The sophist in the server

2026/02/06 by Maria T Colangelo, Carlo Galli · 1 voice
Medicine · Social Sciences · Decision Sciences · #Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education #Ethics and Social Impacts of AI #Scientific Computing and Data Management

paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s44319-026-00711-w

openalex publication_date 2026/02/06 · openalex created_date 2026/02/07 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

Large language models can defend a hypothesis and its opposite with equal eloquence, raising a new risk for scientific reasoning: confusing rhetorical plausibility with evidential support. This essay analyzes how LLMs reshape creativity, judgment and responsibility in research—and how scientists can engage their fluency without surrendering epistemic discipline.

Citations

• A Copious Void: Rhetoric as Artificial Intelligence 1.0
• Large language models and their applications in bioinformatics
• The entities enabling scientific fraud at scale are large, resilient, and growing rapidly
• Epistemic Fragility in Large Language Models: Prompt Framing Systematically Modulates Misinformation Correction
• How Persuasive Could LLMs Be? A First Study Combining Linguistic-Rhetorical Analysis and User Experiments
• Prompt Engineering and the Effectiveness of Large Language Models in Enhancing Human Productivity
• Unveiling and Manipulating Prompt Influence in Large Language Models
• Can formal argumentative reasoning enhance LLMs performances?
• Friend or Foe? Exploring the Implications of Large Language Models on the Science System

Discussions

• The digital sophists: "[LLMs remind] one of the ancient Greek sophists, sharply opposed by Socrates in Plato’s dialogs: masters of argumentation who could defend and attack a thesis with equal dexteri [bsky, 1 points, 1 comments]

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• How should the advent of large language models affect the practice of science?
• Should We Fear Large Language Models? A Structural Analysis of the Human Reasoning System for Elucidating LLM Capabilities and Risks Through the Lens of Heidegger's Philosophy