Cognitive Sovereignty

A New Frontier in Information Literacy

Over the past year, the Substack writer Josh Stylman has been advocating for a more complex form of information literacy involving both pattern recognition and the question of “who benefits,” bringing to mind the teaching of financial conflicts of interest as a form of information literacy. He recommends moving beyond fact checkers and so-called experts to analysis of source material. He envisions the abandoning of echo chambers for collaborative analysis, an idea akin to a conspiracy theory book club.

In his most recent series, Stylman breaks down his analysis of mind control into four parts—The Laboratory, The Theater, The Network, and The Mirror. This series constitutes a deep dive into the topic and is a lengthy and demanding read. The final entry, The Mirror, is most related to information literacy. In that post, Stylman examines how “malleable perception has become” and the difficulty in discerning what is real.

Stylman goes on to describe the “emergence of cognitive sovereignty as a human right" and theorizes that its legal and ethical framework requires the following:

• Recognition of non-consensual mind influence as a violation of human dignity regardless of purported benefits

• Legal protections against technologies that monitor or manipulate neural activity without explicit, informed consent

• Regulatory frameworks requiring disclosure of psychological manipulation techniques in media, technology, and public spaces

• Educational initiatives teaching recognition of and resistance to influence techniques

• Research into protective technologies that can shield neural activity from external influence

His idea of “conscious engagement” requires the following:

• Recognizing when algorithms are shaping perception

• Creating intentional boundaries around technology use

• Maintaining analog alternatives for essential functions

• Building relationships unmediated by digital interfaces

• Practicing regular digital fasts to reset neural patterns

Finally, in order to “strengthen resistance to external influence,” Stylman lists the following recommendations:

• Metacognitive awareness - Developing the capacity to observe one's own thought processes

• Information literacy - Building skills to critically evaluate information sources and recognize manipulation

• Cognitive diversity - Deliberately seeking varied perspectives to prevent algorithmic narrowing

• Technological hygiene - Limiting exposure to devices and platforms designed for behavior modification

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