Polybius

In this course

Polybius appears primarily as a historical figure witnessing transformative military and political events—his firsthand accounts of the Punic Wars and Carthage's destruction ground the course's interest in how observation, documentation, and narrative shape our understanding of systemic collapse and warfare. The readings invoke him through the lens of epistemology and representation: his contested method of historical witnessing (as a captive with restricted access) parallels contemporary questions about AI systems as observers of complex systems, while the reference to his lost volume on Tactics suggests how technical knowledge becomes fragmented or erased across technological and historical shifts. His appearance here seems to anchor discussions of how power structures control narrative and access to information—a concern equally present in modern cybernetic warfare and data systems.

Mentioned in 2 readings