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<div>Dear Joseph, Mark, and colleagues,</div><div><br /></div><div>Truth can undoubtedly be considered as one of the symbolically generalized codes of communication . In academia, we may be particularly attached to this code. But so is the justice system, although "truth" means in police work something different from truth/ truth-finding/ heuristics and puzzle-solving in science (Herbert Simon).</div><div><br /></div><div>Luhmann argued for binary oppositions such as true/false as the code of science. True and false can only be elaborated in logics and mathematics. Empirical sciences work also with uncertainty: some statements may be more true than others. Some statements may with hindsight be false because of the progress of science. Thus, we would no longer accept that plants orbit the sun in cycles and epi-cycles. That statement would thus be false. </div><div><br /></div><div>With reference to the intention to make false statements ( for reasons of profit, political gain, or crime) one can attribute "falseness" to individuals such as specific leaders.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not Caligula, but Louis XIV is the Great King of the codification. The trias politica with three codes!. Frederick the Great implemented an institutional system for maintaining the rule of laws because he did not want to be bothered with it. What can be false in court, may be warranted in politics. It will not be easy to develop a theory of "falsehood".</div><div><br /></div><div>Best,</div><div>Loet</div><div id="signature_old"><div id="xef989bdfde5049d"><div id="x78c9f4c0540648e7b564d127ae9a7d74"><div><div id="signature_old"><div id="x068ffe68e305459"><div id="xd031ae4a00354d21ab008b16080cd048"><div><br /></div><div id="signature_old"><div id="x4f407acb80d4411"><div id="x775eaf3ae7f6460082dcdda3faf877c6"><div id="signature_old"><div id="x920d19d74fc84b0"><div id="x337b22579712426abf55c20f258d0a74">
<div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#1F497D">
<hr size="3" width="100%" align="center" />
</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D">Loet
Leydesdorff <o:p xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D">Professor emeritus,
University of Amsterdam<br />
Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR)<o:p xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><span style="color:#44546A"><a href="mailto:loet@leydesdorff.net" title="mailto:loet@leydesdorff.net"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">loet@leydesdorff.net </span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D">; </span><span style="color:#44546A"><a href="http://www.leydesdorff.net/" title="http://www.leydesdorff.net/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">http://www.leydesdorff.net/</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D"> <br />
</span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Associate Faculty, </span><span style="color:#44546A"><a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">SPRU, </span></a></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">University of Sussex; <o:p xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Guest Professor </span><span style="color:#44546A"><a href="http://www.zju.edu.cn/english/"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Zhejiang Univ.</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">, Hangzhou; Visiting Professor, </span><span style="color:#44546A"><a href="http://www.istic.ac.cn/Eng/brief_en.html"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">ISTIC, </span></a></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Beijing;<o:p xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Visiting Fellow, </span><span style="color:#44546A"><a href="http://www.bbk.ac.uk/"><span style="font-size:
9.0pt">Birkbeck</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">,
University of London; <o:p xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#44546A;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><a href="http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ych9gNYAAAAJ&hl=en">http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ych9gNYAAAAJ&hl=en</a></span></span></div><div id="x337b22579712426abf55c20f258d0a74"><span style="color: rgb(68, 84, 106);" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><div id="x6d48cd6784e049409ff4972e00ee71a6"><div style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"></div>
<div><div><font face="Calibri" style="font-size: 9pt;">ORCID: <a href="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7835-3098">http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7835-3098</a>;</font><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </font></div></div><div id="signature_old" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><div id="x4f407acb80d4411"><div id="x775eaf3ae7f6460082dcdda3faf877c6"><div id="signature_old"><div id="x920d19d74fc84b0"><div id="x337b22579712426abf55c20f258d0a74"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div><div id="x337b22579712426abf55c20f258d0a74"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div>
<div>------ Original Message ------</div>
<div>From: "Joseph Brenner" <<a href="mailto:joe.brenner@bluewin.ch">joe.brenner@bluewin.ch</a>></div>
<div>To: <a href="mailto:fis@listas.unizar.es">fis@listas.unizar.es</a></div>
<div>Sent: 1/18/2020 8:55:15 AM</div>
<div>Subject: [Fis] FW: LECTURE RESPONSES UP TO 16.01.20. Addition</div><div><br /></div>
<div id="x9659825b12b9462"><blockquote cite="9E9928A07C9B4685A33DC2E31CFEA5E2@laptopr7q1bsbb" type="cite" class="cite2">
<div class="Section1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy">Dear All,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy">In line with my preferred ‘philosophy’ of avoiding unnecessary
categorial separations, I will add Gordana’s note, and I may other ones,
to the first group of responses, where useful.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy">Thank you and best wishes.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy">J<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy">A.10 17.01 Gordana’s note reminds us that concepts, such as ‘fact’,
that we have tended to accept without question conceal significant problems of
information and disinformation. For Democrats, it is a fact that Trump blocked
access to important witnesses and documents. For Republicans, this fact does
not exist publicly; there is only the fact that they wish to deny legitimacy to
impeachment. Are these facts data, information and/or knowledge? I suggest
simply a combination of information and disinformation. The social use of
lies/disinformation does not seem to me to require a major new theoretical principle:
selfishness and the will to power will do very well, thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy">Gordana also makes an important connection, in the social domain,
between lies and the communication system. I hope Loet will comment on this and
tell us at what point in the hierarchy of contingency disinformation enters in.
In his note he refers to multiple meanings, but here we are talking about <i>false </i>ones. Again, is there some ‘marker’
for the latter?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";
color:navy">As to her last sentence, I do not have a literature reference for
the following at the moment; apologies. For me, mutual confirmation is a widely,
I suspect consciously, used mechanism to support doubtful theories of all kinds,
including and especially some domains of science: A supports B; B supports C;
and C supports A, ‘proving’ A, a bootstrap as Gordana suggests. Finally,
her reference is informative, but takes us into the domain of art. Someone
asked earlier if a painting was not in some way ‘disinformation’
These are for me are relatively easy questions, for which the touchstone is
intentionality. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman"">
<hr size="2" width="100%" align="center" tabindex="-1" />
</span></font></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold">From:</span></font></b><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">
Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic [mailto:<a href="mailto:gordana.dodig-crnkovic@mdh.se">gordana.dodig-crnkovic@mdh.se</a>] <br />
<b>Sent:</b> vendredi, 17 janvier 2020
23:26<br />
<b>To:</b> Joseph Brenner<br />
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Fis] LECTURE
RESPONSES UP TO 16.01.20</span></font><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Avenir Book"><span lang="SV" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Book"">Dear Joseph,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Avenir Book"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Book"">Thank you for leading this
important discussion.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Avenir Book"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Book"">I have been totally swamped
with teaching and not able to contribute, but I was following and reflecting
over those things. Perhaps you follow Aeon newsletter. If not, this related
article might interest you:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Avenir Book"><span lang="SV" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Book""><a href="https://aeon.co/essays/how-to-tell-fact-from-fiction-in-fiction-and-other-forms-of-lies?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=49e7fadf66-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_01_16_12_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_411a82e59d-49e7fadf66-68641345"><span lang="EN-US">https://aeon.co/essays/how-to-tell-fact-from-fiction-in-fiction-and-other-forms-of-lies?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=49e7fadf66-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_01_16_12_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_411a82e59d-49e7fadf66-68641345</span></a></span></font><font face="Avenir Book"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Avenir Book""><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Avenir Book"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Book"">The other day I was thinking
about the relation between the data (as “facts”), information (as
“facts”) and knowledge (as “facts”). Also, about the
role of representation in the process of production of common “facts”.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Avenir Book"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Book"">It could be connected to
cognitive science, the process of the construction of “facts”. The
easier case is The Construction of Scientific Facts (Latour). <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Avenir Book"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Book"">And the interesting case is
the characterization of lie (in the article) and distinction between
misinformation and disinformation. One can ask a question: what in a
distributed information system like a state leads to the situations where lies
are made prominent part of the communication system? It should be possible to
study on historical examples and I guess it probably has a function for that
system. What might that be? Simple explanation is that the network is
hierarchically organized and the person on the top of the hierarchy is trying
to keep the power. But it must also be so that people around are supporting it.
Why are they doing that? There are examples of hierarchical structures like
house of cards which are in a delicate balance and may look impressive while in
balance. But under a very slight disturbance they can fall apart, and hierarchy
is gone. Is there any chance to understand mechanisms that support such social
systems on theoretical grounds? They present some sort of bootstrap where
hierarchy is reproduced through mutual support of the parts.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Avenir Book"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Book"">Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Avenir Book"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Book"">Gordana<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:
11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:
11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><font size="3" color="black"><span lang="SV" style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold">From: </span></font></b><font size="3" color="black"><span lang="SV" style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Fis
<<a href="mailto:fis-bounces@listas.unizar.es">fis-bounces@listas.unizar.es</a>> on behalf of Joseph Brenner <<st1:personname w:st="on" xmlns:w="#unknown2" xmlns:st1="#unknown1"><a href="mailto:joe.brenner@bluewin.ch">joe.brenner@bluewin.ch</a></st1:personname>><br />
<b>Date: </b>Friday, 17 January 2020 at
10:49<br />
<b>To: </b>"<st1:personname w:st="on" xmlns:w="#unknown2" xmlns:st1="#unknown1"><a href="mailto:fis@listas.unizar.es">fis@listas.unizar.es</a></st1:personname>"
<<st1:personname w:st="on" xmlns:w="#unknown2" xmlns:st1="#unknown1"><a href="mailto:fis@listas.unizar.es">fis@listas.unizar.es</a></st1:personname>><br />
<b>Cc: </b>"<st1:personname w:st="on" xmlns:w="#unknown2" xmlns:st1="#unknown1"><a href="mailto:pcmarijuan.iacs@aragon.es">pcmarijuan.iacs@aragon.es</a></st1:personname>"
<<st1:personname w:st="on" xmlns:w="#unknown2" xmlns:st1="#unknown1"><a href="mailto:pcmarijuan.iacs@aragon.es">pcmarijuan.iacs@aragon.es</a></st1:personname>><br />
<b>Subject: </b>[Fis] LECTURE RESPONSES
UP TO 16.01.20<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><span lang="SV" style="font-size:
11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">Dear Friends and Colleagues,</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">As our discussion is taking place, the
governments of <st1:country-region w:st="on" xmlns:w="#unknown2" xmlns:st1="#unknown1">Russia</st1:country-region> and
the <st1:country-region w:st="on" xmlns:w="#unknown2" xmlns:st1="#unknown1"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>
are being recognized as the sources of massive amounts of disinformation. Their
objective in part was the election and is now the re-election of Trump as President
of the <st1:country-region w:st="on" xmlns:w="#unknown2" xmlns:st1="#unknown1"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
My personal view is that this disinformation is linked to and supports extreme
right-wing economic, political and fundamentalist belief systems. I was
therefore glad to see the agreement, in the responses to my Lecture, that
disinformation is not only an important topic for further discussion in the
context of the Foundations of Information Science, but one which some members
of our group may be in a position to counter. </span></font><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">I will present my comments in two groups, the
first today are on the responses with which I agree, in a week or so on
responses with which I disagree. As people who have followed my work might
expect, there is no absolute separation between these categories. I also will
try to give some sense of the dynamics of our dialogue. They will be indexed
simply to facilitate (cross-) reference.</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:35.4pt"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">I look forward to your responses as the basis
for the next phase of the discussion.</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">Thank you and best wishes,</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">Joseph</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">A. AGREEMENT</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">A.I 02.01 Jose Javier emphasized the public
origins of disinformation, its relation to ‘intelligence’ and its
use by totalitarian regimes, exactly along the lines above. I tend to agree
with his suggestion that more than having a structure close to if not identical
to information, disinformation IS information, BAD information. Using the
‘dis’ as an oversimplified distinction in structure tends to gloss
over the pernicious operation of information with the properties we decry.
Perhaps another term would convey the idea better or more simply. </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">A.2 02.01 I am grateful to Stan for pointing
to the distinction between concepts and examples. I suggest we keep this
comment in mind in our further discussion.</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">A.3 03.01 Mark J. responded to a comment by
Stan with which I disagreed, namely, that there was something less primary
about disinformation. Stan interposes an actor, a ‘searcher’ who
analyzes information and ‘reports’ on it, presumably distorting it
in the process. In any case, I think we agree that disinformation is a process
– one of <i>disinforming. </i>I
disagree with Mark however regarding agents and a consequent theory of agency
(which has value in other respects). My view is that one cannot have the intentionality
to disinform without an agent, and this can be an individual present at the
start of the process. I suggest to Stan here that his two-step process is not
absolutely necessary: the agent, the intentional ‘disinformer’,
takes whatever material is available and mis- or should I say dis-uses it.
Mark’s point about the necessity of even the smell (or stink) of an
‘informational police’ is certainly correct, but what is an
acceptable alternative? Actually, police are simply tools of government, good
or bad. We are talking here about responsible collective interactions as FIS
members with – whom? We don’t know yet.</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">A.4 06.01 Karl makes a number of useful
points.<i> </i>The most important is the
confusion, in English between </span></font><i><font size="2" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";font-style:italic">disinformation</span></font></i><font size="2" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Lucida Sans Unicode"">, as the suppression, non-dissemination of
inconvenient data or theories, and <i>disinformation
</i>as the dissemination of false data. The confusion is not present in
French, where the second is <i>désinformation</i>,
and, as I learn, also in German and Hungarian. So what do we do? Push for the
use of desinformation in English, which requires explanation, or something
else? In any case, both share the notion of intentionality.</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode""> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode"">Finally, I liked the way Karl pats us all on the back,
but the objective remains also to get <i>some</i>
message to <i>someone</i> outside the
group.<font color="navy"> <i> </i></font></span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">A.5 05.01 Pedro makes several important
restatements of the biological origins of the equivalents of disinformation.
(Until further notice, <i>pace </i>Karl,
we have to continue to use this form.) The exacerbation of disinformation due
to the new technologies also needs to be emphasized. What we have not yet
identified is the distinguishing ‘marker’ of disinformation. It is
a ‘fake’ as Pedro says <i>qua </i>content,
but it looks exactly like the information people are used to getting. It can
easily mimic credibility and authority, even if one has to be really ignorant
not to see through it (45% of the <st1:country-region w:st="on" xmlns:w="#unknown2" xmlns:st1="#unknown1"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> population?)</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">The question of balance is more interesting
and possibly more encouraging. Balance in seeing and presenting other,
alternative views to one’s own is an indication of openness and tolerance
- at last, a few positive words! There is little balance in disinformation. In
fact, perhaps <i>absence</i> of pros and
cons in the same message, might be a marker for disinformation.</span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">A.6 09.01 This is perhaps the most serious,
clear and urgent call so far, by Terry, for an adequate intellectual level of
analysis of disinformation and related issues. Terry’ most important
point, which I hope will receive further discussion as son as possible, regards
the role IS4SI has to play and in front of what audience. </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">I wish to emphasize that I was not making
some kind of Luddite argument against cybernetic approaches (my note about
Terry’s of 10.1) I only wished to insure that they have adequate
grounding in non-computational science and philosophy. I hope, or even ask,
that Terry could expand on his ideas on an informational immune system. This
would be the next step after the identification of the ‘markers’
for the dis-ease. </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">A.7 09.01 More than just a supplementary
question, I feel this note of Mark’s goes to the heart of the
technological <i>vs. </i>the
non-technological aspects of the problem. I note his consideration of
information and disinformation in tandem, at the level of institutions and
systems. (For me, a husband and wife, or two friends or colleagues are
systems). I also agree that over-application of computer systems to
institutions may result in information <i>loss.
</i> In the context of this discussion, it may actually be a tool
employed by people who intend to disinform. </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">A.8 08.01 Mark’s follow-up note points
to one success of AI that I suggest be followed up separately. More
specifically, he asks if machine learning, “might ground an
insight” into the functional difference between information and disinformation,
along the lines of Terry’s considerations. My response is the same: if
yes, fine, but human learning is also required, and must be supported. If not,
there will be no one left but machines, and I am sure they will be able to
pursue ‘truth’ on their own. </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">A.9 15.01 In supporting Terry, Pedro again
calls for a role for IS4SI, initially internally with the formation of a
special working group. Its purpose would be to see what both theoretical and
applied contributions we might make. However, it is not the computer world as
such that will result in ‘voting every afternoon’, in Arbib’s
<i>fuite en avant.</i> when only X%
(Pedro, please give us the right number) of the members of FIS have responded
to this Lecture. </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy">The point about authentification, however,
joins the previous ones about markers and functional differences; and
constitutes a first real mini-consensus on a target for further work. </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Lucida Sans Unicode"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Lucida Sans Unicode";color:navy"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></font><span lang="SV"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</blockquote></div>
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