This is Water, Cognitive Warfare, Savage Schmachtenberger
A Mindful Miscellany, #34
Mindful: Attentive, Aware, Conscious, Thoughtful, Alert.
Miscellany: A collection of various items, parts, or ingredients, especially one composed of diverse literary works.
Welcome to A Mindful Miscellany, a newsletter dedicated to Good Humaning in the Turbulent Twenties.
David Foster Wallace Commencement Speech
On being a good human, in this absurd world we’ve created:
“The point here is that I think this is one part of what teaching me 'how to think' is really supposed to mean. To be just a little less arrogant. To have just a little critical awareness about myself and my certainties. Because a huge percentage of the stuff that I tend to be automatically certain of is, it turns out, totally wrong and deluded. I have learned this the hard way, as I predict you graduates will, too.
And I submit that this is what the real, no bullshit value of your liberal arts education is supposed to be about: how to keep from going through your comfortable, prosperous, respectable adult life dead, unconscious, a slave to your head and to your natural default setting of being uniquely, completely, imperially alone day in and day out.
And the so-called real world will not discourage you from operating on your default settings, because the so-called real world of men and money and power hums merrily along in a pool of fear and anger and frustration and craving and worship of self. Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom all to be lords of our tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the centre of all creation. This kind of freedom has much to recommend it. But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talk about much in the great outside world of wanting and achieving…. The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day.
That is real freedom. That is being educated, and understanding how to think. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.”
Primer on Cognitive Warfare
Cognitive warfare is a form of information warfare that targets an adversary's cognitive processes, beliefs, and decision-making capabilities. It uses various tactics to influence, disrupt, or manipulate the way individuals or groups think, perceive information, and make decisions. Cognitive warfare aims to exploit psychological vulnerabilities, biases, and cognitive biases in order to achieve strategic objectives. Some common techniques and strategies include:
Disinformation and propaganda: Spreading false or misleading information through various channels to shape public opinion, create confusion, or undermine trust in institutions. Example: The Firehose of Falsehood.
Psychological operations (PSYOPS): Using psychological tactics to influence the emotions, beliefs, and behaviors of targeted individuals or groups, often through the use of tailored messaging or manipulation of information.
Social media manipulation: Leveraging social media platforms to amplify divisive content, create echo chambers, and sow discord among a target population. Example: Sock Puppets and Troll Farms.
Deepfakes and media manipulation: Creating realistic but fabricated audio, video, or text content to deceive or mislead the public or decision-makers.
Cognitive bias exploitation: Identifying and exploiting cognitive biases, such as confirmation bias or availability bias, to influence decision-making processes.
Narratives and framing: Shaping the narrative surrounding a particular issue or event to influence how it is perceived and interpreted by the target audience.
Cognitive warfare is a complex and dynamic field, with implications for national security, geopolitics, and public opinion. It’s important for all humans to understand these techniques, because they’re all over the internet, in domestic and international politics. In terms of media literacy, one method is called SIFT:
Savage Schmachtenberger
One of the better talks I’ve watched of his— concise, blunt, and illuminating.
Have a great week everyone!
I would add that one thing you should do is that whenever a really inflammatory news article comes out, write it down as a reminder to revisit it two weeks or a month later. Often, a few weeks perspective shows that it was overblown or sometimes completely wrong (see Israel bombs hospital). One of the biggest problems with the current information environment is the lack of updating with new information. The first article is front page, the correction is page 15
Good write-up and reminder about cognitive warfare, Adam. Of enduring concern to me nowadays is Russian practice of "reflexive control." I fear it has had more effects on American society than we know. Fox Primetime News seems adept at its own variant over past decade or two. John Robb has informative post and linked PDF he wrote about reflexive control here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/november-global-15279207