‘Thinking Aloud in a World That Shouts’ is a talk born of necessity; it has a purpose. What does it mean for the world to shout? It means there is noise from outside and from within. What do we do about the background noise? This is the focus of the philosophy workshop led by José García Burgos, a computer scientist and tutor at the New Acropolis School of Philosophy in Roquetas de Mar and Almería. The problem is the ‘click’, the ‘instant’. How do we think when we aren’t thinking? That isn’t thinking; it’s reacting. How does thought work?

The industry of persuasion

To convince without coercion, so that it does not appear as though we are being manipulated. To influence attitudes, opinions and behaviour. Advertising. Or political communication. Controlling language is controlling thought. Changing language is changing thought. The use of euphemisms, disinformation or information overload, populism (simplification) or polarisation (tribal bias), the Overton window (taboo), etc.

Technologies of Persuasion

They seek to derive economic value from our attention. The attention economy: infinite scrolling (which generates dopamine by continuously swiping across a screen), emotional networks (social media), feed filters, clickbait, etc.

What can we do?

Breathe, resist the temptation of the easy option, practise critical thinking (sift, filter, discern), practise self-care, share, etc. Whoever controls attention controls freedom.