The Man Who Knew Nothing:
Between Neurodiversity & Practical Schizophrenia

Instructor: Reza Negarestani Date & Time: Wednesdays, November 20, December 4, 11, 18, January 8, 15, 22, 29 1 PM - 3:30 PM ET

DESCRIPTION This 8-session Seminar presents an overview of the theoretical and practical problems of selfhood and the care for the self. Given today’s assimilation of individual experiences by brutal economic forces, the rise of cyberzombies on social media, emotional passivity and exhibitionism as well as the ensuing depressions, manias and personal tragedies which we witness among ourselves, the ethics and politics of the care for the self and the ludic take on madness are now more pertinent than ever. Everyone can be creatively crazy but who can be playfully mad without being a sociopath? And more importantly, what does it mean to commit to a life-long and perhaps multi-generational project without becoming despondent or a self-immolating pessimist? These are questions which not only bear ethical significance but also political consequences. To answer these questions, this Seminar provides a view of the self and technologies of self-care from four different perspectives, (1) ancient ethics, (2) Middle Eastern philosophy, (3) Psychoanalysis, and (4) Neuroscience. Assuming that we know nothing about our selves, this Seminar considers care for the self not as a matter of phantasy but disciplined experimental programmatics.

Image: Jean-Luc Moulene, Tronche Avatar, 2014

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