John Twelve Hawks: Trending quotes

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“Our problem is not machines acting like humans -- it’s humans acting like machines.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)
Context: Artificial intelligence is a concept that obscures accountability. Our problem is not machines acting like humans -- it’s humans acting like machines.

Problem

“True ideology has vanished, replaced by fear and fantasy. The right wing wants corporate control and a return to a past that never existed. The left wing wants government control and a future that will never exist.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)
Context: True ideology has vanished, replaced by fear and fantasy. The right wing wants corporate control and a return to a past that never existed. The left wing wants government control and a future that will never exist. Both groups lose sight of the essential questions: how can the individual speak and think and create freely? New ideas are the only evolutionary force that will save us from destruction.

Fear , Past , Future

“Modern authority is based on a system of lies that are accepted by the general population.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)
Context: Modern authority is based on a system of lies that are accepted by the general population. If you pull away the curtain and show the reality of power, people are motivated to question the fictions that govern their own lives.

“Any monitoring system that is invisible, pervasive, automatic, and permanent gives those in power the means to create a modern surveillance state.”

John Twelve Hawks

Against Authority: Freedom and the Rise of Surveillance States (2014)
Context: Any monitoring system that is invisible, pervasive, automatic, and permanent gives those in power the means to create a modern surveillance state. And these new states will have an authority that has detached itself from ethics and ideology. Politicians and dictators will continue to make speeches, but their words will become meaningless. This new system will see and know us. It will even predict our future behavior.

“New ideas are the only evolutionary force that will save us from destruction.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)
Context: True ideology has vanished, replaced by fear and fantasy. The right wing wants corporate control and a return to a past that never existed. The left wing wants government control and a future that will never exist. Both groups lose sight of the essential questions: how can the individual speak and think and create freely? New ideas are the only evolutionary force that will save us from destruction.

Idea

“Focusing on a writer’s life undermines the power of that writer’s ideas.”

John Twelve Hawks

From Interviews
Context: These days, I live on the grid – primarily because of medical issues. But I think that it would be hypocritical for a writer to condemn our surveillance culture and then appear on the Charlie Rose show to blather about personal details. Focusing on a writer’s life undermines the power of that writer’s ideas.

Life , Idea

“If privacy had a gravestone it might read: “Don't Worry. This Was for Your Own Good.””

John Twelve Hawks book The Dark River

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Dark River (2007)

Reading

“Life is dangerous. That's what makes it interesting.”

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

Life

“Every new experience is unusual. The rest of life is just sleep and committee meetings.”

John Twelve Hawks book The Traveler

Source: Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

Life , Sleep

“In reality, the universe is neutral about our existence. Only dogs care.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Dogs , Reality , Universe

“What happens in our future can change the meaning of what has happened in our past.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Change , Past , Future

“All language – everything we say – is just an approximation of reality.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Reality

“Human beings have an almost unlimited capacity for self-delusion. We can justify any amount of sadness if it fits our own particular standard of reality.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Traveler (2005)

Sadness , Reality

“QUESTION: Is there a reason for the pen name? One you’d be willing to share, I suppose. As in, is it because you’re actually a secret CIA agent and/or Russian spy, or merely because you don’t ever want your mother knowing what you’ve written?
JTH: My mother and the rest of my family don’t know that I have written the novels. Those people I know who aren’t close friends see me as a failure by the American standards of success. Being a “failure” in such a way has been a continual lesson. It’s helped me realize that we make quick judgments of others based on little real information. We assume so much – but don’t know the secrets held within the heart.”

John Twelve Hawks

From Interviews

People , Secret , Family , Way

“Machines, no matter how sophisticated, can only follow programs. If we sleepwalk through our lives, then we’re no better than machines. Only humans are capable of a job done well -- which means thinking about the consequences of our actions. A job done well pays the bills, but it also improves the lives of everyone around us.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Thinking

“Almost every important choice in our lives is really just an expression of hope.”

John Twelve Hawks

Fourth Realm Trilogy (2005-2009), The Golden City (2009)

Hope

“Identity is not taste or fashion; it has nothing to do with what we’ve purchased in the past or want to buy in the future. Identity comes from making real choices that force you to decide what is true, fair, and just. Identity is not given to you; it’s earned by your life experiences.”

John Twelve Hawks

Against Authority: Freedom and the Rise of Surveillance States (2014)

Life , Fashion , Past , Future

“Her face kept changing and that bothered me as well. Why were human beings so unstable? The door and the curtains and the supply cabinet didn't continually change their appearance.”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Appearance , Change

“Mrs. Driscoll clapped her hands together and the bracelets jingled brightly. "Yes, Mr. Morgan! The theater can heal a wounded spirit and broken heart! I've seen it countless times. When we are completely artificial, we can find out what's real."”

John Twelve Hawks book Spark

Spark (2014)

Time , Heart