Transparent Discourse Research Articles

Exploring the Ethical and Technical Data of Machine Consciousness: Hazards, Implications, and Future Directions

The study of machine consciousness has a wide range of potential and problems as it sits at the intersection of ethics, technology, and philosophy. This work explores the deep issues related to the effort to comprehend and maybe induce awareness in machines. Technically, developments in artificial intelligence, neurology, and cognitive science are required to bring about machine awareness. True awareness is still a difficult to achieve objective, despite significant progress being made in creating AI systems that are capable of learning and solving problems. The implications of machine awareness are profound in terms of ethics. Determining a machine's moral standing and rights would be crucial if it were to become sentient. It is necessary to give careful attention to the ethical issues raised by the development of sentient beings, the abuse of sentient machines, and the moral ramifications of turning off sentient technologies. Philosophically, the presence of machine consciousness may cast doubt on our conceptions of identity, consciousness, and the essence of life. It could cause us to reevaluate how we view mankind and our role in the cosmos. It is imperative that machine awareness grow responsibly in light of these challenges. The purpose of this study is to provide light on the present status of research, draw attention to possible hazards and ethical issues, and offer recommendations for safely navigating this emerging subject. We want to steer the evolution of machine consciousness in a way that is both morally just and technologically inventive by promoting an educated and transparent discourse.

TÜRKİYE’DE SİYASİ PARTİLER GENEL SEÇİM BEYANNAMELERİNDE ŞEFFAFLIKLA İLGİLİ NELER VAAT EDİYOR?

The purpose of this study, to determine the distribution of discourses-promises on transparency in election manifestos of political parties that passed the 10% election threshold in eight general elections according to the distinction of trend slopes, party ideology (right-left) and ruling, opposing party between 1991-2015 in Turkey. Although many qualitative and quantitative studies have been conducted in the literature on the effects of the processes and results of the transparency issue after 2000, there is no study encountered analyzing the transparency discourses-promises in the statements. 28 election manifestos were analyzed with content analysis method in terms of “discourse-promise of transparency”. As a result, 258 transparency discourse promises were identified. 146 of them are administrative, 84 are financial and 28 are political transparency. In administrative transparency, providing and obtaining information and the activities of public institutions; in financial transparency, use of resource and bids; in political transparency, in line with the expectations, the discourse-promise of transparency regarding the declaration of property of politicians has come to the fore. Although there is no difference between right and left parties in terms of the discourse-promise of transparency in the statements, especially after 2000, opposition parties have a clear advantage over the ruling parties.

Propaganda and the war on truth: examining informational inconsistencies governing South Africa’s Covid-19 policy response

A review of the intellectual and policy environment announces the absence of transparency and rational discourse in assessing the prevailing Covid-19 policy measures. Contextually, propaganda thrives in times of political uncertainty as it serves to either amplify confusion, induce moral dilemmas,or disguise meanings. To this end, this study examines the quality of political communication, underpinning South Africa’s public policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It aims to trace the influence of propaganda in informing policy origins and efficacy as it concerns the lethality of Covid-19. Importantly, informational irregularity must be treated with greater accountability and intellectual inquiry as it concerns masking and vaccine hesitancy. Following a qualitative approach and case study research strategy, this study begins by outlining the propagandistic assault on truth and rationality. Next, it confronts the seeming normality, with which the state, media, intellectual and scientific community have nonchalantly dismissed inconvenient truth in the name of misinformation. Of significance is the war on truth and the growing intellectual appetite for ideological realignment that esteems emotional triumph over empirical soundness. Ultimately, the research shows that scientific rationale has been demoted in favor of social solidarity. Finally, propagandist techniques and elements of deception theory entice the analytical appetite by exposing the modus operandi of deceptive operations at work in both masking and vaccine campaigns. The key findings indicate the use of propaganda and deception tactics at play in perception management with a view of influencing public action, corrupting public discourse and delegitimizing the need for factual accountability, concerning compliance with incoherent Covid-19 policy measures.

Attorney Fraud in the Law Firm: A Case Study of Crime Convenience Theory and Crime Signal Detection Theory

ABSTRACT This article starts with a brief review of law firm business. Next, crime convenience theory is applied to the case by identifying relevant convenience themes for financial motive, organizational opportunity, and personal willingness. Then, a brief application of crime signal detection theory is presented. In the discussion, governance in the form of restrictions based on convenience theory is discussed. Prevention and detection of wrongdoing is at the core of governance to secure compliance with laws, regulations, rules, and guidelines. The lack of transparency among stakeholders in the case of the law firm is detrimental to governance. The discourse and rituals of transparency, account-giving, and verification are central to governance.

Professional Lobbying in Urban Planning: Publicity Management and Transparency Discourse on a Collision Course?

This article examines professional lobbying in urban planning and the related decision-making process, as perceived by lobbyists, planners, and politicians in Finland. The implications as to the transparency of planning are particularly discussed. Transparency is generally considered a key value of public governance under democratic control, while for professional lobbying a key asset is its ability to manage transparency and publicity. Examining lobbying in planning complements the picture of planning transparency, the deficiency of which has been identified as a problem of democracy. The prevailing transparency discourse appears to oppose the practices of publicity management, but does it produce only ostensible improvements to planning democracy? The emerging picture of planning transparency suggests that transparency, and thus democratic practices, play a smaller role in the legitimacy in planning than generally thought.

Tracing two faces of extended visibility: a bibliometric analysis of transparency discussions in social sciences

Modern governance is the product of constant efforts to make the entire society visible, calculable and manageable. Transparency has emerged as the central ethics to manage public visibility in market and governance. Its celebration or refusal has been associated with technological and political evolution. Using bibliometric analyses of academic literature concerning transparency, this paper traces the interactions of the ethics of transparency with external environments. Guided by historiography and co-occurrence analyses, I map out the major shifts in academic attention and thematic associations related to the ethics of transparency. The modern aspiration of more visibility has been prominent in the finance market, corporate management, public governance, and policy communication. The greater visibility has been associated with accountability, anti-corruption, trust, and participation, as the cure for information asymmetry and power disparity. However, the extended visibility may lessen the human capacity to apprehend reality, which concerns the recent discussions of transparency in higher education, policy communications, and new virtual spaces. By contextualizing the primary themes in transparency discourse, I summarize the three sources of the new risks embedded in extended visibility: the organizational operations decoupled from the intended goals of transparency; the uncovered power relations in the politics of disclosure; and blind reliance on decontextualized digital data.

“Under the sword of Damocles”: psychologists relate their experience of a professional misconduct complaint

ABSTRACT Health practitioners run the risk of ethical board complaints or legal action against them in their professional careers. This experience can have a detrimental impact on personal wellness and professional practice. This study reports on the subjective experience of ten South African psychologists who received complaints. Semi structured interviews were conducted, and the transcripts analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The data indicates that (1) the participants experienced the effects of a complaint on an intensely personal level and (2) the experience of a complaint highlighted the challenging nature of working in the modern health care arena. The researchers hope to inform the psychological community of the emotional challenges experienced during a complaint process, to encourage a transparent discourse about the subject and muster support for practitioners during an often-isolating professional incident.

The Digital Rear Window: Epistemologies of Digital Transparency

In this essay, I discuss digital reality production and transparency’s role in it. I argue that the promise of transparency—the visual access to objective reality which further enables necessary democratic action—is jeopardized in the digital environment. I analyze some of the reasons for this. First, transparency is no longer an issue that is clearly defined by law, and it increasingly works as an ambiguous normative concept. As such, its scope is unclear. Second, the structural qualities of transparency as a metaphor and as a medium reveal the limits of transparency to portray reality on a theoretical level. Third, the way in which transparency discourse participates in digital reality production makes it even more difficult to decipher the “ground truth,” if indeed, there is one. Because digital transparency builds on a twofold mediation of reality—transparency as a medium itself and algorithms as a medium of digital transparency—seeing with one’s own eyes no longer guarantees a privileged access to reality. I conclude that although transparency is traditionally seen as one of the best tools of democracy, along with the emergence of individualized digital realities and the decline of a shared understanding of truth, the truth-transparency nexus may be unraveling.

Trademark Law, AI-Driven Behavioural Advertising and the Digital Services Act – Towards Source and Parameter Transparency for Consumers, Brand Owners and Competitors

In its Proposal for a Digital Services Act (“DSA”), the European Commission highlighted the need for new transparency obligations to arrive at accountable digital services, ensure a fair environment for economic operators and empower consumers. However, the proposed new rules seem to focus on transparency measures for consumers. According to the DSA Proposal, platforms, such as online marketplaces, must ensure that platform users receive information enabling them to understand when and on whose behalf an advertisement is displayed, and which parameters are used to direct advertising to them, including explanations of the logic underlying systems for targeted advertising. Statements addressing the interests of trademark owners and trademark policy are sought in vain. Against this background, the analysis sheds light on AI-driven behavioural advertising practices and the policy considerations underlying the proposed new transparency obligations. In the light of the debate on trademark protection in keyword advertising cases, it will show that not only consumers but also trademark owners have a legitimate interest in receiving information on the parameters that are used to target consumers. The discussion will lead to the insight that lessons from the keyword advertising debate can play an important role in the transparency discourse because they broaden the spectrum of policy rationales and guidelines for new transparency rules. In addition to the current focus on consumer empowerment, the enhancement of information on alternative offers in the marketplace and the strengthening of trust in AI-driven, personalized advertising enter the picture. On balance, there are good reasons to broaden the scope of the DSA initiative and ensure access to transparency information for consumers and trademark owners alike.

Does information matter? Transparency and demand for accountability in Ghana's natural resource revenue management

Transparency in resource revenue management is seen as an important strategy to avoid misuse and misappropriation. Theory predicts that transparency will allow citizens to gain information on revenue management; better informed citizens in turn will enter the debate on resource governance issues, voice concerns, and demand improved accountability if necessary. However, there is little micro-level evidence on how transparency policies relate to better citizen knowledge, or to differences in attitudes towards revenue management and in demand for accountability. We analyze data from a unique survey of over 3500 Ghanaian citizens to understand how Ghana's extractive sector transparency measures are linked to citizens' knowledge, rights perception, satisfaction levels, and behavior regarding resource revenue management. Our results suggest that information levels among citizens are quite poor; however, there is a strong sense of citizens' right to benefit from resource revenues. Satisfaction with the status quo is very low; yet, few respondents have sought more information, or even discussed resource revenue management with friends or family. The results also hold for elected representatives, who should be best placed to influence resource governance. The findings imply that the transparency discourse hinges on false assumptions of the effects of information in resource revenue management.

Deceptive transparency and masked discourses in Ponzi schemes: a critical discourse analysis of MMM Nigeria

ABSTRACT This study examines specifically, the mission statement and ideology as discursive practices of the Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (MMM) Ponzi scheme. As the demand for transparency in governance, public and private practices increase, there is also a rising proliferation of counter forms of transparency in financial sectors. While studies have focused on the practices of transparency in the reports of public and private institutions, very little attention has been paid to the perils of transparency in mission statements of online scam practices such as Ponzi schemes that parade as transparent financial schemes. Using a critical discourse analytic approach, this study investigates Ponzi schemes in Nigeria and their ideology of a ‘transparent economic system’. These schemes claim to operate a mutual benefit fund for the poor and discourage individuals from investing in banks. The critical discourse analysis draws attention to masked discourses of MMM and examines how the transparent discourse of the MMM generally constitutes deceptive discourse. The findings of the study reveal that factual and political arguments and propagandas are strategies of negative other representation that attempt to discredit the government and other legitimate financial institutions and at the same time attempt to control the mind of the participants by presenting the schemes as reliable thereby defrauding their victims.

Beyond transparency: A consideration of extraction's full costs

This special section Beyond Transparency: Rethinking the Government of Extraction examines the relationship between international transparency discourse in the extractive sector, and the persistent association of unaccountable government, socioeconomic injustice and ongoing environmental hazards associated with extractive firms and their operations. Our critical analyses of transparency- situate the discourse and practice within the overall turn-of-millennium regulatory capture of states in the global North - including Canada, the US and the UK - by oil and mining industry interests. Contributors probe how transparency regimes have been applied to oil and extractive sector ‘host states’ in the global South, in particular Nigeria, while the rent-seeking practices that these regimes seek to expose are rarely tied to corporate malfeasance in the North. We employ this introduction to consider global transparency discourse and regulatory regimes in the light of the full cost of extraction. Since the turn of the millennium, we argue, attention to extraction's full costs have been largely overshadowed in policy discourse via global transparency regimes, notably the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Openness and trust in data-intensive science: the case of biocuration

Data-intensive science comes with increased risks concerning quality and reliability of data, and while trust in science has traditionally been framed as a matter of scientists being expected to adhere to certain technical and moral norms for behaviour, emerging discourses of open science present openness and transparency as substitutes for established trust mechanisms. By ensuring access to all available information, quality becomes a matter of informed judgement by the users, and trust no longer seems necessary. This strategy does not, however, take into consideration the networks of professionals already enabling data-intensive science by providing high-quality data. In the life sciences, biological data- and knowledge bases managed by expert biocurators have become crucial for data-intensive research. In this paper, I will use the case of biocurators to argue that openness and transparency will not diminish the need for trust in data-intensive science. On the contrary, data-intensive science requires a reconfiguration of existing trust mechanisms in order to include those who take care of and manage scientific data after its production.

Consistently unreliable: Oil spill data and transparency discourse

Our recent research reveals enormous discrepancies in oil spill data disclosed by regulatory institutions and corporate sources in Nigeria. Federal agencies as well as major international oil corporations publish inconsistent and sometimes contradictory figures, often employing different spatial or regional categorizations. Uncertainties pertaining to data veracity in the Niger Delta, alongside the thin scientific record inflect deeply contentious debates regarding the country's oil industry. For advocacy organizations, the result is that those seeking to monitor oil spills may spend hours trying to square and cross-reference uneven information, time that could otherwise be spent assessing the scale of impacts and analyzing the complex structural causes surrounding them. Scholarly work in other jurisdictions indicates that the staging of non-transparent, incoherent and/or intentionally misleading data on oil spill risks is not unique to Nigeria, leading to a kind of epistemological vertigo in studying this sector.

Sosyal Medyada Şeffaflığın Şiddeti ve Auradan Yoksunluk

Şeffaflık, günümüzde bir söylem biçimi olarak olumsuzu yadsıma ve olumluluğu öne çıkarma işleviyle, iletişim alanında kendine sürekli ve korunaklı bir yer edinmiş durumdadır. Şeffaflık, dışa dönüklüğü ve gösteriyi yüceltirken, mesafeyi ortadan kaldırarak auranın yitimini gerçekleştirir. Şeffaflık söyleminin, aşırı iletişim ve aşırı haber olarak ortaya çıktığı etkili mecralardan biri sosyal medyadır. Her şeyin sergilendiği ve gösteriye dönüştüğü dünyada, sosyal ağ kullanıcılarının kendine özgü reklam nesnesi vardır. Aşırı sergileme, şeyleri içinde taşıdıkları sırdan arındırarak, tüketime hazır hale getirir ve metalaşma sürecini başlatır. Böylece Baudrillardcı anlamda, “bakışın aurasının” yitimi gerçekleşir ve görünüm surete dönüşerek yüzeyselleşir. Ben’in, öteki’nin dikkatini çekmek, onun ilgi ve beğenisini kazanmak için kendini her türlü teşhir etmesini, Byung-Chul Han “şeffaflığın şiddeti” olarak kavramsallaştırır. Bu çalışmada amaçlanan, sosyal ağların gözetim ve panoptik kontrol süreçlerinde yarattığı dönüşümü, “aura”, “şeffaflık”, “müstehcenlik”, “dijital panoptikon” gibi kavramlar üzerinden tartışmaya açmak ve şeffaflık aracılığıyla ortaya çıkan olumluluk şiddetine dikkat çekmektir. Çalışmada sorgulama konularının üzerinde tartışılacağı mecra olarak, sosyal medya uygulamalarından Facebook tercih edilmiştir. Ancak tek tek hesaplar ve profiller üzerinden araştırma yapılmayacak, bir ortam olarak Facebook aracılığıyla açığa çıkan şeffaflık imkânı üzerinden eleştirel bir sorgulama yapılacaktır.

‘Eugenics is Back’? Historic References in Current Discussions of Germline Gene Editing

Comparisons between germline gene editing using CRISPR technology and a renewal of eugenics are evident in the current bioethical discussions. This article examines the different roles of such references to the past. In the first part, the alleged parallels between gene editing of the germline and eugenics are addressed from three perspectives: First, the historical adequacy of such comparisons is questioned. Second, it is asked whether the evils of the past can in fact be attributed to (future) practices of germline gene editing. Third, it is discussed whether the alleged hazards of eugenics should in fact universally be condemned from a moral perspective. The article attempts to show that references to the eugenic past to rebut gene editing are highly selective and should be abandoned to allow for a more transparent ethical discourse. While the comparison with a eugenic past is frequently drawn by opponents of germline gene editing, the remaining part of this article investigates historic references from the proponents of germline gene editing. It is argued that they also employ different narratives of the past to justify their own liberal position. While such references are equally problematic, some lessons from the history of eugenics will be spelled out that can inform future debates on germline gene editing.

Intertextual analysis of the BP Prudhoe Bay disaster: applying the 5 Bs of antenarrative

PurposeThis paper aims to offer an analysis of the British Petroleum (BP) Prudhoe Bay environmental disaster. The primary purpose is to elucidate the fivefold of antenarrative in sensemaking environmental accidents. The analytic framework enables organization to envision futures where they want to be, and work to get there as more socially responsible companies.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted an intertextual analysis of texts by ascribing voice and affiliation to each antenarrative. The multiple voices and antenarratives quoted within the texts were compared and coded and theme analysis was conducted over time to understand dynamics and see if organizational learning was occurring.FindingsThe antenarrative method generated several findings: BP is faulty beneath in how they conceive of safety, lacking foresight. BP executives leave out elements of safety, a fore having that does not include what needs to be prepared for. BP foretells that it is socially responsible, yet the reality of events seems contradictory. Within fore structure, some of BP’s leaders deny or ignore claims of critics through intertextual connections of events. By fore caring, BP mediates the problem in response to the disaster and critics. Their sensemaking in this case is more retrospective and reactive than prospective.Practical implicationsOrganizations can avoid environmental disasters and negative backlash by adopting practices that provide more transparent discourse and greater accountability. The fivefold of antenarrative serves as a storytelling framework to promote care by using trial and error problem solving on future bets.Originality/valueTo date, few intertextual analyses have been performed to study organizations. By applying a fivefold antenarrative storytelling framework, which reflects new advances in storytelling theory, the authors offer an original perspective on environmental accident sensemaking.

The ‘spirit of sport’, WADAs code review, and the search for an overlapping consensus

ABSTRACT In this paper, we argue for the recognition that anti-doping is in itself first and foremost an ethical position. The current World Anti-doping Code formulation of ‘the spirit of sport’ is an acknowledgement of this point and a counterweight against scientific and technicist understandings of the nature of anti-doping itself. We critically review the Code formulations on ‘the spirit of sport’. Based on a theoretical background of various approaches to normative agreement and consensus in a setting of diversity of ‘comprehensive views’, we argue for revision of the Code. Specifically, we argue for a re-formulation of ‘the spirit of sport’ in terms of athlete protection and the preservation of the integrity of sporting competition that could meet requirements on an overlapping consensus among all WADA stakeholders. This is not just a matter of formality and Code acceptance. An overlapping consensus is not a mere modus vivendi but a normative consensus based on fair, honest, and transparent discourse in which participants deliberate in a setting of mutual respect and trust, and of ‘decency’, which is a basis for a consensus that cultivates authentic stakeholder commitment.

Research on the social perception of invasive species: a systematic literature review

We conducted a systematic literature review of the current state of research on the social perceptions of invasive species, aiming to provide guidance towards transdisciplinary research and participatory decision making. In order to detect patterns regarding publication trends and factors determining social perceptions of invasive species, we applied qualitative content as well as quantitative data analysis. By applying content analysis, we identified five main categories of influence on the perception of invasive species: ecological conditions, social conditions, values and beliefs, impacts, and benefits. The disciplinary focus of the research was predominantly interdisciplinary, followed by a social sciences approach. Our review revealed a disproportionate use of quantitative methods in research on social perceptions of invasive species, yet quantitative methods were less likely to identify benefits as factors determining the perception of invasive species. However, without the understanding of perceived benefits, researchers and managers lack the socio-cultural context these species are embedded in. Our review also revealed the geographical, methodological and taxonomic bias of research on perceptions of invasive species. The majority of studies focused on the local public, whereas fewer than half of the studies focused on decision-makers. Furthermore, our results showed differences in the social perceptions of invasive species among different stakeholder groups. Consensus over the definition and terminology of invasive species was lacking whereas differences in terminology were clearly value-laden. In order to foster sustainable management of invasive species, research on social perceptions should focus on a transdisciplinary and transparent discourse about the inherent values of invasion science.

Conspiracy theory as spatial practice: The case of the Sivas arson attack, Turkey

This article discusses the relationship between conspiratorial thinking and physical space by focusing on the ways conspiracy theories regarding political violence shape and are shaped by the environments in which it is commemorated. Conspiratorial thinking features space as a significant element, but is taken to do so mainly figuratively. In blaming external powers and foreign actors for social ills, conspiracy theorists employ the spatial metaphor of inside versus outside. In perceiving discourses of transparency as the concealment rather than revelation of mechanisms of governance, conspiracy theorists engage the trope of a façade separating the space of power’s formulations from that of its operations. Studying the case of an arson attack dating from 1990s Turkey and its recent commemorations, this article argues that space mediates conspiracy theory not just figuratively but also physically and as such serves to catalyze two of its deadliest characteristics: anonymity and non-linear causality. Attending to this mediation requires a shift of focus from what conspiracy theory is to what it does as a spatial practice.