On Cyber-Enabled Information Warfare and Information Operations

The United States has no peer competitors in conventional military power. But its adversaries are increasingly turning to asymmetric methods for engaging in conflict. This paper advances the idea of cyber-enabled information warfare and influence operations (IWIO) as a form of conflict or confrontation to which the United States (and liberal democracies more generally) are particularly vulnerable. IWIO is the deliberate use of information against an adversary to confuse, mislead, and perhaps to influence the choices and decisions that the adversary makes. IWIO is a hostile activity, or at least an activity that is conducted between two parties whose interests are not well aligned, but it does not constitute warfare in the sense that international law or domestic institutions construe it. IWIO takes advantage of systematic biases in human cognition towards non-rational thought. Cyber-enabled IWIO exploits these biases even more through the use of modern communications technologies to facilitate high connectivity, low latency, high degrees of anonymity, insensitivity to distance and national borders, democratized access to publishing capabilities, and inexpensive production and consumption of information content. Some approaches to counter IWIO show some promise of having some modest but valuable defensive effect. But, on the whole, there are no good solutions for large-scale countering of IWIO in free and democratic societies. Development of new tactics and responses is therefore needed.

Embodiment, Autoethnography, Performance Poetry: Living with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

This presentation offers neurodivergence embodied, autoethnography, and performance poetry. The confluence of acquiring severe traumatic brain injury combined with exposure to concepts and paradigms while pursuing a graduate degree in Disability Studies, catalyzed emergence and triggered development of my disabled identity. The brain damage acquired causes issues of decoding/deciphering/processing, which in turn triggers and/or produces episodes of temporal dissonance. When these shifts in timing occur, they have tremendous impact on rational thought processes and emotional stability. The salient aspects of my new life – emotional sensitivity and volatility – may on the surface seem detrimental and undesirable; however, I celebrate these qualities as they greatly enhance my identification with and empathy for others, which in turn drive my artistic, social, cultural, political expression, quest for community and belonging. While temporal dissonance is unlikely to occur during this planned short presentation, I will relate and provide the audience with windows on largely hidden and little understood forms of impairment. Note: To hear recitation of some of these poems, check out fellow VIBE presenter Cheryl Green’s podcast: http://whoamitostopit.com/pigeonhole-podcast-17-autoethnographic-poetry/ The original presentation at VIBE was accompanied by music from Miles Davis and Marcus Miller’s 1987 album Music from Siesta. Readers are encouraged to listen to this album via their music platform of choice while reading the following poetry. Youtube link to the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuvtNL_jyeQ

A woman scientist in pursuit of truth: A rising trend of representation with Chernobyl

Sky/HBO’s miniseries Chernobyl (2019) tells a human story behind the catastrophic disaster that had begun with an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine on 26 April 1986. Over the course of five one-hour episodes, Chernobyl dramatizes the incidents that paved the way to the massive explosion, such as the Cold War era, the dysfunctional Soviet bureaucracy and the power issues among the male political and scientific establishment. The highlight of the miniseries is female agency being the symbol of scientific approach, rational thought and common sense. This article analyses Chernobyl and the character of a Belarusian nuclear physicist named Ulyana Khomyuk (played by Emily Watson) by focusing on women’s representation on popular television in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. It also questions whether Chernobyl is one of the very few examples in popular culture of changing patterns of women’s representation in STEM.

A Surgical Perspective on the Association between Cystic Lesions of the Pineal Gland (Descartes' Seat of the Soul) and the Pituitary (the Master Gland)

Introduction Rene Descartes (1596–1650), the famous philosopher and scientist, identified the pineal gland as the only cerebral structure not represented bilaterally, the “seat of the soul”; and the source of rational thought. Pineal cysts (PCs) are often incidentally identified in MRI studies, with a reported prevalence of 1 to 4.3%. Rathke cleft cysts (RCCs) are pituitary lesions accounting for <1% of intracranial masses. There are scant data in the literature addressing any association between these two midline cystic lesions. Methods We reviewed the medical records of patients presenting at our institution from April 2008 through February 2020, whose records indicated a diagnosis of RCC, and those whose records included pineal lesions. Our objective was to evaluate the association between these two midline lesions. Brain MRI studies were reviewed for the presence of PCs; only patients with PCs that measured ≥5 mm in diameter were included. Results We identified 116 patients with RCCs, and 34 patients with PCs, treated from April 2008 through February 2020. Among the RCC group, 14/116 patients (12%) had PCs. Among the PC group, 3/34 patients (8.8%) had RCCs. Overall, 17 patients (11.3%) had concomitant RCCs and PCs. The mean maximal diameter of the PCs was 7.5 mm (range = 5–17 mm), whereas the mean maximal diameter of RCCs was 13 mm (range = 5–40 mm). Conclusion The incidental diagnosis of cystic lesions of the pineal and pituitary gland is increasingly reported, primarily because of advances in current diagnostic modalities. Our data demonstrated no clear consensual association between pineal and pituitary cysts.

The Factor Structure of Cognitive Abilities Related to (Ir)Rationality

General and specific cognitive abilities predict normatively (ir)rational thought. However, substantial overlap exists between individual measures of these cognitive abilities (i.e., numeracy, cognitive reflection, intelligence). The present research had two main aims: 1) to investigate the generalizability of the effects of Verbal CRT (a novel measure of cognitive reflection that is less confounded with numeracy and math attitudes than traditional CRT) outside US/UK samples, and 2) to test the factor structure of cognitive abilities. In Studies 1a and 1b, we adapted and tested the validity and psychometric properties of Polish versions of tasks and scales. Next, using a large and diverse sample of Polish adults, we tested five models of the factor structure of cognitive abilities (Study 2). The most parsimonious and best-fitted model contained three latent variables: Verbal CRT, Numeracy (composed of the items from the Berlin Numeracy Test, and classical – numerical – CRT), and Fluid intelligence. We argue that researchers investigating individual differences in rationality should focus on understanding mechanisms underlying specific – rationality-related – cognitive abilities.

Dialoguing as if we're not that important

The idea that the world is interconnected foreshadows a massive change in how education is conceived and practised. It may even render ‘education’ non-existent. Māori philosophy centreing on the All – which is another term for interconnection but having a stronger flavour of unity between all things such that they are one – suggests that education, if it is to remain, must honour new ways of perceiving the world. Firstly, it must set about striving for an opposite goal, this being cultivating an uncertainty in students as they think about things in the world. Secondly (and relatedly), it calls for a self-erasure, which involves acknowledging the self’s vulnerability in the shadow of the All: this humility is not simply intellectual but bodily. In this article, I consider this self-erasure in the context of various korero (discussions) with an older whanaunga (relative). In these korero, we would be aware that there were phenomena that cannot be accounted for but that impinge on thought. These phenomena have implications for education – at least from a Māori perspective, despite the attempts of rational thought to evade them.

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF UNDERGRADUATES’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE PHILOSOPHY AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES COURSE (FIS): OBSERVATIONS FROM UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH (UMS)

The Philosophy and Contemporary Issues (FIS) course was introduced for undergraduate level study in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) starting from the September 2019 intake. An initiative of Dr. Maszlee Malik, the Minister of Education Malaysia during that period, the course is aimed at creating a generation of scholars capable of critical and rational thought, able to engage in analytical and systematic discourse, and guided by wisdom and prudence when faced with diverse contemporary ideology challenges. This course is compulsory for all HEI students including those in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). Philosophy in general is perceived as a difficult subject to comprehend. Since FIS is a new course, this study is relevant to examine students’ understanding of the subject matter as taught in UMS specifically those in the 2020/2021 intake. Utilising a quantitative approach, the aspect of student understanding in FIS was analysed in a descriptive manner based on online questionnaire instruments. Findings showed UMS undergraduates had a relatively high and encouraging level of understanding in FIS. This proves that the notion of courses related to philosophy being difficult and uninteresting was not wholly accurate. The FIS course could be fine-tuned to ensure it is able to continue its role as a medium for the inculcation of new thought culture among undergraduates.

Emotion and Reason

This chapter studies the relationship between emotion and rational thought. Emotions have been found to be linked to chemical changes that can affect both mind and body. The brain is connected with the rest of the body through direct nerve connections to the organs, but also by brain regions like the hypothalamus, and glands linked to it such as the pituitary, that secrete hormones into the blood. As such, some scientists now argue that even human consciousness cannot be thought of as a product solely of the brain, but also of the body. A chemical that plays dual roles in the brain and the rest of the body is dopamine, which is vital for our control of movement and it also regulates many higher mental functions in humans, such as learning, concentration, planning ahead, and pleasure-seeking behaviour. The chapter then looks at the implications of Lev Vygotsky’s view of the interaction between rational thought and emotional responses for education. One important concept in this regard is what Vygotsky termed the 'zone of proximal development.

Critical Thinking: A Model of Intelligence for Solving Real-World Problems

Most theories of intelligence do not directly address the question of whether people with high intelligence can successfully solve real world problems. A high IQ is correlated with many important outcomes (e.g., academic prominence, reduced crime), but it does not protect against cognitive biases, partisan thinking, reactance, or confirmation bias, among others. There are several newer theories that directly address the question about solving real-world problems. Prominent among them is Sternberg’s adaptive intelligence with “adaptation to the environment” as the central premise, a construct that does not exist on standardized IQ tests. Similarly, some scholars argue that standardized tests of intelligence are not measures of rational thought—the sort of skill/ability that would be needed to address complex real-world problems. Other investigators advocate for critical thinking as a model of intelligence specifically designed for addressing real-world problems. Yes, intelligence (i.e., critical thinking) can be enhanced and used for solving a real-world problem such as COVID-19, which we use as an example of contemporary problems that need a new approach.