The mission of the Principled Societies Project (PSP) is to support the science-based de novo development and testing of new cognitive architectures for the large-group setting that are fit for purpose. A cognitive architecture is the means and mechanics employed to perform cognition. For a group it includes the set of norms, rules, mechanisms, institutions, tools, procedures, sensors, and analytic processes that aid cognition. The group might be a formal political entity, like a city or nation, or a more informal and smaller group, like a corporation or community association. Core societal systems (e.g., governance, economic/financial, legal systems) are considered to be part of the cognitive architecture of a society.
Principled Societies Project was founded in 2012 by John Boik. Dr. Boik received a BS in civil engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder; a master's degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine from Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, Portland, Oregon; and a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Texas, Health Sciences Center, Houston, where he studied cancer biology. He completed postdoctoral work at Stanford University, in the Department of Statistics. He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Active Inference Institute and is the author of Economic Direct Democracy and other books and papers. Interests include statistical modeling, AI and data science, Bayesian inference, regenerative/sustainable agriculture, and cognitive science.