Reza Negarestani

In this course

Negarestani is an Iranian philosopher and theorist working at the intersection of speculative materialism, dark vitalism, and the ontology of complex systems—particularly how non-human agents (viral, microbial, networked) challenge anthropocentric notions of agency and life. The course readings draw on his work to theorize how artificial systems and biological processes share unpredictable, contingent logics that exceed human comprehension and control, positioning both as forms of dark, inhuman intelligence that operate according to their own imperatives rather than intelligible purposes. His framework appears crucial for thinking through how AI and computational networks might be understood not as tools but as entities with their own vitality and capacity to "bore into" existing systems in ways that complicate distinctions between the natural and artificial.

Mentioned in 3 readings