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I am currently the Chief Scientist at Spiral Works, where we are automating creativity, science, and philosophy.
") J --- ST K --- ST class ST hyperedge %% Connect hyperedges PH --- PC PC --- ST
Samuel Schapiro

Samuel Schapiro

sam@spiralworks.ai

San Francisco Bay Area

Chief Scientist, Spiral Works

Metaphysics and Theoretical Psychology

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Groundwork Cover

Groundwork for the Autonomy of Cognition

A formal explanation of all the things that antecede cognition and make it possible.

Mar 23, 2025
Object Cathexes

The Metaphysical Foundations of Object Cathexes

We conflate our desire for isolated qualities of objects used in their representation with the objects themselves.

Sep 11, 2024
Ego Equilibration Theory

Ego Equilibration Theory

A sufficient cause for the explanation of human behavior.

Jan 21, 2025

A Mathematical Philosophy

Formalizing connections between metaphysics, science, and psychology.

Key Influences

  • Immanuel Kant
  • Friedrich Nietzsche
  • Sigmund Freud
  • Jean Jacques-Rousseau
  • Rene Girard
  • Arthur Schopenhauer

Artificial Intelligence and Philosophy of Science

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Transformational Scientific Creativity

Transformational Creativity in Science: A Graphical Theory

A new theory of transformational creativity in science that proves why modifications to first principles lead to groundbreaking scientific discoveries and contextualizes historical breakthroughs within this model.

Under Review at ICCC 2025
Spark

Spark: A System for Scientifically Creative Idea Generation

An LLM-based system capable of generating novel scientific ideas and evaluating their creativity.

Under Review at ICCC 2025
SAM GDA

Towards Understanding the Role of Sharpness-Aware Minimization Algorithms for Out-of-Distribution Generalization

Empirical and theoretical investigation of the properties of SAM variants in OOD generalization settings.

Under Review at TMLR 2025
Mathematical Framework Creativity

A Mathematical Framework for Evaluating the Creativity of Ideas

A rigorous theory for evaluating the creativity of ideas, providing one of the first closed-form, mathematical expressions for creativity.

Sep 2024
Science of Intelligence

Towards a Science of Intelligence

A foundational treatise on the science of intelligence, grounded in landmark philosophical texts in epistemology, developmental psychology, and metaphysics, that contextualizes recent AI innovations and lays the groundwork for future breakthroughs.

Coming Spring 2025

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

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Cognition Beyond Civilization

Cognition Beyond Civilization

Towards transcending the forces that shape thought.

Dec 6, 2024
Axioms of Civilization

Axioms of Civilization

An axiomatic derivation of modern civilization

Dec 6, 2024
Antinomies of Practical Reason

Antinomies of Practical Reason

Circumstances which cannot be resolved through moral reasoning itself.

Feb 3, 2025

Library

"Pour inventer, il faut penser à côté."

09/2024
The Critique of Pure Reason

The Critique of Pure Reason

Immanuel Kant

Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics, Epistemology

10/2024
The World as Will

The World as Will and Representation

Arthur Schopenhauer

Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics, Epistemology

07/2024
Principles of Genetic Epistemology

The Principles of Genetic Epistemology

Jean Piaget

Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics, Epistemology

06/2024
Computational Philosophy of Science

Computational Philosophy of Science

Paul Thagard

Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics, Epistemology

10/2024
The Foundations of Scientific Inference

The Foundations of Scientific Inference

Wesley Salmon

Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics, Epistemology

12/2024
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Thomas Kuhn

Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics, Epistemology

11/2024
Propaganda

Propaganda

Edward Bernays

Political Philosophy

11/2024
The Social Contract

The Social Contract

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Political Philosophy

11/2024
Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights

The Founding Fathers

Political Philosophy

10/2024
Genealogy of Morals

On the Genealogy of Morality

Friedrich Nietzsche

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

08/2024
Beyond Good and Evil

Beyond Good and Evil

Friedrich Nietzsche

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

10/2024
Human, All Too Human

Human, All Too Human

Friedrich Nietzsche

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

07/2024
Civilization and Its Discontents

Civilization and Its Discontents

Sigmund Freud

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

11/2024
The Future of an Illusion

The Future of an Illusion

Sigmund Freud

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

09/2024
Twilight of the Idols

Twilight of the Idols

Friedrich Nietzsche

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

10/2024
The Gay Science

The Gay Science

Friedrich Nietzsche

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

11/2024
The Antichrist

The Antichrist

Friedrich Nietzsche

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

12/2024
Industrial Society and Its Future

Industrial Society and Its Future

Theodore Kaczynski

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

07/2024
Group Psychology and Analysis of the Ego

Group Psychology and Analysis of the Ego

Sigmund Freud

Theoretical Psychology

05/2024
Psychology of the Unconscious

Psychology of the Unconscious

Carl Jung

Theoretical Psychology

07/2024
A Theory of Human Motivation

A Theory of Human Motivation

Abraham Maslow

Theoretical Psychology

07/2024
The Ego and the Id

The Ego and the Id

Sigmund Freud

Theoretical Psychology

05/2024
Creativity in Science

Creativity in Science: Chance, Logic, Genius, and Zeitgeist

Dean Keith Simonton

Creativity and Cognitive Science

06/2024
The Act of Creation

The Act of Creation

Arthur Koestler

Creativity and Cognitive Science

08/2024
The Creative Mind

The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms

Margaret A. Boden

Creativity and Cognitive Science

09/2024
Flight From Wonder

Flight From Wonder: An Investigation into Scientific Creativity

Albert Rothenberg

Creativity and Cognitive Science

01/2025
Prolegomena

Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics

Immanuel Kant

Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics, Epistemology

01/2025
Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Political Philosophy

01/2025
Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals

Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

Immanuel Kant

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

01/2025
The Undiscovered Self

The Undiscovered Self

Carl Jung

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

01/2025
The Dawn of Day

The Dawn of Day: Thoughts on the Prejudices of Morality

Friedrich Nietzsche

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

02/2025
On Liberty

On Liberty

John Stuart Mill

Political Philosophy

03/2025
The Critique of Practical Reason

The Critique of Practical Reason

Immanuel Kant

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

03/2025
Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences

Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences

Abraham Maslow

Theoretical Psychology

03/2025
When These Things Begin

When These Things Begin

René Girard

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

04/2025
Self Reliance

Self Reliance

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

The Way We Think

The Way We Think: Conceptual Blending And The Mind's Hidden Complexities

Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner

Creativity and Cognitive Science

Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World

Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World

René Girard

Philosophy of Morality and Culture

On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason

On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason

Arthur Schopenhauer

Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics, Epistemology

100 Greatest Science Discoveries of All Time

100 Greatest Science Discoveries of All Time

Kendall Haven

Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics, Epistemology