This article examines the rise of conspiratorial thinking in wartime Russia as a response to a deeper collective anxiety – not merely the replacement of people, but the erasure of narrative agency. While the Russian version of the ‘Great Replacement’ echoes familiar Western themes such as elite betrayal, cultural erosion, and demographic decline, its central concern shifts towards symbolic displacement. Drawing on Mark Sedgwick’s interpretation of the Great Replacement as a stable narrative structure and J.V. Wertsch’s concept of narrative as a cultural tool, this article argues that conspiracy operates here as a means of reclaiming authorship in a national story whose core meanings have grown unstable. The analysis draws on social media discourse, pro-war commentary, volunteer statements, and nationalist media, showing how anxieties are shaped through emotionally resonant storylines of betrayal and erasure. Yet the reassertion of control paradoxically intensifies fragmentation, turning the Great Replacement into a narrative of narrative disappearance – where the gravest loss is not demographic, but symbolic.
Communication. Mass media, Consciousness. Cognition
The encounter of artificial intelligence with consciousness research is often framed as a challenge: could this science determine whether such systems are conscious? We suggest it is equally an opportunity to expand and test the scope of existing theories of consciousness. Current approaches remain polarized. Computational functionalism emphasizes abstract organization, often realized through neural correlates of consciousness, while biological naturalism insists that consciousness is tied to living embodiment. Both positions risk anthropocentrism and limit the possibility of recognizing non-biological forms of subjectivity. To move beyond this impasse, we propose a dual-resolution framework that defines the ontological and epistemic conditions for consciousness. This approach combines the Information Theory of Individuality, which defines the ontological conditions of informational autonomy and self-maintenance, with the Moment-to-Moment theory, which specifies the epistemic conditions of temporal updating and phenomenological unfolding. This integration reframes consciousness as the epistemic expression of individuated systems in substrate-independent informational terms, offering a generalizable theory of consciousness and positioning AI as a promising testbed for its emergence.
Gabriela Mariel Zunino, Miriam Aguilar, Noelia Ayelén Stetie
et al.
Stereotype construction is a complex process, with multiple relations to language processing, that combines collective sociocultural factors with individual cognitive elements. Regarding gendered languages, there is a debate about the effect of grammatical gender on the representation of inanimate entities. To evaluate the potential interaction between gender stereotypes and gender morphology on words that refer to inanimate entities in three different communities of Spanish speakers, we developed a task of conscious judgments on the level of association to men or women of words that refer to objects. In a 3 × 2 × 3 × 2 design, we manipulated Semantic Bias (gender stereotypicality), with three levels (male, e.g., martillo, hammer-M; female, e.g., vestido, dress-M; neutral, e.g., lápiz, pencil-M); Morphology, with two levels (masculine, e.g., vestido, dress-M; feminine, e.g., pulsera, bracelet-F); Linguistic variety, with three levels (Argentine, Chilean and Peninsular) and Questionnaire, with two levels (related to men vs. related to women). The results showed that grammatical gender has an effect on words that refer to inanimate entities when those words do not carry a strong stereotypical association (neutral items), semantic bias related to gender stereotypes overshadows any potential effect of grammatical gender in biased items, and there are differences depending on the community (Argentine, Chilean and Peninsular).
Jaime Maldonado, Jonas Krumme, Christoph Zetzsche
et al.
In everyday life, we perform tasks (e.g., cooking or cleaning) that involve a large variety of objects and goals. When confronted with an unexpected or unwanted outcome, we take corrective actions and try again until achieving the desired result. The reasoning performed to identify a cause of the observed outcome and to select an appropriate corrective action is a crucial aspect of human reasoning for successful task execution. Central to this reasoning is the assumption that a factor is responsible for producing the observed outcome. In this paper, we investigate the use of probabilistic actual causation to determine whether a factor is the cause of an observed undesired outcome. Furthermore, we show how the actual causation probabilities can be used to find alternative actions to change the outcome. We apply the probabilistic actual causation analysis to a robot pouring task. When spillage occurs, the analysis indicates whether a task parameter is the cause and how it should be changed to avoid spillage. The analysis requires a causal graph of the task and the corresponding conditional probability distributions. To fulfill these requirements, we perform a complete causal modeling procedure (i.e., task analysis, definition of variables, determination of the causal graph structure, and estimation of conditional probability distributions) using data from a realistic simulation of the robot pouring task, covering a large combinatorial space of task parameters. Based on the results, we discuss the implications of the variables' representation and how the alternative actions suggested by the actual causation analysis would compare to the alternative solutions proposed by a human observer. The practical use of the analysis of probabilistic actual causation to select alternative action parameters is demonstrated.
Alessandro Mazza, Ellen Voorrips, Gethin Hughes
et al.
Daily, we perform activities in the presence of others (e.g., office work). While it’s well-established that the mere presence of others can influence our performance, it is less clear whether others’ performance, rather than just their presence, influences us. To address this, we replicated Desender et al.’s (2016) study, Is mental effort contagious?, and conducted a second experiment to follow up on our failure to replicate their findings. Desender et al. (2016) used a modified joint Simon task where two participants performed side by side. The manipulated participant completed an easy (mostly congruent trials) and a difficult (mostly incongruent trials) block, while the neutral participant completed two neutral blocks (equal proportion of congruent and incongruent trials). They found that the neutral participant mirrored the manipulated participants’ mental effort, exerting more effort when the latter performed a difficult versus an easy task. In both Experiment 1 (exact replication; N = 176) and Experiment 2 (more demanding joint Simon task; N = 120), we failed to replicate this result even though the manipulated participants adjusted their mental effort as expected. We identified methodological explanations for this discrepancy in results, such as how conditions were counterbalanced in the original study, which likely produced carry-over effects, and limited visibility of participants’ physiological cues. Moreover, the original study’s effect vanished when re-analyzed with a more robust linear mixed model, suggesting their findings may not have been as reliable as initially thought. Our findings underscore the need for rigorous experimental designs and analyses in psychological research.
Nur Al Marwah Asrul, Kate Hatzopoulos, Taufiq Al Islam Asrul
The increasing amount of information among the younger generation is not directly correlated with the enhancement of their spiritual awareness. This is due to the fact that science education emphasizes cognition rather than emotion and fails to include Islamic principles into its curriculum. This study seeks to examine the enhancement of students’ spiritual consciousness following their comprehension of human physiology in the Basic Biomedical Sciences course. This qualitative study purposively chose informants from among instructors and students. Data were gathered by observation, interviews, and documentation methods. The gathered data were examined by descriptive analysis methods, and their validity was assessed utilizing triangulation procedures. The study's findings demonstrate that Islam (Qur’anic verses) pertains to the concept of human physiology. Comprehending the subject of human physiology in conjunction with Islamic studies helps enhance students’ spiritual consciousness. This study underscores the significance of assembling a curriculum development committee comprising specialists in education, Islamic studies, and human physiology to create an integrated curriculum. Instructors must also be capable of utilizing the subject of human physiology to demonstrate the Greatness and Omnipotence of Allah swt.
The pursuit of artificial consciousness requires conceptual clarity to navigate its theoretical and empirical challenges. This paper introduces a composite, multilevel, and multidimensional model of consciousness as a heuristic framework to guide research in this field. Consciousness is treated as a complex phenomenon, with distinct constituents and dimensions that can be operationalized for study and for evaluating their replication. We argue that this model provides a balanced approach to artificial consciousness research by avoiding binary thinking (e.g., conscious vs. non-conscious) and offering a structured basis for testable hypotheses. To illustrate its utility, we focus on "awareness" as a case study, demonstrating how specific dimensions of consciousness can be pragmatically analyzed and targeted for potential artificial instantiation. By breaking down the conceptual intricacies of consciousness and aligning them with practical research goals, this paper lays the groundwork for a robust strategy to advance the scientific and technical understanding of artificial consciousness.
We look at consciousness through the lens of Theoretical Computer Science, a branch of mathematics that studies computation under resource limitations, distinguishing functions that are efficiently computable from those that are not. From this perspective, we develop a formal machine model for consciousness. The model is inspired by Alan Turing's simple yet powerful model of computation and Bernard Baars' theater model of consciousness. Though extremely simple, the model (1) aligns at a high level with many of the major scientific theories of human and animal consciousness, (2) provides explanations at a high level for many phenomena associated with consciousness, (3) gives insight into how a machine can have subjective consciousness, and (4) is clearly buildable. This combination supports our claim that machine consciousness is not only plausible but inevitable.
In this article, we employ mathematical concepts as a tool to examine the phenomenon of consciousness experience and logical phenomena. Through our investigation, we aim to demonstrate that our experiences, while not confined to limitations, cannot be neatly encapsulated within a singular collection. Our conscious experience emerges as a result of the developmental and augmentative trajectory of our cognitive system. As our cognitive abilities undergo refinement and advancement, our capacity for logical thinking likewise evolves, thereby manifesting a heightened level of conscious experience. The primary objective of this article is to embark upon a profound exploration of the concept of logical experience, delving into the intricate process by which these experiences are derived from our mind.
Understanding intelligence is a central pursuit in neuroscience, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. Intelligence encompasses learning, problem-solving, creativity, and even consciousness. Recent advancements in geometric analysis have revealed new insights into high-dimensional information representation and organisation, exposing intrinsic data structures and dynamic processes within neural and artificial systems. However, a comprehensive framework that unifies the static and dynamic aspects of intelligence is still lacking. This manuscript proposes a mathematical framework based on Riemannian geometry to describe the structure and dynamics of intelligence and consciousness. Intelligence elements are conceptualised as tokens embedded in a high-dimensional space. The learned token embeddings capture the interconnections of tokens across various scenarios and tasks, forming manifolds in the intelligence space. Thought flow is depicted as the sequential activation of tokens along geodesics within these manifolds. During the navigation of geodesics, consciousness, as a self-referential process, perceives the thought flow, evaluates it against predictions, and provides feedback through prediction errors, adjusting the geodesic: non-zero prediction errors, such as learning, lead to the restructuring of the curved manifolds, thus changing the geodesic of thought flow. This dynamic interaction integrates new information, evolves the geometry and facilitates learning. The geometry of intelligence guides consciousness, and consciousness structures the geometry of intelligence. By integrating geometric concepts, this proposed theory offers a unified, mathematically framework for describing the structure and dynamics of intelligence and consciousness. Applicable to biological and artificial intelligence, this framework may pave the way for future research and empirical validation.
In contemporary popular concepts concerning the development of artificial intelligence, it is assumed that if a program/model provides answers or operates in a manner similar to humans, then it can be considered to have achieved human-level capability. Unfortunately, such criteria are far from definitional precision, making it challenging to unequivocally determine this "human level" of artificial intelligence. Moreover, while the concept of consciousness that hypothetical artificial intelligence might attain at a human level is frequently discussed, there is a lack of reflection on the role of another element of human cognition, namely identity. However, human identity and its origins shed much light on how cognition at the human level is possible. In the article, we analyze the issue of human identity, particularly the role played by the human body in shaping it. This allows for adopting a new perspective on contemporary trends related to the development of artificial intelligence, especially the concept of "mind uploading".
Conor J. R. Smithson, Quentin G. Eichbaum, Isabel Gauthier
Abstract We investigated the relationship between category learning and domain-general object recognition ability (o). We assessed this relationship in a radiological context, using a category learning test in which participants judged whether white blood cells were cancerous. In study 1, Bayesian evidence negated a relationship between o and category learning. This lack of correlation occurred despite high reliability in all measurements. However, participants only received feedback on the first 10 of 60 trials. In study 2, we assigned participants to one of two conditions: feedback on only the first 10 trials, or on all 60 trials of the category learning test. We found strong Bayesian evidence for a correlation between o and categorisation accuracy in the full-feedback condition, but not when feedback was limited to early trials. Moderate Bayesian evidence supported a difference between these correlations. Without feedback, participants may stick to simple rules they formulate at the start of category learning, when trials are easier. Feedback may encourage participants to abandon less effective rules and switch to exemplar learning. This work provides the first evidence relating o to a specific learning mechanism, suggesting this ability is more dependent upon exemplar learning mechanisms than rule abstraction. Object-recognition ability could complement other sources of individual differences when predicting accuracy of medical image interpretation.
When looking for a crime suspect, the police may ask an eyewitness to construct a visual likeness (‘facial composite’) of the perpetrator, to be distributed to the public via newspaper articles, television programmes, or social media. The dissemination of facial composites can have a major impact on police investigations. It often results in a deluge of tips and could potentially influence the memory of other eyewitnesses in the case. In this article, we review research on how to interview eyewitnesses for the optimal construction of facial composites from memory. We discuss types of composite systems and their effectiveness, including the ‘gold standard’ of measuring effectiveness. We compare the question posed to the public when a facial composite is disseminated to face-matching tasks faced by immigration officials and store clerks, but then with the added difficulty of the image being a composite of unknown resemblance to the target. We also discuss the potential danger of composites contaminating other eyewitnesses’ memory, highlighting the lessons learnt from research on unconscious transference. We pose several challenges for future researchers and practitioners. We conclude that evidence-based guidance is lacking to inform the police on whether and how to use facial composites in their investigations.
Communication. Mass media, Consciousness. Cognition
Objective. Explanation of the late stages of glottogenesis (ordering of an utterance parts, the formation of full-fledged words from protowords, the appearance of the first syntax and grammar constructions) by means of theoretical reconstruction of social orders, challenges, communicative concerns, and practices of late erectus (proto-sapiens and early sapiens) based on indirect data, general laws of social psychology, individual and group behavior.
Background. The research on the origin and evolution of language is being actively carried out in last decades. Special educational and research programs, laboratories, centers, societies, journal headings are multiplying; there are even magazines and whole book series devoted to this topic. This interest is determined by the fact that the origins of the main human features and merits such as consciousness, culture, thinking, cognition, are inextricably linked with the origin of language. In the last 10—15 years, attention has been growing to socio-psychological and paleo-sociological explanations of glottogenesis processes. This article develops this direction considering the achievements of domestic science, first the theoretical legacy of Leo Vygotsky.
Methodology. An evolutionary approach with usage of multilevel selection mechanisms. Paleo-anthropological, paleo-psychological, and paleo-sociological reconstructions.
Conclusions. The transition from the early stages of articulate speech to a proto-language and a full-fledged language was a multi-stage process of complexity and accuracy of utterances increasing. It was a response to step by step renewed techno-natural niches, social orders, and communicative concerns of proto-sapiens, and then early sapiens. The main role was played by the development of fire, collective cooking, joint meals, and the associated ritual practices of telling stories about events that occurred. The result was practice of distant normative control that led to further development language precision and complexity. In later stages, due to environmental and demographic factors in southern and eastern Africa, forced migrations and frequent intergroup clashes led not only to conflicts, but also to the formation of alliances. This formation required negotiations with higher levels of accuracy, logical consistency, and abstractness of communication.
Narapidana wanita memiliki prevalensi gangguan mental yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan narapidana laki-laki. Berbagai sumber stres dapat memengaruhi kesejahteraan psikologis yang dirasakan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh terapi pemaafan terhadap peningkatan kesejahteraan psikologis narapidana wanita. Sebanyak tujuh orang narapidana wanita menjadi partisipan dalam penelitian ini. Studi ini menggunakan metode eksperimen quasi dengan one group pretest–posttest design dengan tiga kali pengukuran yaitu sebelum intervensi, sesudah intervensi, dan tindak lanjut satu minggu setelah intervensi. Skala Pemaafan dan Skala Kesejahteraan Psikologis diberikan untuk melihat efek dari intervensi yang diberikan. Analisis statistik paired sample t-test menunjukkan bahwa ada peningkatan kesejahteraan psikologis yang signifikan setelah diberikan terapi pemaafan dengan skor t(6)=-3,428; p=0,014 (p<0,05). Data kualitatif juga mendukung hasil kuantitatif mengenai efek dari terapi pemaafan terhadap kesejahteraan psikologis narapidana wanita. Hasil penelitian dibahas lebih jauh dalam artikel beserta dengan implikasi praktis dan rekomendasi penelitian ke depan.
The Feelings of Knowing - Fundamental Interoceptive Patterns (FoK-FIP) is a transdisciplinary theory developed to explain elusive phenomena suspected to exist that do not easily lend themselves to empirical measurement. The FoK-FIP theory posits that specialized self-generated biomagnetism and “pure mental” process share similarities with the hypothetical elementary particle described in particle physics, magnetic monopoles with a magnetic charge. Feelings of Knowing (FoK) are “awareness charge” that are self-generated events. Fundamental Interoceptive Patterns (FIP) are restricted oscillatory magnetic fields that are FoK caused phenomena. Further, FoK produces “cognitive force,” an observing ego representing specialized interoceptive awareness. Through embodied states, FoK-FIP acts as a “biological node,” an informational processing unit in which physiological signals and an observing ego’s sensations or feelings are centered. An observing ego cognitively broadcasts using specialized small magnetic signals and four phases of a narrowed range of interoceptive signals. By defining interoceptive signals (i.e., signals of the body’s internal state) using FoK-FIP through cognitive broadcasting, an observing ego creates a world it projects around itself. This process is understood through the components map with interoceptive markers (IMs), a novel algorithm based on biological evolution. FoK-FIP-related predictions are described as are empirical studies to test aspects of the theory. The FoK-FIP theory details a path to wellbeing based on a sense of control and capacity for self-care. Mental stability is thought to change as a function of an observing ego’s volitional reactions.