Lecture on Accelerationism and Philosophy

Introduction

• Market Economy Capitalism: Described as a discovery process with philosophical activity.
• Capitalism and AI: Viewed as identical processes; both are self-propelling.

Accelerationism

• Origin: Ties back to Marx, considered a proto-accelerationist.
• Marx's Views:
  • Utilitarian in practice.
  • Recognizes revolutionary potential in exploiting capitalism's contradictions.
  • Encouraged free trade to hasten social revolution.

Marx and Capitalism

• Contradictions in Capitalism:
  • Capitalism has inherent contradictions that can lead to its collapse.
  • Accelerationism suggests speeding up capitalism to hasten its collapse, rather than protectionism.

Deleuze and Guattari

• Capitalism and Schizophrenia Series:
  • Introduced psychoanalysis into Marxist materialism.
  • Concept of Deterritorialization: Flows of desire freed by capitalism, leading to social destabilization.
  • Capitalism seen as a stage releasing desires, causing societal destabilization.

Concepts Explained

• Body Without Organs: Represents a totally deterritorialized space for creative production.
• Schizophrenization: Describes capitalism's potential to overcome its limits.

Nick Land and Accelerationism

• Emergence: Developed during his time at Warwick University and CCRU.
• Accelerationism Defined:
  • Focus on cybernetics and production of non-human intelligences.
• Influence and Theories:
  • Deterritorialization as a core concept.
  • Positive and negative feedback loops from cybernetics.

Land's Perspective

• Capitalism as AI: Capitalism is seen as a transcendental AI working through feedback processes.
• Technocapital Singularity: Describes a future where nothing human survives.
• Critiques:
  • Land critiques the idea of capitalism as a human-centric system.

Neo-Reaction and Right Accelerationism

• Neo-Reaction: Flight from democracy, return to patchwork or market-based governance.
• Right Accelerationism: Protects capitalism and assists it against perceived threats.

Alternatives and Branches

• Left Accelerationism: Aims to use capitalism's deterritorialization for human liberation.
• Zero Accelerationism: Advocates for political stasis.
• Gender and Xenofeminism: Technology used for feminist liberation and gender transformation.
• Unconditional Accelerationism: Recognizes the independent process of deterritorialization.

Conclusion

• Accelerationism's Complexity: Diverse interpretations and practices, no single unified theory.
• Modern Implications: Raises questions about human control and the future of society.

Final Thoughts

• Debate on Accelerationism: Is it metaphorical or literal? Often left to interpretation.
• Future Directions: Encourages ongoing examination and understanding of the theories.

Recommended Reading

• Introductory materials and bibliography for further exploration of accelerationism concepts.