Jorge's blog

Contemporary political environments create a fertile ground for narcissistic leaders to emerge and exert disproportionate influence.   (📷:bagley) W hy do we (the voters, the citizens, the public) often find ourselves drawn to political figures who display clear signs of narcissism? On the surface, the answer is counter-intuitive, but a deeper dive into social psychology reveals a compelling truth. Leaders high in narcissistic traits, particularly what psychologists term grandiose narcissism , often possess a brilliant, if fleeting, capacity for charisma, unwavering confidence, and an almost magnetic vision of the future. They project an image of superiority and certainty, a dazzling light in the often-muddied waters of complex policy and political compromise. 'Main Traits of Narcissism' ▶️0m47s In times of uncertainty, both economic and social, a strong, definitive voice is incredibly reassuring. The narcissist's overconfidence and belief in their own exceptionalism ...

The brilliance of Large Language Models requires a critical psychological audit.   (📷:empowervmedia) T he acceleration of Artificial Intelligence, especially the monumental Large Language Models, has dramatically blurred the lines defining intelligence. In 2025, systems like GPT-4 appear to hold cognitive capacities that were unimaginable until recently, prompting widespread (and often premature) declarations of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Yet, this dazzling performance compels us toward a deeper, more necessary question: What is the true measure of intelligence, and does AI’s current success satisfy this criterion? This dilemma revives the fundamental philosophical and psychological debate first articulated in 1980 and meticulously updated in 2021 by Van der Maas, Snoek, and Stevenson in their seminal paper . The core conflict hinges on the very definition of intelligence. If success is merely defined by the rapid processing and synthesis of massive information (a stat...

Australia currently faces a profound and rapidly evolving security challenge.   (📷:empowervmedia) T he modern understanding of national security must constantly adapt to emerging threats, and in Australia, the landscape of violent extremism has become complex, challenging, and fast-moving . Australia has historically dealt with intermittent acts of violence across ethno-nationalist, political, and jihadist motivations since Federation, though the scale has been less than in many other nations . However, the current security environment demands a re-evaluation of both the causes of radicalisation and the efficacy of the national response. 'Intelligence agencies say online teens becoming terror threats' ▶️2m52s The central research question guiding this analysis is: What are the root psychological and social drivers accelerating violent extremism in contemporary Australia, and how must national response strategies evolve to effectively mitigate this complex, often digitally ...