4 ms·

It's curious to frame this as an intentional act rather than an inevitable, natural stage of capitalism.

by nkozyra 3y ago

gumballindie 3y ago
I get that, but it’s almost if someone’s trying to prove the point you just made.
amelius 3y ago
This is like saying that anything that can be hacked, should be hacked (instead of fixed).
nemo44x 3y ago
That's the main idea behind accelerationism from a Landian perspective. That capitalism is just getting started and that it's unstoppable and that it won't transition into socialisim like Marx predicted but rather will encompass more and more of everything and be the vehicle for the next evolution into a cybernetic species. It's the evolution of evolution and it's unstoppable. So get on with it and learn to love it. Quotes like "it is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism" and Mark Fisher's (CCNU and Nick Land, etc)ideas around capitalism realism sort of sum it up.
- Nursie 3y ago
  I mean, it’s pretty easy to imagine capitalism precipitating the end of the world …
  - nemo44x 3y ago
    I don't see that per-se. I think it's more likely that capitalism continues to rapidly advance technology to the point where we truly do evolve evolution. So a certain part of the global population will have access to DNA synthesizers and other biotech and AI and can reproduce a master race of post-humans that will dominate and eventually annihilate Homosapiens. After a few generations of rapid improvement (a singularity where post-humans and AI merge into a single entity) they'll view the rest of the world as we view other primates today and won't have much use for them. If not through intentional genocide then just being unable to compete for ecosystem, etc. Homosapiens will fade away as Neanderthals did. Capitalism is a system (much more than just an economic system) that allows for selection like this. In a sense a type of market driven Darwinism which chooses how energy is spent developing the tools that allow humans to evolve rapidly into the next thing. That it's natural that Capitalism started with the industrial revolution which marks the beginning of humans evolving tech rapidly. It's almost as if it was inevitable once we reached that stage. To be against it is futile as it's as natural as gravity. And we just keep getting better at it.
    - Nursie 3y ago
      Or capitalism will fuck the environment so thoroughly before we get there that the above can’t transpire.
      - nemo44x 3y ago
        Maybe, maybe not - but that's sort of the point. It doesn't really matter since there's no alternative. Accelerationism isn't even a conscience choice per-se - it's a phenomenon that is a product of technological advancement of which Capitalism is the vehicle for. If anything, the only conscious choice is to not resist it as that's ultimately futile since it can't be stopped. Well, unless we went full Teddy K, which I don't think is likely.
        JohnFen 3y ago
        This is not a rational response, I admit, but I simply cannot accept that our doom is inevitable and resistance is futile. If that's the case, then what's the point of even waking up tomorrow?
        nemo44x 3y ago
        Personally I don’t think nihilism is a great compass. You’re right - what’s the point? But do we need a higher good to beat on? Why not just enjoy the essence of our personal temporal existences and make whatever meaning makes sense to us as individuals? And I don’t think doom is the right word. I mean yeah, Homosapien as we know it being wiped out but in a way similar to Neanderthal. But it’s just one theory on it all. :)
        Nursie 3y ago
        There are multiple alternatives, this is just one particular dystopia you’ve foreseen. Capitalism can be effectively regulated and often is, and as a system it only works effectively due to the presence of regulated markets.
        3y ago

It's curious to frame this as an intentional act rather than an inevitable, natural stage of capitalism.

gumballindie 3y ago

I get that, but it’s almost if someone’s trying to prove the point you just made.

amelius 3y ago

This is like saying that anything that can be hacked, should be hacked (instead of fixed).

nemo44x 3y ago

That's the main idea behind accelerationism from a Landian perspective. That capitalism is just getting started and that it's unstoppable and that it won't transition into socialisim like Marx predicted but rather will encompass more and more of everything and be the vehicle for the next evolution into a cybernetic species. It's the evolution of evolution and it's unstoppable. So get on with it and learn to love it. Quotes like "it is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism" and Mark Fisher's (CCNU and Nick Land, etc)ideas around capitalism realism sort of sum it up.

Nursie 3y ago
I mean, it’s pretty easy to imagine capitalism precipitating the end of the world …
- nemo44x 3y ago
  I don't see that per-se. I think it's more likely that capitalism continues to rapidly advance technology to the point where we truly do evolve evolution. So a certain part of the global population will have access to DNA synthesizers and other biotech and AI and can reproduce a master race of post-humans that will dominate and eventually annihilate Homosapiens. After a few generations of rapid improvement (a singularity where post-humans and AI merge into a single entity) they'll view the rest of the world as we view other primates today and won't have much use for them. If not through intentional genocide then just being unable to compete for ecosystem, etc. Homosapiens will fade away as Neanderthals did. Capitalism is a system (much more than just an economic system) that allows for selection like this. In a sense a type of market driven Darwinism which chooses how energy is spent developing the tools that allow humans to evolve rapidly into the next thing. That it's natural that Capitalism started with the industrial revolution which marks the beginning of humans evolving tech rapidly. It's almost as if it was inevitable once we reached that stage. To be against it is futile as it's as natural as gravity. And we just keep getting better at it.
  - Nursie 3y ago
    Or capitalism will fuck the environment so thoroughly before we get there that the above can’t transpire.
    - nemo44x 3y ago
      Maybe, maybe not - but that's sort of the point. It doesn't really matter since there's no alternative. Accelerationism isn't even a conscience choice per-se - it's a phenomenon that is a product of technological advancement of which Capitalism is the vehicle for. If anything, the only conscious choice is to not resist it as that's ultimately futile since it can't be stopped. Well, unless we went full Teddy K, which I don't think is likely.
      - JohnFen 3y ago
        This is not a rational response, I admit, but I simply cannot accept that our doom is inevitable and resistance is futile. If that's the case, then what's the point of even waking up tomorrow?
        nemo44x 3y ago
        Personally I don’t think nihilism is a great compass. You’re right - what’s the point? But do we need a higher good to beat on? Why not just enjoy the essence of our personal temporal existences and make whatever meaning makes sense to us as individuals? And I don’t think doom is the right word. I mean yeah, Homosapien as we know it being wiped out but in a way similar to Neanderthal. But it’s just one theory on it all. :)
      - Nursie 3y ago
        There are multiple alternatives, this is just one particular dystopia you’ve foreseen. Capitalism can be effectively regulated and often is, and as a system it only works effectively due to the presence of regulated markets.
        3y ago