New feature (v36): Smart Search Synopsis
Comments
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We're working on a Smart Bible Search feature to solve this problem; here's a sneak peek of what it will look like:
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And here's how Smart Bible Search would treat List the bible verses where God says that He will not hear someone's prayer.
Of the verses @Top8305 was looking for, it returned all of them except Proverbs 1:28 and Job 35:12, and includes many more that NTSK omits.
We've still got some work to do before this feature is ready for beta testing, but I'm excited by its potential.
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I'll admit that this has the potential to be a very valuable addition to the Smart Search Feature!
Logos 10 - OpenSuse Tumbleweed, Windows 11, Android 16 & Android 14
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This is what I'm looking for!
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This poses an interesting question. Are the results from resources that are not among our "preferred" resources as valid as the ones from "our" preferred resources? Do they have adequate context, so we know they reliably address the search from our God-honoring, Biblical point of view?
What we are speaking about here is religious bias (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Congregational, etc.)
In other words, can we trust Logos, now and in the future, to provide Biblical non-biased results in these AI searches?
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Hi @David Benjamin - and welcome to the forums
Are the results from resources that are not among our "preferred" resources as valid as the ones from "our" preferred resources?
Valid is probably a judgment call as some people will have different preferred resources, and views on validity, to others.
To restrict the scope of searches to a particular set of books - "preferred resources" - we can do a Smart Books Search. Doing this will ensure that only results from those resources will be presented.
In other words, can we trust Logos, now and in the future, to provide Biblical non-biased results in these AI searches?
It's a wide question but, in general, I think the answer is no - and this isn't a comment about the quality or reliability of the software. But because these searches are being conducted against a set (narrow or wide) of resources which will contain a range of points of view and will, nearly always if not always, reflect some degree of bias.
(My comments here don't extend to the Biblical Smart Search that Bradley and Mark outline above as I don't have details on how that works)
Graham
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You can't trust anyone, at least not 100%, to provide biblical, non-biased results for any query.
In Smart Search, Logos calculates a relevancy score for each search result and displays the results in order. That relevancy score is almost entirely free from theological bias. It's simply looking at whether the article answers the question. It does not attempt to determine whether the article answers the question "correctly." It does not know, for example, that the user is a reformed baptist, and would prefer results from authors who share that view. If that's what you want, you'll need to create a collection of reformed baptist writings, and re-run the search in that collection.
Smart Synopsis also tries really hard to reflect the theology of the articles that it finds rather than inject any theological bias into the synopsis. That does not mean that Smart Synopsis isn't biased, but it should mean that it shares the same biases as the books it found in your library.
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That does not mean that Smart Synopsis isn't biased, but it should mean that it shares the same biases as the books it found in your library.
Unfortunately, given my library precedes Verbum and that buying packages outside one's tradition is often cheaper than paying for individual resources, and that I often pick up as free volumes things I would not otherwise touch, the biases of the books in my library are NOT representative of my biases. Some I have gone so far as to tag as "trash" before hiding them.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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A little change of words, led to a much more accurate answer. See examples below.
First smart search (with moderate results): is there a connection between "saying grace at meals" and 1 Korinth 10:31
Second smart search (with good results): is there a connection between "grace at meals" and 1 Cor. 10:31
- Now I used the exact headword "Grace at meals" as found in dictionaries. I think this makes a real difference for AI.
- Maybe it is better to never use ""unless an exact match should be found
Greetings,
Johan Barth
Example 1 (with moderate results)
LOGOS Smart Search Books 2025-01-07: is there a connection between "saying grace at meals" and 1 Korinth 10:31
The connection between "saying grace at meals" and 1 Corinthians 10:31 can be inferred from the articles provided, although not explicitly stated. One of the articles mentions that in certain religious practices, it is customary to say grace before and after meals, praising God as the provider of food[1]. This act of thanksgiving aligns with the broader concept of glorifying God in all aspects of life, including eating, which is the essence of 1 Corinthians 10:31. Another article discusses the practice of "saying grace after meals" as an expression of gratitude for God's gifts[2]. The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church also emphasizes the importance of asking God for daily bread and giving thanks, particularly in the context of Christian families saying grace at meals[3]. These practices reflect the spirit of glorifying God in daily activities, including eating, which resonates with the principle expressed in 1 Corinthians 10:31, although the specific verse is not directly referenced in the provided articles.
[1] Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 605). Hendrickson.
[2] Kurth, G. (1907–1913). Actual Grace. In C. G. Herbermann, E. A. Pace, C. B. Pallen, T. J. Shahan, & J. J. Wynne (Eds.), The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church: Vols. I–XV. The Encyclopedia Press; The Universal Knowledge Foundation.
[3] Catholic Church. (1997). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., p. 680). Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
-> m.a.w. LOGOS Smart Search ziet wel een verband, maar vindt geen artikelen die dit verband expliciet leggen. Hij mist dus o.a. de directe referenties in de artikelen uit NUBD en CathDict. Leest hij de afkortingen niet goed?
Example 2 (with good and accurate results!)
LOGOS Smart Search Books 2025-01-07: is there a connection between "grace at meals" and 1 Cor. 10:31
There is indeed a connection between "grace at meals" and 1 Corinthians 10:31. This verse, which advises believers to do all things, including eating and drinking, to the glory of God, is often cited as a scriptural basis for the practice of saying grace[1][2][3][4]. The custom of praying before and after meals has been observed since early Christian times, with Church Fathers like Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian mentioning it in their writings[1][2]. The practice involves giving thanks to God for the food provided and asking for His blessing[4][5]. This aligns with the example set by Jesus, who is recorded in the Gospels as blessing food before eating[3][4][5]. The term "grace" in this context represents both thanks (gratiae) and blessing (benedictio)[3]. Over time, various formulas for grace at meals developed, with some early examples preserved in ancient Christian texts[1][3].
[1] Leclercq, H. (1907–1913). Grace at Meals. In C. G. Herbermann, E. A. Pace, C. B. Pallen, T. J. Shahan, & J. J. Wynne (Eds.), The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church: Vols. I–XV. The Encyclopedia Press; The Universal Knowledge Foundation.
[2] McGovern, J. J., ed. (1906). In Catholic Pocket Dictionary and Cyclopedia (p. 101). Extension Press.
[3] Addis, W. E., & Arnold, T. (1887). In A Catholic Dictionary (Sixth Edition, With Additions, p. 386). The Catholic Publication Society Co.
[4] Unger, M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., & Unger, M. F. (1988). In The new Unger’s Bible dictionary (Rev. and updated ed.). Moody Press.
[5] M’Clintock, J., & Strong, J. (1891). Grace at Meals. In Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (Vol. 3, p. 963). Harper & Brothers, Publishers.
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@C.J. (Johan) Barth A little change of words, led to a much more accurate answer.
Agree.
"Will the rapture occur before the tribulation?" exhibited no bias in the Synopsis from an ALL Search (ignoring the bias of "before") i.e. it is a subject of debate and it mentioned the 3 major interpretations on the issue of the timing. However, when the query was addressed to a book** with a Pretrib bias, the Synopsis was non-committal because the book discussed the different views on the timing of the Rapture and ignored the author's obvious preference for Pretrib e.g. "it best resolves the seeming contradiction".
I got the same response from "Will the rapture occur before the Second Coming?" despite the book stating "the Rapture and the Second Coming cannot be simultaneous".
And one might have expected a more biased result from the ALL Search because Pretrib are more prolific in publishing (defending) their theology.
So there is a weakness with Synopsis. If you ask "When…" it responded with "at any moment"!
**Mark Hitchcock, The End: Everything You’ll Want to Know about the Apocalypse (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2012), 160.
Dave
===Windows 11 & Android 13
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I just wanted to chime in and say that Synopsis is an incredible feature! This is a perfect example of how AI can be used ethically and intelligently in an academic setting.
My ONE bit of feedback, as some others have mentioned, is I think there really should be a way to continue the conversation, much like how you can in ChatGPT and others. There should be an option to open up a chat "window", which continues to draw information from your library.
Apart from that, this is such a great feature. I know some may say people should do it the "Old fashioned way", but times change. When leveraged properly, tools like Synopsis can save hours and hours of mundane combing through books when trying to find relevant information. With this, we can be taken straight to the relevant info, and put more precious time into actually performing the task. Well done Logos!1 -
When leveraged properly, tools like Synopsis can save hours and hours of mundane combing through books when trying to find relevant information.
Yes! And I'm very friendly with the "old fashioned way".
Dave
===Windows 11 & Android 13
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NoGO: Provide list of Bible verses referencing the Name of God and or the Name of Jesus
Why doesn't Smart Search provide the list of verses that reference God's Name or Jesus' Name? What am I missing or doing wrong, please?
Question, in Bible searches from the Books Tab (there doesn't appear to be a Smart Search option in the Bible Tab), will Smart Search utilize metadata and interlinear data?
Would the highest tier, Max, subscription provide the answer - a complete list of verses referencing the Name of God and or the Name of Jesus?
Pax Christi
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My platform does not provide for Smart Bible Search; is this a feature limited to a Max subscription? Thanks for the assist!
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My platform does not provide for Smart Bible Search; is this a feature limited to a Max subscription?
It is not currently available (in any subscription). The examples Mark and Bradley showed above were from internal builds
We don't know when it will be ready for testing or general release.
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Good day. My program settings for double-click should be irrelevant. My point is that the Platform should not use A.I. credit as a default because it is at cost and the subscriber should have command and control over when and how it is employed. Whatever any preference is, A.I. credit usage should not be automatic, but chosen, because it is at cost.
Pax Christi
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In a recent webinar, it was announced that Smart Bible Search would be available in v40.0, which should be released on or around Feb. 25th:
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Where are credits used "as a default"?
Dave
===Windows 11 & Android 13
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NoGO: 2025-02-05
Query: "what are the bible verses about Ezekiel's vision with Angels"
What say you, please?
Pax Christi
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Brother, when I double-click on a text to conduct a Look-up function, the Platform automatically performs an A.I. Search, using a credit from my monthly credits, BY DEFAULT (i.e. automatically regardless of whether I want to perform an A.I. Search at credit cost or not.). The subscriber should be able to choose A.I. credit-charging Search or a regular Precise Search, or configure one's Preference in Program Settings.
Sorry, if that wasn't clear.
Pax Christi
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Query: "what are the bible verses about Ezekiel's vision with Angels"
The Smart Bible Search - currently in beta - handles this quite well
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The screenshots show that the search was performed in Precise mode. I'm not sure why that was. Did you get any indication you were in Precise mode? Have you run out of AI credits, perhaps?
In Smart mode, you would have seen something like this:
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