Volume 9

In an epoch marked by artificial intelligence, mass media, and infinite distractions, there is a necessity to recover the origin of pure intellectual discovery: wonder. The increasing prominence of these distractions conveys a false promise to aid human flourishing. While engaging with the latest technological achievement may be attractive, we must remain attentive to conserve human creativity. Inventio’s mission aims to combat this temptation of banality by reclaiming the fervent desire to pursue truth. Our journal acknowledges the capacity of undergraduate research to cultivate those moments of wonder for which we all yearn.

Wonder both captivates and facilitates dynamic conversations, promoting itself as the antithesis of indifference. The authors of this year’s volume exhibit a profound engagement in such conversations. The intricacies of the female experience within the First World War can only be discovered out of a sincere interest in history and its unique retellings. The injustices found in the judicial practice of the Sixth Amendment are observed from an ardent desire to see a change in the justice system. These ideas ignite conversation and are only small fragments of volume 9’s wonder.

Catholic University’s mission statement affirms that the university is “dedicated to advancing the dialogue between faith and reason.” Wonder kindles this advancement and combats apathy. As undergraduate students, we share the same meaningful questions, which makes us both worthy and capable of further pursuing wonder. Wonder arises from the asking of meaningful questions: why is this beautiful? Naturally, we all hold this question. Wonder fosters this question, resisting complacency in undeveloped inquiry. Research is unique in that it transforms this question into defined routes of discovery—both tangible and able to be known. This progression inspires further attentiveness toward study. The authors published in Inventio demonstrate perseverance in their studies, sharing the fascination that prompted their independent research. The fundamental role of higher education is more than a mere acquisition of facts. An active involvement with undergraduate studies can potentially change how one approaches the world. The university offers a space for such a transformation to occur. Wonder marks the beginning of what can be described by the Greek term: metanoia. The term is associated with a transformation of mind or conversion. As you read the pages of this year’s volume, we invite you to be struck by the passion of our authors. The Student Editorial Board is proud to present Volume 9 of Inventio as a fruit of the wonder that is inseparable from intellectual discovery.

Trinity Ruiz, Editor-in-Chief

Matthew Engelhaupt, Associate Editor

Incessant Conflict: Vera Brittain’s Witness to the Female Trauma of the Great War

by Katherine Mackenzie

In the decades following World War I, foundational scholarship either ignored women’s contributions entirely or presented a two-dimensional narrative that belied these women's unique struggles while serving their countries. Vera Brittain’s memoir, Testament of Youth, relates her experiences serving as a British Voluntary Aid Detachment Nurse and as a member of the Lost Generation. This memoir gives witness to the female war experience that was often trivialized due to the emphasis on the masculine experience of the war. Ultimately, Brittain provides a testament to the trauma resulting from the female war experience such as the nature of nursing, the tension between domestic expectations and war work, as well as the struggle of grieving one’s dead while remaining actively engaged in the war.

Facebook’s Accountability Crisis: The Factors Influencing Modern Digital Censorship

by Joseph Gabriel Brasco

Facebook and Big Tech companies have a problem on their hands: how can they simultaneously uphold the free expression of billions of users while limiting the proliferation of destructive content? The main governmental protection allowing social media companies to police content is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Facebook has leveraged Section 230 to create a near monopoly on the digital dissemination of information. The dual “sword and shield” prongs of Section 230 ensure that Facebook, and other companies who claim protection under 230, can censor information at their discretion while also enjoying the protections of a neutral platform provider. As it stands, Facebook holds too much power in the digital age thanks to the ill-defined guidelines set in law by Section 230. If we wish to see a clearer and more free landscape of online communication, Section 230 must be better understood and regulated.

The Injustice of the Accused by the Accuser: The Aftermath of The Right to Counsel Prescribed by Gideon v. Wainwright (1963).

by Matthew Cutrona

While the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution details the rights prescribed to an individual in criminal court, the subjectivity of such rights has become questionable. Famously, an individual has the right to receive assistance from counsel if they so choose. The ruling from Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) extended this right to state criminal courts. Nevertheless, the United States justice system has tipped the scales of justice towards the prosecution side, the accuser, rather than being balanced and fair to the accused, the individual. This essay goes in depth with various sections, including specialized representation, the usage of effective resources, proper money allotment, and unconstitutional activities such as the excessive exercise of power by judges and the prosecution. Regardless of all the injustices surrounding the justice system, there are methods of establishing equality within it. As it stands, Lady Justice is no longer blind but can see, and is committing injustices from tipping the scales of justice to favor the accuser. This does not need to be the societal norm. The justice system requires a strong relationship between law and politics due to the influence of politics on the actions of the courts.

Monvel and the Maid of Orleans: Sources of Inspiration in the Joan of Arc Paintings

by Annaliese Haman

Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel (1850-1913) was a French painter and illustrator active from the 1880s through the 1910s. He contributed to many children’s books, with his masterpiece being Jeanne d’Arc. From this book came world renown for Boutet de Monvel and the attention of United States Senator William A. Clark. Clark commissioned Boutet de Monvel to paint a series of six paintings depicting scenes from Joan of Arc’s life taken from the book. While these pieces are unique and exemplify Boutet de Monvel’s style, the inspiration behind them has never been fully understood. In this paper, I show three potential sources of inspiration that Boutet de Monvel may have had in creating these paintings. The three sources are the Battle of San Romano paintings by Paolo Uccello, medieval brocades, and Japanese ukiyo-e prints. I focused on these three sources within my analysis of the six “Joan of Arc” paintings and other works by Boutet de Monvel while looking at the world in which he was living.

The Phi Beta Kappa First Year Experience Essay Prize

Frankenstein's Robot: The Creation of Dysfunctional Artificial Intelligence

by Maria Love

Just as Frankenstein’s Creature is filled with anxiety upon realizing the nature of his existence, some modern AIs programmed to emulate certain emotions have displayed passions beyond their coded abilities, comparable to those exhibited by humans with mental illnesses.1 This raises an important question: if Artificial Emotional Intelligences (AEIs) are developing dysfunctions like those experienced by a conscious mind, are they conscious? Have we, like Victor Frankenstein, created a monster whose intellectual and emotional abilities equal our own? Dysfunctional AEIs force us to rethink how we define consciousness, sentience, and the nature of humanity. My goal is to develop an understanding of the “mental illnesses” exhibited by AEIs to draw a distinction between human and robotic consciousness. I argue that these dysfunctional displays are the result of computational oversight, not mental illness as it presents in the human brain. I demonstrate this by citing computational definitions of AI, AEI, machine learning, and deep learning, and use these in tandem with philosophical and sociological definitions of consciousness. I then apply these to case studies of dysfunctional AEIs and cross-reference them with those of human mental illness, to compare the potential consciousness of AEI to human consciousness as we understand it.