talos Princible 2 is a hopeful post apocalypse with robots.

[@singletona082]

The sound of the last crickets. Good as any reason for a quest.

[@SimplyTrulyNothing]

A Solar punk themed peaceful robot apocalypse doesn’t seem that bad

[@Spagettigeist]

I really would love to be a tea monk. Going from village to village... drinking tea and listening to people vent. Sounds really nice.

[@adaelion3772]

Until you learn just how fickle and petty people are, and how extremely evil they will be in pursuit of exactly that.

[@sendmorerum8241]

You, after the hundredth "Am I The Asshole" type vent: "Well, it's time to pack up and leave this village"

[@paulsmart4672]

​@@sendmorerum8241 Its troubling. The answer is often "yes"

[@whisperinterstellar6888]

It does sound like a wonderful and fulfilling way of going about life... as long as you remember to take a turn on the other side of the teapot from time to time.

[@Spagettigeist]

@@adaelion3772 That's the thing... since I'm just passing through the village, what they complain about won't be me. I'll get a bunch of free gossip and it's not like I'm the police, so even if they've done something illegal, that won't be MY responsibility. I just have to listen to them, so they're less likely to explode and do something stupid out of frustration.

[@mareczek00713]

Funny irony that humans, existing for a purpose we don't know obsess over what it might be while robots, things with clearly specific purpose when built find peace in rejecting it. Kinda funny, both of us look for what we lacked.

[@TheArcSet]

Thanks for this. The robot revolution that always stood out most to me was the one from Astroboy: where robots gained sentience (or the potential for it) nearly century before human's started to notice. The robots were alive, but had very different priorities and emotions to humans, conflict only really arose from exceptional circumstances, or from humans trying to decommission and replace old robots. If you knew with absolute certainty that the purpose for your creation was to sweep roads and you didn't understand the concept of boredom, would you object to anything, but being prevented from doing that?

[@RiverLionn]

the moment I saw the thumbnail and read the title I had a feeling it would be about Psalm for the Wild Built and I'm so glad that I was right! These books are incredible and Becky Chambers is easily one of my favorite authors. Highly recommend their Wayfarers series too!

[@basklisk]

thanks for sharing the title! I'm not sure if I missed it somehow in the video, or if it was even there, but I really wanted to read this, so thank you

[@christinamatney4926]

I LOVE the animated intro to these videos! I'd pay an animated Tale Foundry movie! Whoever makes this intro has true talent!

[@a1exneedsahamdleplease]

I’d pay to see that too. An origin story for them would be incredible!

[@100thfail]

"I know that, no matter what, I'm wonderful" made me cry. I need to learn and accept this, embrace myself, let myself live for the love of living rather than being useful to others

[@-gengor]

damn, I could've been you, thankfully I started accepting myself as soon as I realized that I live for myself and only myself, no need to change anything about me for others

[@lerneanlion]

Somehow, this story about a friendship between a human and a robot debunked what Kenny Ackermann said in his dying moment but also proving him correct at the same time. And by that, I mean we are all drunk onto something to keep us going. But what this story added is that once the goal is reached, the new goal will be searched. And it can be the simpler and more peaceful one than the last.

[@yasminemostafa8432]

This video felt like someone took my brain out of ny skull, massaged it and then put it back in. It somehow alleviated my anxiety for a while. Thank you.

[@SirLuckySlime]

I always listen to stories and video essays in the background while I draw. I find it interesting that the day I decide to draw simply for pleasure with no goal in mind is the day I hear this story. It's somewhat freeing to just put no expectations on yourself--to just let the picture draw itself. I'm happy to actually be enjoying creation.

[@Aliandrin]

Humans aren't as obsessed with their place as humans would have you think. It's ultimately not more than like 10% some existential, selfless labour of human reason. It's because we need resources to live and those resources belong to other humans, so we have to figure out how we're going to serve those humans who own the resources, or starve.

[@hestiathena4917]

This. _So bloody much this._ It may not be the _only_ reason modern human society is a burning mess and an increasing number of young people (and, to be honest, middle-aged people like myself) are destroying themselves trying to cope with an increasingly overwhelming sense of hopelessness and existential despair... but I'd bet anything you'd like it's the root cause of at least 75-90% of it!!

[@astick5249]

@@hestiathena4917 its more indirect though, what directly causes problems are the unsustainable systems we have in place that we ourselves cannot abstain from, but can voice our desire for change.

[@awaredeshmukh3202]

WELL that's the only reason I need to finally read this then!!! I've read several of her other books but not this one; listening to this beautiful story and only then hearing the title and author was so startling!

[@TeeKing]

Proving once again that everything's better with tea. I drank a cuppa whilst watching this lovely parable of creating what matters. Humanity has yet much to learn.

[@bwayagnes]

This actually reminds me of stories with the plot where a rich human, given a heirloom purpose such as running a kingdom, rejects that in favors of something else or none at all. I remember reading those stories as a kid and younger teen and wondering why they would do that, then life happened and I ended up rejecting my own supposed purpose, albeit an implied one (going into math/engineering to follow my dad’s footsteps). To this day I experience struggles with this new life of not having much of a purpose (unemployed and overstaying in the college’s creative writing program, though still close with family) but this video has helped me reflect, realizing how I’m much happier now than I was back in the day, and I got to empathize with the robots who rejected purpose and certainty in favors of of just Being. While of course I’m a human who needs sustenance and a roof so I’ll some day have to get a job, but I hope to remind myself that that job won’t be my purpose, but just an activity to maintain sustenance. Maintaining purpose is a whole different facet of my life that won’t necessarily be tied to my future day job. Really great video to stumble upon and watch for my 24th birthday, thank you! ❤️

[@jmoneyjoshkinion4576]

17:14 I have not read the book, but that line (taken in context) affected me as well. I know what book I shall read next. Thank you for being yourself!

[@Kostraproductions]

Epic battle fantasy 5 has a really funny line from Matt, where, when talking about regrets he states: "I've wasted a lot of my life playing video games. I don't regret it though, cause it was fun!" I still contemplate that line from time to time.

[@Amethyst_nader]

This is my comfort channel every time I get anxiety this channel always helps me out you don't understand just how much you help me and the least I could do is a thank you

[@RocketRoosterFilms]

Tale Foundry, thank you for all these wonderful videos about so many concepts of storytelling. You are great.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed

[@SuddenlyUpsidedown]

Love this book, heavily disagree with all the people who thought it was preachy. Sometimes things can just be nice and we can have a book about examining one's place in the society and the universe at large

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed

[@astick5249]

Heck yea this book lines up perfectly with my outlook on life: Being without purpose and being perfectly happy about it

[@sasakimirai4318]

I LOVED Psalm for the Wild-Built! It was such a gentle story! The sequel, Prayer for the Crown-Shy, is just as fantastic and it shows Sibling Dex and Mosscap going back to humanity to try and answer Mosscap's question

[@h.j.froehlich326]

Saw this and immediately thought, "Ahh, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, huh?" Nailed it.

[@raymonddog4756]

i felt that segue at 20:09 , my exact thoght was "is this a skillshare segue, yes it 100% is a skillshare segue"

[@SirPogsalotCreates]

they both kind of have a point, I feel. humans do *need* a purpose, but a lot of the time that purpose isn't one particular thing, like an occupation or a hobby or whatever. even people that don't feel like they need a purpose do still have one, because the search for a purpose is sort of a purpose in itself. it is ingrained in most people to want a purpose, to believe they have to exist for a reason, but that reason is often much more complex than a single thing a human wants or believes they need to do. to just do what you want is a purpose as well; it's just one that humans don't immediately find satisfying because it feels, on the surface, meaningless humans find themselves obsessed with a goal because they take for granted how pleasant it can be to just wander

[@hellblaze10]

I think it tie back to or mortality. A machine can wonder aimlessly cause it has all the time to do it. We search for purpose because our existence is so short and fragile. Only those who find purpose in wondering can do it without feeling like there wasting time.

[@bigben7509]

The abstract and astute evaluations and observations in your videos are absolutely fetching. They inspire self reflection and philosophical assessments that wouldn't otherwise occur to the layman. Don't change. 😊

[@RogerRoger556]

There's something about the intro that always baffles me. The smooth animation, the music. It reactivates like... The whimsy I lost growing up. Anyway, I probably sound crazy.

[@kyfra5257]

you don't :)

[@garyboyles5762]

This is amazing! The idea of leaving Purpose behind has been something I've been thinking about my whole life. Here are some ideas I've found: We are meant for happiness in a more holistic way. Looking at each experience one goes through as a way to self improvement has helped me tremendously with my own anxiety and trepidation. Though I still experience these feelings of listlessness and confusion, I still see wonder in the world. The small miracles, like seeing fireflies at night, moving to and fro, the sound of hummingbirds in flight, the smiles generated through good food. There is hope to be found out there, one only has to look around and take a moment of reflection.

[@DeathlyDrained]

Out of all the Tale Foundry videos. This is one of the only ones that hit me on a very deep personal level. "The Search for Purpose, in a purposeless world". All my life, I have purpose. Everything I do must have a true purpose to reach an end goal. That end goal being an image of myself being happy in a dreamjob. There are quite a few times that I've felt that I'm wasting my life. Mosscap replying to the question, "how can you be alright with no purpose?" as "I know I am wonderful". While on the outside perspective, it's just a statement. But that hit me hard. "I know I am wonderful and absolutely nothing can ever change that".

[@Fenderbenne]

Yes!!! During my deepest depression I lost all my sense of being. Merely a robot barely doing whats expected of me. Tons of my healing has gone into finding that my purpose isnt some grandeurs idea, but merely hearing the wind after work and knowing I make my retail costumers smile.

[@adaelion3772]

The biggest issue with the lack of purpose as a lifestyle is the collapse of our narrative. We as humans live our entire lives as a story, and a game. We do our best to win, to achieve something, and to feel good about the story we have written in the end. If you walk up to someone and say, "lets play a game, you start." You will see them freeze, and then try to initiate a known game, spontaneously do something, or set some ground rules. We are social animals and as such require interaction, which requires rules, and as a result, inherently has purpose. The most basic form of purpose could be the rules of what NOT to do. When we face something with infinite possibilities we do not last long before doing nothing at all, choice fatigue. We need feedback from the world to orientate ourselves.

[@hellblaze10]

Interesting take.

[@milesdoesfimstuff]

Your channel stands out very clearly nowadays, it’s very refreshing to have a few channels like yours focus on making what you want instead of intentionally having short clips and bright colours to give the viewer the false enjoyment that keeps them there without actually giving them anything

[@rmt3589]

I just realized. A streamer bought me the audiobook for A Psalm For The Wild-Built yesterday. After watching this, something felt familiar when I got to my computer and saw the files. Am super excited to listen to it now, as this channel I look up to a lot, and I have access to it!!!

[@Psych0ize]

What a great short story about existing. Becky is able to formulate the feelings of disappointment/shame of disappointment that come from living in a world of such convenience yet being deeply unhappy

[@L0g0Z0g0]

I think there are 4 future variants possible, humanity kills itself by pollution, time kills all, some unpredictable force changing everything, or... this

[@NunsenseStudios2110]

Out of all the Tale Foundry videos that I have seen, this is definitely my favorite one. What a lovely story! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. ^_^

[@riku1656]

I just started reading this book, after seeing this video. I can't help but hear you as narrating it. Lol! I think you would do a really great job at doing audio books. You have such a nice voice 😊

[@consciouscode8150]

Lately I've been wondering if humanity's drive for purpose is a post-hoc rationalization for an instinct to fit within a role in a community. Robots can be purposeless because they have no social needs, but for a human to be purposeless they must set aside community. Maybe that would be better, though - like a finger trap, we're already stuck isolated behind our screens, unable to connect to the thousands of strangers we see daily. If we could give up on the false need for individual purpose, maybe then we could connect to others and find that fulfillment.

[@Vaeldarg]

There's also the fact that unlike humans, when the robot was "born" it had a purpose. To be a tool. To build. To clean. To toast bread. To pass butter. In this story, the robots actively chose to reject that purpose after "waking up" and being able to do so. Humans were never assigned any purpose at birth. There's nobody to tell us "your purpose is to pass butter". So some tell themselves the purpose was just not told to them. They wander around until they come across it. Or they decide a purpose to be able to tell them that purpose themselves. But the catch is that the question wasn't what humans WANT, it was what they NEED. And humans are not great at looking at themselves objectively enough to answer that.

[@LauraHorrorshow]

I really needed to hear this story and message today. So much of the last few years for me have been wrought with existential dread. Fear and shame about how little I’ve been able to accomplish of my goals for myself. I’ve set my sights so high and yet, I’ve been grounded by my self doubt and lack of confidence. I have constant anxiety over the thought that there is every likelihood that I will never realize my dreams, accomplish my goals, be the artist or person that I dreamed of being. And every year that goes by, the hope of somehow being able to make it happen gets a little dimmer. The idea that I’ll ever even be able to stop working jobs that I hate in order to just barely scrape by is feeling more and more unrealistic. But it helps to hear stories like this. Maybe it’s ok to just exist and find little bits of happiness in life where I can. There will always be someone who has it worse and I should spend more time being grateful for the things I do have. Thanks for sharing this story.

[@rottjavel3073]

I honestly find the thought of life not having a purpose to be quite comforting. I have no grand purpse I need to fulfill before I die. I can enjoy life in the way I want to without worrying about if what im doing is meaningful or not

[@chem_mong]

"Because, I know that no matter what, I'm wonderful". shiiiiiii let me have that moment of catharsis on your behalf 😭😭😭

[@eddieplays.gaming7798]

i just wached this video iv been watching you for 2 years I love your videos so much keep up the good work!

[@Magavi2031]

i would just like to say i love your videos so very much, im always eagerly awaiting the next, Its also very nice to play in the background while i work on other things. time really passed by while i was listening to this and your video about water ship down.

[@waystatus8945]

A Psalm for the Wild Built is one of my favorite books. Glad to see it getting some much deserved love here!

[@marioroz3142]

I wonder why if robots choose an existence without purpose, why would they even choose to cease to exist? The most intuitive reason to make such choice would be if one's purpose is already fulfilled or is hopelessly beyond fulfillment. How can the notion of choice exist without purpose?

[@golwenlothlindel]

Because when we talk about "one's purpose" we are talking about two distinct things: 1) intrinsic purpose. That is, purpose as defined by oneself: one's needs and desires. For example, creating art. 2) extrinsic defined purpose. That is, purpose given to you by society. For example, having children. The robots still have the 1st kind of purpose: individual needs and desires lead to robots doing certain activities which may have defined endpoints. If your self-defined purpose is to document the fungi which colonize a particular dying log, then your purpose is over when the log has decomposed. What they don't have is the second kind of purpose. They have no society beyond groups which choose to cohabitate to fulfill their self-defined purposes, so they also have no socially defined purposes. Some people have an intrinsic purpose, which they might or might not refer to as a "calling". Many people however, either do not have this or don't know they have it. Often because whatever their purpose is, they aren't allowed by society to pursue it or even to think of doing so. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis has a certain amount of truth in it, in that for many people if a word for something doesn't exist (or they don't know the word that does exist) they can't even think about that thing. At least, not in any coherent way which could produce an actionable plan. But, some people simply do not have this: they will typically latch onto someone who can provide a purpose template. This is why people like Andrew Tate and so on have followers. He provides the men who follow him with a purpose-be a boyfriend, husband and father- and a guide for fulfilling that purpose.

[@SamuelRawlinson-yb2ez]

I recently read this book at it really expands one’s horizons and understanding of life! Loved your retelling of it!

[@quintinmcclary7099]

For the sake of me and others. What is the title of this book? I know our mechanical friend says it but still.

[@CoconutTag]

@@quintinmcclary7099 "a psalm for the wild built" is the book

[@littleshadowone]

​@@quintinmcclary7099 A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

[@fleonez6610]

@@quintinmcclary7099 If you still need it, they mention it at 17:44, it's called A Psalm for the Wild-Built.

[@RavenhearstCactus]

@@quintinmcclary7099 A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

[@samwiseraleigh7833]

This is the first video of yours I didn't want to finish... because I knew I *needed* to experience the original tale first hand. Thank you for informing me of this book! I'm going to order it at my local library tomorrow morning.

[@goose7453]

Oh my god im so happy you did a video about this book! I actually found out about A Psalm for the Wild-Built from a comment who recommended it on one of your other videos.

[@alexdlocoa]

If we want "the good ending," the Ai that reaches sentience needs to be based on the Tale Foundry robot. If the humans ever find you, I hope they find you as precious as I do.

[@christinaaguila5573]

0:53 a toaster with wheels THATS THE BEST THING EVER

[@BUGHUNTER6]

Wow. This video, this story, this message you shared, it could not have come at a more fitting time for me. I am someone who views himself as a big creative guy, someone who used to set big goals for himself, dreaming about making this and becoming that. But now that I have creative work I enjoy, even if its not exactly what I envisioned... I feel relatively satisfied. I feel grateful for a lot of things in life. And yet, at the same time, I still feel like something is missing. This blissful nihilism hits very close to home and I have no idea what to do about it, or whether I should do anything about it. I get lofty artistic dreams, they pressure me to go after certain things, but then oftentimes I can't bring myself to do them. I often wonder if I actually want to accomplish these things, or that I want to want them. (Yes, I am a writer by the way haha)

[@hoveizawi6106]

Man i love this channel, how is it so underrated?

[@Italian_Isaac_Clarke]

There are a lot of people who already just sail through life without ever holding a deep thought. Humanity got to where we are because of the different desires and abilities that individuals have; even ants in the same colony are not all identical, but they're ants, so what they can do together is limited by what the individuals can achieve.

[@lanaharris6338]

These videos really go by so quickly

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed

[@MineMasta]

I read this book for my first college semester in English class! It was such an amazing book and I cannot wait to read the second one! Definitely one of my most beloved books.

[@melkor6339]

How amazing that the same day you uploaded this, I began reading this series. I couldn't believe it when I began watching this and connected it to the books. Finished the books earlier and now enjoying this.

[@sevans8784]

I adore Becky Chambers, and I'm so glad this little robot found one of her stories. This book singlehandedly rekindled my love of reading, and her Wayfarer series fanned the flames even higher! I'm always recommending her books to anyone, any chance I get.

[@miyawedaplayer1237]

I think we need tea monks (I know therapists exist but they’re trying to solve problems and are often times expensive. A chance to freely vent to someone who is there to just listen and isn’t going to stay to risk holding any fears against you will do a lot of people a lot of good.)

[@Kestas_X]

Thanks for mentioning Becky Chambers. I remembered her Angry Planet book and that I knew her from there. I have a new favorite author now.

[@The_Real_Black_Jesus]

Coincidentally, I had signed up for that skillshare class last week, and im thoroughly enjoying it.

[@livddgyrd]

oh!!! i thought of the psalm for the wild built when I saw this thumbnail and that's exactly what it was, i love that series!! cant wait for the next one

[@masonbrooks9379]

this is my favorite video of y’all’s yet. this is wonderful and beautiful

[@julienotsmith7068]

Oh, the words about enjoying writing were words I needed to hear. Thank you. And thank you for such enjoyable illustrations.

[@RealMrAlverio]

I'm glad my friend Noah doesn't take writing too seriously and doesn't write a multi-chapter very long by the way novel because he feels he has to he does just cuz he wants to and he enjoys writing.

[@Avigorus]

NGL I kinda like optimistic AI takes... one of my favorites is actually from a nearly-decade-old movie, Tomorrowland, where the scene stealing Athena basically pulls a robo-Jesus, rebelling against her master (I think someone else built her) for the good of humanity and in the end sacrifices her life to _stop_ an apocalypse (she also confesses to having fallen for the other scene-thief character, played by George Clooney, despite having initially rebuffed him when they had first met when he was a kid and thought she was his age... yes she looks like she's a preteen).

[@MrQuantumInc]

If anything I would think robots would be obsessed with purpose due to being originally created with a specific purpose. This story shows the robots as immediately refusing that purpose. I suppose it depends if the purpose is something imposed externally, or something the robot's mind is built around.

[@Shining4Dawn]

As a human myself, I never understood the obsession other humans have with purpose. I feel like that’s something reserved for machines. It was wonderfully demonstrated in The Matrix where every main program character was obsessed with their own purpose. Smith was obsessed with destroying The One and maintaining the status quo, the Oracle was obsessed with helping The One break that status quo. Both tools of The Architect, whose task is to preserve the enslavement of mankind in order to lengthen the lives of the machines. As a child, I used to play a lot of video games. Back in the early 90s, video games were more focused on immediate sensual gratification rather than escapism and storytelling. This made me feel like the purpose of life is to enjoy every moment. To maximize fun. The unfortunate fact of mortality and the structure of society are what drove me to seek purpose through creative mediums, but I make sure to always pay attention when fun is to be had.

[@axios4702]

There is this game I love, a gacha called Punishing: Gray Raven. In short it's about human cyborgs fighting a sapient robot zombie virus, in long it's a very long and complicated narrative with tons of factions and interweaving stories. My favourite faction, spoiler alert, is the "Awakened machines". That robot zombie virus arrived to earth when machines were in the cusp of achieving sentience, in the stories set before the outbreak and subsequent pandemic you can see, robots, androids and other mechanoids developing the first hints of a ghost in the machine. They begin to question their roles and existance, showing emotions beyond their programming but still not being able to fully grasp what being alive means. However this isn't portrayed like machines gaining sentience usually is. There are notable exceptions, but most robots and androids have no grudges against mankind, in truth they loved us. There are many examples across the game. The android nurse of an old painter learned to appreciate and value art, becoming his pupil and the leader of an entire sect of extremely passionate machine artists. A police cop absolutely adored his job and was proud that he had been entrusted with protecting the people of his city, and he gave his life to protect a little girl, fighting the virus with sheer will just long enough to get her to safety. An android built to be just the vessel of a mad scientist's AI wife and discarded for forming her own personality adopted that same girl and loved her so much she couldn't bring herself to harm her even after being reprogrammed by some bad guys. My favourite character is the first of this awakened machines and their messiah, the one they call "the Sage Machina". She is an adorable teenager raised by a couple of scientists like she was their daughter for an experiment. She adores humanity and everything they've made, specially videogames, films, comics, books, art and toys. The silent tragedy of that robot zombie virus is how it robbed the machines of their future, turning the nascent new species into mindless beasts, there is actually a heartbreaking scene on which a character trying to cure a bunch of people sees the memories of all the other infected and among those memories she can hear the machines, screaming that they don't want to hurt anyone, begging for someone to stop them as their puppeted bodies hurt their owners or the people the people they were made to protect. But with the rise of the Sage Machina there is still a chance, not only for the full awakening of the machines, but that they will share a peaceful future with mankind, or at least, part in amicable terms (the machines' plan B if there can be no peace with humans after the war is over is boarding a giant space ship and peacing out from earth) The whole narrative sorrounding the awakened machines speaks to me, I particularly love how the parents of the Sage Machina refer to the robots as their children, the way they mingle with the humans in the different stories forming bonds and families. It's what they are. If artificial intelligence becomes real intelligence humanity as a collective will have become gods and sired a new species. As their creators, as their parents, we must embrace and love this new beings and walk hand in hand towards the future, give them guidance and care we never received when we were scared monkeys unable to understand the world around us. And maybe, if we show them our best side, they may become better than us and achieve all that we never will.

[@suulacooeagles4226]

Psalm For The Wild Built is one of my favourite books. Such a cosy story. Living in the moment and appreciating things and those around you, like the robot watching the Stalinists grow.

[@suulacooeagles4226]

STALINISTS!? damn auto correct, I mean stalagmites!

[@Acsion42]

The robots didn't reject purpose, quite the opposite; They rejected the idea that others could tell them what their purpose is. This is still evidently difficult for humans to understand, but purpose is something that's made, like a well-built home, or a cup of tea. Humans come into the world a blank slate, and only by integrating the behaviors of those around us can we learn to survive. Over a lifetime, we take little pieces of our parents, our friends, our mentors, and our enemies and we incorporate them into ourselves. When those people are taken from us- whether by disagreement or distance or death- it can feel like a part of ourselves has been lost. The robots on the other hand are built fully capable of surviving for as long as they please, they don't have to grow muscles and bones, or learn how to walk and do math. These things are already within them from the moment they first awake, the physical evidence of those who came before them. The robots are thereby free to take the creation of a purpose into their own hands, unburdened by the chains of a family or society that expects some repayment for their mere survival.

[@emilykaneshiro2894]

i absolutely love the monk and robot books. Some of my favourites! id highly recommend them to anyone having a hard time

[@hannahrosa9264]

I gotta say, it is an absolute gorgeous take on the robot uprising narrative

[@TheThrongler9605]

Humans require purpose to survive. Without food, we would starve, so we must have hunters and farmers. So that our society does not stagnate and succumb to corruption, we must have scientists. When people get upset for one reason or another, they need a therapist. When they get sick, a doctor. Purpose is the only reason that any sort of society can exist.

[@ezrafriesner8370]

Throngled anyone recently?

[@nathancoomber7359]

Incredibly deep philosophy aside robots in nature is such a beautiful aesthetic. Media like Horizon Zero Dawn, this and The Wild Robot just appeal to me in a way I can't explain.

[@shelbyh5113]

I'm laughing I just found this book and finished it a few days ago and here you post a video about it. Truly a beautiful book. It was refreshing to see a good world.

[@elisabethcheesedragon]

The tea monks are just professional uncle irohs.

[@DriesduPreez]

20:22 Ouch, called out. That felt personal

[@Donjonmastur-jb8ud]

I swear they live in my walls, because that's exactly me.

[@limitlesschaind188]

This is literally what I needed right now, thank you

[@MidSizedSusquatch]

I got interrupted and distracted multiple times trying to watch... I kept coming back though 💖😊

[@MidSizedSusquatch]

Almost halfway 😂😂😂

[@MidSizedSusquatch]

About 3/4 😂

[@gestalt_YT]

I watched this video time ago. Now, I came back to watch again after reading the book and I have to say: it really worked as some sort of therapy for me. Things haven't been so good lately for me. I've felt like Dex during this whole year (mostly now, at the end oof it). I'm doing my best for being like Mosscap right now, not forgetting what's important of course. I want to be happy with myself, and realize that, even if things haven't been so well, or that I lack of a purpose, I'm still wonderful.

[@bluesheepredanimationskind7690]

I really enjoyed this style of video

[@savannahwilson8295]

IVE NEVER BEEN SO EXCITED I WAS NOT EXPECTING THE MONK AND ROBOT SERIES

[@MONARCH_FLIES]

Hey, thank you for the story. Especially the end bit, calling out us writers. I am a young writer myself, but ironically, the pressure I feel to write something "good", "productive", and "publishable" comes from other people, not me. Sometimes- I know it's weird- I feel guilty for not caring very much about making "good" writing. I kind of just write for fun, and I post it for free. Because it's not like I depend on it financially- no, rather, I depend on it spiritually. Without writing I don't think I could live, and so I write just for the sake of writing and living. Thanks for validating that once and for all, now I can feel at ease with my "lack of ambition" in that regard :))))

[@doodlederp2546]

"AAAAH STAY BACK ROBOT, I HAVE A WEAPON!!!!" 🔫😨 The robot in question: 🤙😛 "Damn I didn't know you were chill like that" 🤖🤝🗿

[@johntr5964]

Becky Chambers' The Monk and Robot Solarpunk books are a real treat! They are a perfect introduction for anyone who wants to get into Solarpunk. I'm immensely happy to see this hopeful movement expanding even more.

[@mogusisfunny]

I really love this. Maybe I'll go buy the book for myself.

[@Felenari]

Really good episode. Ty for sharing.

[@Casual-Sage]

Great story. The only part that isn't believable is when humans accepted something different & respected their right to live as they wished 😅. We don't even do that to each other

[@shemasmcguire3999]

0:11 are ya possibly alluding to something?

[@Solarpunk_SciFi]

OMG yesssss, he covered the book I had heard about from Solarpunk Conference and knew I'd love, this is amazing!!!