Reza Negarestani

In this course

Negarestani is a contemporary philosopher and writer whose work synthesizes dark vitalism, network theory, and microbial life as frameworks for understanding agency and intelligence beyond the human. The course readings invoke his thinking—particularly his treatment of virality, internal parasitism, and the unpredictability of networked systems—to argue that artificial intelligence and biological contagion share a fundamental logic of inevitable propagation that exceeds intentional control. His concepts enable the seminar to link cybernetic systems, viral dynamics, and the horror of interiorized networks to broader questions about what counts as intelligent or agential in post-human ecologies.

Mentioned in 3 readings