Notes on Theory Underground Lecture

Introduction

• Host: David McCarrier
• Theory Underground is a course platform with most courses behind a paywall.
• Offering a free introduction to Nick Land course taught by Michael DS.
• Focus on various philosophers from Kant to Deleuze and Guattari.
• Examines two philosophical camps: humanistic/existential vs posthuman/vitalistic.

Lecture Overview

• Michael DS is introduced as the instructor.
• Discussion on Nick Land, particularly his influence on philosophy and politics.
• The course is structured over four weeks, focusing on:
  • Nick Land's metaphysics
  • Capitalism and cybernetics
  • Neoreaction and the Dark Enlightenment
  • Occult and CCRU (Cybernetic Culture Research Unit) explorations.

Background and Context

• Explanation of Theory Underground's app and website.
• Nick Land's philosophical influence and controversial reputation.
• Comparison with other philosophers like Slavoj Žižek.
• Importance of understanding Land's influence on politics and contemporary philosophy.
• Land's originality and bold positions in philosophy.

Nick Land's Philosophical Periods

1. Early Libidinal Materialism
2. Mature Land (Cybernetics and Capitalism)
3. CCRU and Occultism
4. Shanghai and Megacities
5. Neoreactionary and Dark Enlightenment
6. Blockchain and Bitcoin

Philosophical Foundations

Immanuel Kant

• Introduced the concept of critique and transcendental philosophy.
• Emphasized phenomena vs. noumena.
• Reality is shaped by our cognitive apparatus.

Arthur Schopenhauer

• Continued Kant's work with a focus on will and representation.
• Introduced the concept of non-agentic will.
• Importance of desire and its insatiable nature.

Friedrich Nietzsche

• Developed the idea of will to power.
• Advocated for affirmation of life and its challenges.
• Concept of the Overman and amor fati (love of fate).

Sigmund Freud

• Concepts of drives and the unconscious.
• Death drive as a key component in Land's philosophy.

Georges Bataille

• Explored themes of death and eroticism.
• The accursed share and cosmic forces.

Deleuze and Guattari

• Influence on Land's thought regarding desire and machines.
• Concepts of deterritorialization and the body without organs.
• Schizophrenic versus paranoid fascist desire.

Course Readings and Recommendations

• Primary readings include essays like "Meltdown" and works from the CCRU.
• Suggested supplemental materials include DG's "Anti-Oedipus" and "A Thousand Plateaus."

Audience Engagement and Participation

• Encouragement to participate in forums and discussions.
• Opportunities to explore Theory Underground resources and engage with the material through exegesis and personal reflections.