The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

During this episode, Jon Askonas discusses how technology may be leading us towards a homogenization and a cultural dead end where creativity is stifled by market forces. This homogenization process may also, inadvertently, make societies more susceptible to cybernetic influence techniques such as reflexive control.

Research Question: What is the relationship between homogeneity & heterogeneity in memetic systems? (For ex: The research of Rene Girard).

Resources:

• Jon Askonas' Catholic University Webpage
• Recent podcast appearance: WHAT'S HAPPENED TO CONSENSUS REALITY?
• Marshall Mcluhan quote: "There is no difference that does not difference make."
• YouTube: Axis of Awesome - 4 Four Chord Song (with song titles)
• Ted Gioia Music Substack
• The Culture of Military Innovation: The Impact of Cultural Factors on the Revolution in Military Affairs in Russia, the US, and Israel by Dmitry (Dima) Adamsky
• Wikipedia: Rene Girard
• Tablet: Jacob Siegel

Link to full show notes and resources

https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-149

Guest Bio: Jon Askonas is an assistant professor of Politics at the Catholic University of America, where he works on the connections between the republican tradition, technology, and national security. He is currently working on two books: A Muse of Fire: Why the U.S. Military Forgets What It Learns in War, on what happens to wartime innovations when the war is over and The Shot in the Dark: A History of the U.S. Army Asymmetric Warfare Group, the first comprehensive overview of a unit that helped the Army adapt to the post 9/11 era of counterinsurgency and global power competition. His writing has appeared in Russian Analytical Digest, Triple Helix, The New Atlantis, Fare Forward, War on the Rocks, and the Texas National Security Review.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

For more information, please contact us at [email protected].

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