We Need A Cognitive Freedom Movement

Recently, I read a phenomenal article in The Tablet titled ‘Rapid-Onset Political Enlightenment’. If you haven’t yet, stop everything and read it here. It’s one of those rare pieces that crystallises so much of what’s wrong with modern governance and societal manipulation, dissecting how narratives are shaped and enforced in ways that feel insidious and disturbingly effective. Most people are completely unaware that this is how power works today.

The article explains a strategy used to manufacture consent and control dissent called ‘permission structures’— the societal cues and signals that compel us to conform or stay silent. (Also known as ‘social proof’ or social conformity.) These permission structures enable the smooth functioning of our ‘voluntary servitude’, where people passively accept and submit to controlling structures. Permission structures represent not just the visible hand of government, but the invisible one, a secretive network of organisations, that tweaks and moulds our beliefs and behaviours under the guise of the ‘common good’.

It made me wonder whether I should delve deeper and write more on permission structures, but I’m not convinced this is the right path forward. A book is a powerful medium, but it has its limitations. Ask any writer who spent a couple of years researching and writing a book only to be slightly disappointed that the world didn’t actually change. I’m not sure if I have the stomach or heart to dive deep into the same terrain of nudging, manipulation and propaganda again.

Having written extensively on adjacent topics in A State of Fear and Free Your Mind (the former exposed how governments weaponised fear during Covid, while the latter serves as a field guide for individuals to resist such manipulation) I fear that, for me, another book in this vein risks retreading old ground rather than breaking new.

Instead, I think it’s time for action.

My call for an inquiry into nudge fell on deaf ears, of course. And probably a good thing too, since I think the action we need requires more people power. Instead, imagine something akin to the Free Speech Union but focused on raising awareness about the dangers of permission structures, government propaganda, social media and government collusion, and the myriad ways our minds are covertly manipulated.

I’m not talking about the plain old advertising, PR and propaganda that are as old as human language, I’m talking about the modern convergence of manipulation and tech, exploited by governments and other organisations, notable for its complete lack of transparency. This manipulation of public opinion (your brain and mine) has the alarming potential to worsen. The intersection of social media, personalised nudging at a global scale, and AI creates a perfect storm for mass manipulation. AI might not pose the extinction threat the headlines trumpet, but its capacity for mass brainwashing is real, and rarely discussed.

Consider this: governments are already exploring brain-modifying wearables and AI-driven nudging tools, sold as solutions for public safety or mental health. The same neurotechnology which would allow the military to ‘mind-control’ weapons has been recast as being about health care, therapy and allowing the disabled freedom of movement. It’s hard to take issue with such laudable motives isn’t it?

There are so many ways we should be vigilant about the freedom of our minds. I propose we need a Charter of Cognitive Freedom to protect the individual citizen from the numerous and egregious ingresses of the mind, including:

Social media and government collusion
Governments and tech companies have worked together to influence or manipulate public opinion through algorithms, targeted ads, content suppression and the infiltration of fake accounts and coordinated bots. This creates a powerful mechanism for controlling narratives through social proof and limiting dissent.

Censorship
The suppression of speech, ideas, or information that challenges the status quo or government policies undermines free expression but also free thought. It often masquerades as protecting public order or safety, while stifling independent thought. God forbid you should think for yourself.

Surveillance
Governments and corporations increasingly monitor citizens through digital and physical means, collecting vast amounts of personal data. This constant surveillance can lead to self-regulation of thoughts and behaviours, diminishing personal freedom and privacy.

Secret Siri listening
Voice-activated assistants like Siri can continuously listen to conversations, recording data that may be used to influence or manipulate users' thoughts and behaviours.

Wearables which not only monitor your brain but modify it
Advanced wearable technologies can track brain activity and, in some cases, even influence mental states. These devices, which may be marketed for wellness or productivity (or even something as prosaic as convenience), have the potential to shape thoughts and behaviours without explicit consent, posing risks to cognitive freedom.

These are not theoretical concerns; they are current threats to your cognitive freedom. And the future holds greater threats.

These concerns are not the purvey of fringe conspiracists (although I am sure some priest of truth verification will soon say that is the case) but have been the preoccupation of a handful of academics. These important issues have yet to break through into the mainstream.

An action group dedicated to cognitive freedom could advocate for transparency, expose unethical practices, and pressure governments and Big Tech to respect our rights. Neuroethics remains a niche field, largely confined to ivory towers, but a Charter of Cognitive Freedom could provide the necessary framework and pressure force to safeguard individuals from invasive technologies and manipulative tactics, filling the gap where academia has struggled to gain traction.

Many disparate concerns coalesce under the banner of cognitive freedom. If we could fight for the freedom of our minds, so many of today’s repugnant and chilling dangers could be fought cohesively.

The right to cognitive freedom should be absolute. The stakes are simply too high for these discussions to remain academic. As that brilliant Tablet article highlights, the line between ethical governance and manipulation is growing dangerously thin and we risk the erosion of freethinking with each passing year.

The Western world’s failure to uphold cognitive freedom during Covid was a huge warning. Permission structures and their accompanying tactics are not going away, they’re evolving. We see it in action now on contemporary issues such as climate change and multiculturalism. The ability to modify and control how we think will always be dangerously enticing to governments, their security agencies and the military. If we don’t act, we risk sleepwalking into a future where our thoughts are not our own.

If this resonates with you, tell me what you think below, let’s start the conversation. The fight for cognitive freedom needs more than words, more than books — it needs a movement. Shall we?