On the Destruction of Life:
in the Epoch of the Fourth Industrial Revolution information, anti-production and the ecological crises

Instructor: Anna Longo Date & Time: March 24, April 7th, April 14th, April 28th. 09:00-11:30 ET

DESCRIPTION: On the Destruction of Life in the Epoch of the Third Industrial Revolution is the subtitle of Günther Anders’ second volume of The Outdatedness of Human Beings. This Seminar proposes a reflection on the increased destructive power of the digital revolution despite its apparently augmented productive efficacy. Neglected by the official history of philosophy, Günther Anders has been recently igniting interest. His stern considerations of the global existential threat brought about by the introduction of nuclear weapons are suitable for thinking of the human condition at the time of climate change. The moral paradox Anders uncovered is still preventing us from questioning the western narrative of techno-scientific progress: uwhile promising to globally ameliorate the quality of life thanks to the diffusion of more efficient means of production, what is also improved is the power of global annihilation. Compelled to adapt to advanced technological tools and productive practices to satisfy increasing artificial needs, we are forced to collaborate in the optimization of the means that not only increase the risk of annihilation but also provoke damages and inequalities on a daily basis. The difficulty is that we are almost blind to this blackmailing while at the same time we are prevented from assuming the responsibility for the destructive consequences of the irreproachable practices that allow us to express our values as consumers as creative means to renovate and intensify consumption. To deepen the insight on Anders’ thoughts on the harmful implications of contemporary capitalism, the Seminar considers Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of anti-production. Moreover, to clarify the link to ecological issues, we will read papers by bio-economist Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen about his notion of entropy.

READINGS:

Günther Anders, The Outdatedness of Human Beings (Vol. 2): On the Destruction of Life in the Epoch of the Third Industrial Revolution, Translated by Josep Monter Pérez, 1980 (excerpts).
Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, Energy and Economic Myths, Pergamon Press, 1976 (Chapter 1 “Entropy and Economic Myths”; Chapter 3 “The Entropy Law and the Economic Problem”).
Gilles Deleuze & Félix Guattari, L’Anti-Oedipus, University of Minnesota Press, 1983 (excerpts).
Gilles Deleuze & Félix Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus, University of Minnesota Press 1987 (excerpts).

IMAGE: Kai Caemmerer, Unborn Cities Series, 2015.

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