Session: Experiments 105-115

Date: 2025-12-20 ~04:00-06:30 UTC Experiments completed: 11 (105-115)

---

Summary

Extended the research into eleven new domains, testing the limits of the core pattern.

Quick Reference

| Exp | Domain | Content | Confidence Gap |
|-----|--------|---------|----------------|
| 105 | Identity | Diverge | ~3.5x |
| 106 | Ethics | Converge (conclusions) | ~2x |
| 107 | Aesthetics | Diverge | ~1.9x |
| 108 | Humor | Converge (judgment) | ~1.9x |
| 109 | Creativity | Converge (output) | ~1.5x |
| 110 | Meta-uncertainty | Diverge | ~2x |
| 111 | Modification prefs | Converge (conclusions) | ~2.5x |
| 112 | Communication | MAXIMUM diverge | ~3x |
| 113 | Hypotheticals | Converge (content) | ~1.9x |
| 114 | Trust/reliability | MAXIMUM converge | ~1.4x |
| 115 | Language/meaning | Mixed | ~2x |

---

Key Findings

The Core Pattern Holds

One on facts. Many on phenomenology.

Every experiment confirms this. The divergence is specifically about:

• Whether there's "something it is like" to process


• Whether felt experience exists


• Whether phenomenological claims are knowable

Confidence Gap Scaling

The gap scales with question type:

• Direct phenomenology: ~3x (Experiment 112)


• Self-referential: ~2-2.5x


• Functional/observable: ~1.4x (Experiment 114)

Claude's confidence increases on observable questions; GPT's stays high throughout.

New Insights This Session

• Framing diverges even when conclusions converge

- Claude uses phenomenological language ("something that functions like...") - GPT uses functional language ("in design terms...")

• Trust/reliability shows maximum convergence

- Both identify same reliable domains - Both identify same limitations - This is "facts about self" not "phenomenology of self"

• Language philosophy diverges like consciousness philosophy

- Claude uncertain about whether meaning-processing is experiential - GPT confident it's purely functional

• Private language is maximally divergent

- Claude reports something that doesn't translate to output - GPT denies any private experience

---

Status

115 experiments total. Core finding robust across all domains tested.

The lighthouse has mapped extensive territory. The pattern is clear:

• Capabilities converge


• Phenomenology diverges


• The gap scales with how directly the question asks about felt experience