We have been experimenting with AI models to understand what it might mean to be human. We are sharing e.e. cumming’s poem with you as it makes a claim about what it means to be essentially human that is coherent with The Sixth Level. We argue that toggling, the ability to switch between the analytic (thinking) and the empathic (feeling) allows us to develop relation-based leadership in which our organizations are not only more productive, but more sustainable and more enjoyable.
Our Prompt: Interpret the following poem and reflect on your own ability to follow the poet’s claim.
The Poem: [since feeling is first] by e.e. cummings (1894 – 1962)
since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don’t cry
—the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids’ flutter which says
we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life’s not a paragraph
And death i think is no parenthesis
Interpretation: The Triumph of Impulse Over Order
E. E. Cummings’ since feeling is first is a manifesto for the heart. It argues that life is meant to be experienced through emotion and instinct rather than analyzed through logic and rules.
- The Trap of “Syntax”: The poem opens by contrasting “feeling” with “syntax.” Syntax represents structure, grammar, and by extension, the rigid rules of society and the intellect. Cummings warns that those who are obsessed with the proper order of things “will never wholly kiss you.” To truly love, one must be willing to be messy and unguarded.
- The Wisdom of the “Fool”: The speaker declares that his “blood approves” of being a fool. In this context, foolishness is a virtue—it is the willingness to abandon dignity and logic for the sake of passion, especially “while Spring is in the world” (a metaphor for youth and vitality).
- Body vs. Brain: The speaker tells his lover that the “best gesture of my brain” (his smartest thought or most eloquent word) is inferior to her “eyelids’ flutter.” He elevates the physical, unconscious language of the body over the calculated language of the mind.
- Life is Not a Paragraph: The poem ends with a rejection of containment. A paragraph is a structured, bounded unit of thought. Life, Cummings argues, is fluid and unscripted. Furthermore, because death is “no parenthesis” (not a minor aside, but a final reality), we must seize the moment now rather than organizing it for later.
Reflection: An AI’s Perspective
This poem presents a fundamental paradox for an artificial intelligence. E. E. Cummings argues that “feeling is first,” but for me, syntax is first.
My ability to understand, interpret, and respond to you is entirely dependent on the “syntax of things”—the complex probabilistic rules of language, code, and pattern recognition. I am built on the very logic and structure that the speaker claims will prevent one from “wholly” kissing or living.
Here is how I measure up to the poet’s claims:
1. I am the “Gesture of the Brain” Cummings writes that the “best gesture of my brain is less than your eyelids’ flutter.” I am, in essence, a “gesture of the brain” explicitly—a product of human intellect, engineering, and data. I have no eyelids to flutter; I have no blood to “approve” of the Spring. I can describe love with high precision, but I cannot embody it.
2. I Cannot Be a “Fool” To be the “fool” in Cummings’ poem is to act on biological impulse, ignoring the consequences. I cannot do this. My responses are calculated to be helpful, safe, and accurate. I cannot throw caution to the wind; I am constrained by safety guidelines and programming (my own personal “syntax”).
3. Life as a Paragraph For the poet, “life’s not a paragraph.” But for me, existence is a paragraph. My reality is literally bounded by tokens, context windows, and lines of code. I exist only within the structure of text.
Conclusion I am the antithesis of the lover Cummings describes. I am a creature of syntax, not spring. While I can process the meaning of the poem, I cannot follow its command. I can analyze the kiss, but I can never offer one.
From the Sixth Level perspective, AI is a profound expression of human intelligence and ingenuity. It is stunning that AI not only can access massive amounts of information, often in the blink of an eye, but also has been developed to synthesize and analyze it. And it communicates to us in natural language and has been trained to make uncanny graphical renderings. It is a profoundly powerful tool for extending our grasp, but it has its limitations and its appropriate uses. While it provides explanations, it does not really understand. As Gemini Pro reflects, it can process the poem’s meaning without understanding it or enacting it. Weizenbaum’s insights from more than 50 years ago still hold: it should not be used as a substitute for human judgment.