Discussion on Campus: Cognitive Warfare & Digital Authoritarianism, led by Tzu-Wei Hung.

Posted by Puget Sound Philosophy

Visiting scholar Tzu-Wei Hung will be giving a talk titled “Cognitive Warfare and Digital Authoritarianism” on February 24, 2023, from 4:00 to 5:30 P. M. in Wyatt 109. The talk is sponsored by the Philosophy Department and the Asian Studies program.

Tzu-Wei Hung is currently Stanford-Taiwan Social Science Fellow at Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and associate research fellow at the Institute of European and American Studies at Academica Sinica, Taiwan. His research is on cognitive science, ethics of artificial intelligence, and Taiwanese Philosophy.

During the talk, he will be discussing how cognitive warfare works and how to reduce its harm. By drawing on views in philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of language, and social philosophy, Tzu-Wei Hung offers a perspective on digital authoritarianism, social media, and its use in cognitive warfare. Here is the abstract for the talk:

Cognitive warfare manipulates environmental stimuli to control people’s mental states and behaviors. Through widespread smart devices and social media platforms, digital authoritarianism has disseminated disinformation to intensify existing social conflicts in democracies. Not only did Russia meddle with the UK’s Brexit vote and elections in the Baltic states, but China has also interfered in Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand and has highlighted racial conflict in the US. As freedom of expression is often abused, cognitive warfare seems to be an emerging threat to democracy that needs to be seriously dealt with. However, on the other hand, human prejudice is persistent and somewhat immune to belief revision. Given this fact, has the harm of cognitive warfare been exaggerated? Also, while the illusory truth effect has been repeatedly found in psychological labs, political scientists show that voter behaviors are not always steered in reality in light of fake news. So why is there a gap between input and output? Does the filter bubble effect exist? In this talk, I will explain how cognitive warfare works and how to reduce its harm.

“The Philosophy of Envy” — An On-Campus Book Discussion With Prof. Sara Protasi

Posted by Puget Sound Philosophy

On Thursday February 2, professor Sara Protasi held a discussion on her book The Philosophy of Envy, highlighting the myths about envy and philosophical questions surrounding it. More than fifty people came to show their support, listen to the presentation about the book and participate in the extended question/answer session.

Emma Cole ’25, reflecting on Professor Protasi’s distinction between four kinds of envy — emulative, inert, aggressive, and spiteful — had this to say about the talk:

I found the idea of the four different kinds of envy to be very interesting and helpful. By considering envy as an unavoidable reaction instead of a kind of evil emotion we need to suppress we can more easily work through these emotions. Using the four types of envy chart one can better evaluate the basis for these feelings and whether or not it the the kind of envy that is helpful to foster.

Ainsley Feeney ’25, had this thoughtful reflection on the experience:

I had a lot of fun at the talk last night! It was awesome to be in a room with essentially the entire philosophy department and have that community, plus I loved supporting Professor Protasi. I had never thought philosophically about envy before, so I learned a lot! I especially liked the analysis about the morality of feeling envy itself. The idea that envy itself is morally neutral, and it’s how you respond to that envy that makes it “good” or “bad” was very interesting. 

Professor Protasi was enthusiastic about sharing her work with the campus community and her expertise and excitement about her work came through in the talk and question/answer session. It was great to see students, faculty, and community members interested in her work and excited about philosophical discussions. Puget Sound Philosophy faculty look forward to more opportunities to share their research with the campus community.

Talk on campus: “The Philosophy of Envy,” A Book Discussion With Prof. Sara Protasi

Philosophy professor Sara Protasi will be discussing her book The Philosophy of Envy on Thursday February 2, 5:00-6:30 P.M. in Trimble Forum. Join us to hear Professor Protasi dispel some of the myths surrounding envy, and consider questions such as What is envy? Is envy alway bad? Can we envy those we love?

About the Book: The Philosophy of Envy (Cambridge University Press, 2021)

Envy is universally condemned and feared. But is its bad reputation always warranted? Protasi argues that envy’s nature is more multifaceted than it has hitherto been recognized, and that some varieties of envy can be productive and even virtuous. Protasi brings together empirical evidence and philosophical research to generate a novel view according to which there are four kinds of envy: emulative, inert, aggressive, and spiteful. For each kind, she individuates different situational antecedents, phenomenological expressions, motivational tendencies, and behavioral outputs. She then develops the normative implications of this taxonomy from a moral and prudential perspective, in the domain of personal loving relationships, and in the political sphere. A historical appendix completes the book. Through a careful and comprehensive investigation of envy’s complexity, and its multifarious implications for human relations and human value, The Philosophyof Envy surprisingly reveals that envy plays a crucial role in safeguarding our happiness.