#AI #epistemology #blog # The Rhizomatic Trajectory of Doctoral Research: A Deleuzian Exploration of Non-Linear Knowledge Production We've been talking about interpretivist epistemology in Philosophy of Social Science Research, and part of the reading on quantitative methods in Introduction to Research Design is giving [Intellectual Imposture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashionable_Nonsense) in a non-trivial way. I'd never actually read Sokal and Bricmont's book, so I checked it out from the uni library, and [found out](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/new-sokal-hoax/572212/) about the [spiritual heirs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grievance_studies_affair) to Sokal's hoax - and tremendously enjoying it all, inevitably. All the while, I'm trying to zero in on my dissertation topic. As a lark, I asked an LLM (not *that one* tho) to generate titles for spoof dissertations, around my areas of interest in research. Imagine my mix of surprise and complete lack of it when the [Bullshit Machine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ROlMFlbkWE)output titles and abstracts of made up work that I wish I could read, or indeed even write. Take for instance, this one (okay, this was the second draft where I asked to lean even heavier on the jargon). I did edit the title from "The performativity of assessment", because the pun on the (rightfully) ubiquitous [formative assessment](https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/centre-for-innovation-in-education/resources/all-resources/formative-assessment.html) was hard to resist. ## Performative Assessment: A Postmodern Critique of Standardized Testing **Abstract**: *Standardized testing, a ubiquitous feature of contemporary education systems, is often presented as an objective measure of student achievement. However, this paper challenges such a notion, arguing that standardized tests are not merely instruments of measurement but performative acts that shape and constrain educational practices. Drawing on postmodern theories of power, discourse, and subjectivity, this research explores how standardized tests produce particular kinds of knowledge and identities. By analyzing the discursive construction of standardized tests, the paper highlights the ways in which these assessments reinforce dominant ideologies and marginalize diverse perspectives. Ultimately, this work aims to expose the performative nature of standardized testing and to advocate for more equitable and inclusive assessment practices.* Here's the full list: **Education** 1. **Deconstructing the Pedagogical Phallus: A Rhizomatic Exploration of Gendered Discourses in Early Childhood Education** - _Interpretation:_ This title suggests a deep, critical analysis of gender roles in early childhood education, using complex theoretical frameworks and jargon to mask a superficial or nonsensical argument. 2. **The Performativity of Assessment: A Postmodern Critique of Standardized Testing** - _Interpretation:_ This title implies a postmodern critique of standardized testing, focusing on the social construction of knowledge and the power dynamics inherent in assessment practices. 3. **The Quantum Leap of the Mind: A Neurophenomenological Investigation of Consciousness and Curriculum** - _Interpretation:_ This title combines neuroscience and phenomenology to explore the nature of consciousness and its implications for curriculum design, potentially using vague and overly complex language to obscure a lack of substantive content. **Educational Technology** 1. **The Cybernetic Sublime: A Deleuzian Reading of Digital Pedagogy** - _Interpretation:_ This title suggests a poststructuralist analysis of digital pedagogy, drawing on the work of Deleuze to explore the ways in which technology shapes and is shaped by social and cultural forces. 2. **The Virtual Rhizome: A Postmodern Exploration of Online Learning Communities** - _Interpretation:_ This title uses postmodern theory to analyze online learning communities, focusing on the decentralized and nonlinear nature of these spaces. 3. **The Algorithmic Gaze: A Critical Inquiry into Artificial Intelligence in Education** - _Interpretation:_ This title suggests a critical analysis of AI in education, focusing on the potential biases and limitations of algorithmic decision-making. **Computer Science Education** 1. **The Quantum Poetics of Code: A Heideggerian Interpretation of Programming Languages** - _Interpretation:_ This title combines quantum mechanics and Heideggerian philosophy to explore the nature of programming languages, potentially using obscure and jargon-filled language to mask a lack of substantive insight. 2. **The Cybernetic Body: A Postmodern Analysis of Human-Computer Interaction** - _Interpretation:_ This title uses postmodern theory to analyze human-computer interaction, focusing on the ways in which technology shapes our bodies and identities. 3. **The Algorithmic Sublime: A Deleuzian Reading of Machine Learning** - _Interpretation:_ This title suggests a poststructuralist analysis of machine learning, drawing on the work of Deleuze to explore the ways in which algorithms shape and are shaped by social and cultural forces. **AI** 1. **The Singularity of the Self: A Phenomenological Investigation of Artificial Consciousness** - _Interpretation:_ This title uses phenomenology to explore the nature of consciousness and its potential implications for AI, potentially using vague and overly complex language to obscure a lack of substantive content. 2. **The Algorithmic Unconscious: A Psychoanalytic Reading of Deep Learning** - _Interpretation:_ This title suggests a psychoanalytic analysis of deep learning, focusing on the hidden biases and assumptions embedded within these algorithms. 3. **The Cybernetic Sublime: A Deleuzian Reading of Artificial General Intelligence** - _Interpretation:_ This title suggests a poststructuralist analysis of artificial general intelligence, drawing on the work of Deleuze to explore the ways in which AI shapes and is shaped by social and cultural forces.