Topic: Accelerationism

[saulb]

Nick Land could make a great guest. Agree or disagree with him he has a lot of ideas that would be interesting to the THC listeners.

http://salvage.zone/in-print/behemoth-and-leviathan-the-fascist-bestiary-of-the-alt-right/

https://qz.com/1168140/the-philosop...d-the-us-in-2018-from-confucius-to-nick-land/

http://www.thedarkenlightenment.com/the-dark-enlightenment-by-nick-land/

https://www.simonosullivan.net/articles/Accelerationism_Hyperstition_and_Myth-Science.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ge-philosophy-predicted-the-future-we-live-in

 

[nickzeptepi]

Can you summarise them?

Like a elevator pitch for the guest, peak our interest to click and read the links you provide.

Thanks

 

[saulb]

Accelerationism is a pretty complicated idea that has splintered into several very different ways of looking at things. But, if I had to give the most brief description...
1. Contemporary history is changing at an exponential rate due to the infusion of technology and capitalism which is fused as a techno-capitalism
2. This process is creating a permanent change in humanity and the world through assimilation and commodification of what we could consider reality, creating an increasing value that is decreasingly dependent upon what we consider human production. This will lead to further radical changes in how reality itself is defined. Current thinkers in the West have made a substantial mistake in framing reality around the human, and the increased presence of techno-capitalism and its impacts will permanently realign this.
3. At this point the process may be unstoppable, and may have been influenced by a type of future singularity created from the ultimate techno-capitalist project of the ultra-capitalist fusion of humanity and technology.
4. This end of history can be accelerated through indulging techno-capitalism and its practices.

These are my thoughts about the basics after poking around a little about it. Questioning reality, humanity, and technology are all interests that seem to touch the THC episodes I enjoy. The initial writings of the CCRU include a heavy influence from both the occult and the ideas of HP Lovecraft. Some of these ideas are used to justify thinkers from both the righty-right and the lefty-left. THC has a number of guests talking about the threat of things like 5G and transhumanism, so it would be interesting to hear from folks who truly embrace the idea.
These are just armchair and poorly informed opinions, so don't take what I wrote too seriously without looking into it yourself.
Hope this helps!

 

[shamangineer]

From the Wikipedia article:
Accelerationist theory has been divided into mutually contradictory left-wing and right-wing variants. "Left-accelerationism" attempts to press "the process of technological evolution" beyond the constrictive horizon of capitalism, for example by repurposing modern technology for socially beneficial and emancipatory ends; "right-accelerationism" supports the indefinite intensification of capitalism itself, possibly in order to bring about a technological singularity.[4][5][6] Accelerationist writers have additionally distinguished other variants, such as "unconditional accelerationism".

I would definitely fall into the former category, taking what is necessary from the system. Getting by and using beneficial technologies on a case by case basis, but trying to lessen dependence by hedging against collapse to make a softer transition. I can see a better future on the other side of the mountain, whether the path we are on leads there is anybody's guess.

Leaning into transhumanism and capitalism to catalyze collapse does not sound like it is full of win to me. The bigger they are the harder they fall.