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While this kind of thing isn’t quite ‘theory’, it definitely has some elements of theory within it, but it also uses very grandiose writing and mythological references. This one seems to be created as a museum exhibit with some connection to Mozilla.
Is there a name for this type of essay or a way I could find more like it? This sort of thing is very fun to read even if it’s not serious theory. The subject matter is more or less unimportant to me.
Have you read Cyclonopedia? It’s like the theory fiction book, and is quite a ride. It’s like someone put post-structuralism and Persian mythology into a blender.
A lot of the Warwick CCRU stuff reads the same way, including the worst of all Nick Land lol. Reza was loosely associated with them, but has gone his own way since.
Less theory fiction, but has a similar vibe to the essay you posted is Accelerando by Charles Stross.
You are literally the only other human being I know who has read Cyclonopedia. It so fucking good and I can’t convince anyone to check it out
I know like two other people who have read it. Its a book with a small intended audience.
When I read it I would explain it to my partner and they would look at me like I was losing my mind lmao.
Have you ever found anything like it? I feel like anyone trying to emulate it would fall flat because it was compelling partly because it was pretty novel at the time. The only thing close for me is just reading a thousand plateaus, which has a similar unhinged quality lol
Honestly, no. I love stuff that is completely sui generis like that.
I agree about emulation. It is also emerges out of the moment where Deleuze and Guattari-influenced Accelerationist theory was all the rage, and that was the context that I read it in. No idea what someone picking it up now would make of it
I read it much later than that, but I first came across a quote of it in an essay a bit over a decade ago and never forgot it. The book is quite poetic. Anyone not familiar with the CCRU (particularly Land) stuff and D&G would definitely struggle a bit because he freely uses that kind of terminology, but I feel like the writing is compelling enough that someone could still enjoy it without.
I haven’t, but I’ve just added it to my list. It sounds good from the description. :)
It can be a hard read at times because it’s quite dense with esoteric theory. See my edit about Accelerando too, it’s a fun read and packed with ideas.
If you like the first chapter of Cyclonopedia, there is a book called XYZT written by the same author (not Reza, but someone else). I haven’t read this yet, but will be soon. I’ve heard mixed opinions on it.
Nice, I’ll read that too.
Ian Wright’s essays can have a similar vibe too, and is explicitly about Marxism
https://ianwrightsite.wordpress.com/