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Collapse #1
Collapse, Volume 1: Numerical Materialism
Collapse I is an unprecedented collection of work by leading practitioners in diverse fields of enquiry. Conceived as a meticulously compiled and compendious miscellany, a grimoire or instruction manual without referent, as a delirious carnival of sobriety, Collapse operates its war against good sense not through romantic flight but through the formal insanity secreted in the depths of the rational ("the rational is not reasonable").
Collapse aims to force unforeseen conjunctions, singular correspondences, and unnatural cross-fertilisations; to diagram abstract regions as yet unnamed.
The first volume of Collapse investigates the nature and philosophical uses of number through interviews with philosophers scientists and mathematicians, essays on the mathematics of intensity, terrorism, the occult and information theory, and graphical works of multiplicity.
Collapse aims to force unforeseen conjunctions, singular correspondences, and unnatural cross-fertilisations; to diagram abstract regions as yet unnamed.
The first volume of Collapse investigates the nature and philosophical uses of number through interviews with philosophers scientists and mathematicians, essays on the mathematics of intensity, terrorism, the occult and information theory, and graphical works of multiplicity.
294 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 3, 2020
The Matthew Watkins interview here is brilliant, but just about everything else is forgettable. The Badiou and Bostrom interview are mostly the subjects listing off their previous works, and I'm still not sure why anyone takes Nick Bostrom seriously. Gregory Chaitin's lecture "Epistemology as Information Theory: From Leibniz to Omega," transcribed here, and Thomas Duzer's "On the Mathematics of Intensity: A Logic of Self-Belonging" are both fine. Reza Negarestani's "The Militarization of Peace: Absence of Terror or Terror of Absence?" was underwhelming. Even Nick Land keeps things tame in "Qabbala 101," with only a sporadic few flourishes of stochastic punctuation betraying his speed casualty background.
Still, I remain hopeful the next few volumes of this journal will pick up, since I'm a fan of Robin Mackay and their topics become progressively more colorful. As for volume one, I recommend the Watkins interview and the cool Keith Tilford illustrations, but the rest is skippable.
Still, I remain hopeful the next few volumes of this journal will pick up, since I'm a fan of Robin Mackay and their topics become progressively more colorful. As for volume one, I recommend the Watkins interview and the cool Keith Tilford illustrations, but the rest is skippable.
May 25, 2025
Rundown:
The introductory volume of Collapse is pretty experimental, in a formalizing-of-empirical-studies-into-algorithmic-descriptions type of way. I’m eager to read more of the journal from Urbanomic. The collection aims to communicate the "passion for thought, and the excitement of thinking," favoring "de jure mad scientists with their bubbling conceptual cauldrons over career academics." My personal take is that its novelty is this fearless interdisciplinarity, particularly its bold integration of mathematics, not just as a tool, but as a fundamental language for a kind of experimental philosophy. This isn't about applying philosophy to math, or vice-versa; its message explores the sinews of thought where formal systems, abstract structures, and philosophical inquiry meet through revelatory threads.
Here r bullet points on the chapters of the collection, in order:
Alain Badiou is interviewed on the relations between philosophy, sciences, and mathematics, clarifying his materialist thought and the role of mathematics in defining 'nature'.
Gregory Chaitin, (paper) "Epistemology as Information Theory," presents a whirlwind review of how information theory can reframe our understanding of knowledge and scientific theories.
Reza Negarestani's (paper) "The Militarization of Peace" describes the mutation and hybridization of certain components of Islamic thought, ultimately referring it to a mathematical model.
Matthew Watkins is interviewed on prime evolution, offering a non-specialist speculative exploration of complex concepts at the intersection of number theory and physics.
'Incognitum' (psuedoynym) with the (paper) "Introduction to ABJAD," delves into a functionally-complex alphanumeric system and its cultural-historical significance.
Nick Bostrom is interviewed on "Existential Risk," discussing his Future of Humanity Institute and the philosophical work on issues of unimaginable magnitude.
Thomas Duzer's paper) "On the Mathematics of Intensity" picks up threads from Lacan's project of mathematizing the unconscious, inflecting it with an affirmative stance.
Keith Tilford contributes "Art: Crowds," graphical work drawing on poststructuralist debates about multiplicity and individuation.
Nick Land's (paper) "Qabbala 101" puts the meta-rational orthodoxies of experimental practice to the test through an exotericized qabbalistics.
Gregory Chaitin’s "Epistemology as Information Theory" is neat for its re-envisioning of scientific/mathematical theories as computer programs, where understanding equates compression. He posits that the best theory is the smallest program that can generate the observed facts, offering a quantifiable measure of a theory's success. This is experimental philosophy I love to read: using the precise language of algorithmic information theory to probe the limits of knowledge and proof, making mathematics itself an almost empirical field of inquiry. Similarly, Thomas Duzer’s "On the Mathematics of Intensity" is novel in its attempt to forge a "logic of self-belonging" by exploring the "unconscious as a true physical topography" whose dimensions correspond to zones of intensity. It’s cool because it seeks a rigorous, almost mathematical, framework for deeply subjective and affective experiences, pushing philosophy into a space where formal thought meets the "Mystical." Both pieces exemplify the volume's mathematical angle, using formal concepts to dissect and reconstruct philosophical problems.
The parts I really dig:
The cover image, the ABJAD diagram from page 202 of the pseudonym’s piece, featuring a figure composed of names and symbols, is cool because it immediately signals the book's esoteric and deeply symbolic explorations, blending ancient systems with modern inquiry. 'Incognitum's' "Introduction to ABJAD" itself is a fascinating dive into a system where numbers and letters are not just representational but operative, shaping belief and even heresy. The paper reveals ABJAD as a multi-functional heretical tool, a language for minorities, and a support for political belief-systems through mathematics and crypto-sciences. This exploration of an ancient "mathematical" system used for divination, coding, and conceptual mapping is a brilliant example of unearthing alternative rationalities, perfectly aligning with the volume's experimental ethos.
Keith Tilford's "Crowds" art, described in the intro as drawing on "philosophical debates in poststructuralism" and "evoking especially the ongoing debates over the nature of multiplicity and individuation," is a fantastic inclusion. These ink drawings, with their intricate, almost cellular, emergence of faces from a miasma of lines, visually embody the philosophical concepts the book grapples with. Their presence underscores Collapse's commitment to being more than purely textual, making the exploration of abstract ideas a multi-sensory, aesthetic experience, thereby enriching the experimental nature of the collection.
Duzer's "On the Mathematics of Intensity" is a standout piece to me. It advances Deleuzian studies by attempting to provide a formal, almost mathematical, structure for concepts like intensity and the unconscious, which Deleuze explored more descriptively. Duzer speaks of the "unconscious as a true physical topography" with "a thousand plateaus," directly echoing Deleuze, but then pushes towards a "mathematics of intensity" as a "logic of self-belonging." This resonates powerfully with Alain Badiou's interview near the beginning of the collection, where Badiou discusses the mathematical articulation of being and the logical organization of worlds. Collapse thus creates an amazing dialectic: Badiou provides an angle of his framework where mathematics is ontology, and Duzer offers a specific, intensive application of mathematical-logical thinking to the psycho-philosophical terrain. This interplay is a testament to the volume's experimental success in fostering dialogue between distinct but resonant philosophical projects. The novelty of Duzer's chapter lies in its ambitious synthesis of psychoanalysis (thru Lacan), Deleuzian philosophy, and a drive towards mathematical formalization. It's philosophically cool because it refuses to leave concepts like "intensity" or the "Self" in the realm of the purely metaphorical, instead seeking a rigorous "etho-onto-logic." Duzer posits that "the unconscious is in fact a true physical topography… each of whose dimensions corresponds to a zone of intensity," and that the "integral production of the mathematics of intensities has a preliminary requirement: the conquest of the unconscious by any means available." He further posits that the "Self is that 'planomenon' (Deleuze), that paradoxical substance where the polyphony of intensities circulates in pure immanence; intensive grammar itself in perpetual differance since it is connection, syntax of differences."
Deeper into two of Duzer's points: First, his conceptualization of the Ego versus the Self is crucial. The Ego is presented as a "false unity," a "coding filter" imposed by the "Socius," which separates the individual from their power. The Self, in contrast, is the "indiscernability of the one and the multiple," a site of "pure immanence" where intensities circulate. This distinction is powerful because it offers a framework for understanding alienation and liberation not just psychologically, but as a problem of logical and topographical organization, susceptible to a "mathematics." It challenges traditional psychoanalytic notions by grounding them in a more abstract, structural, and ultimately affirmative logic. Second, Duzer's idea of a "mathematics of intensities" as a "real pragmatics" and a "constructivist philosophy between free individuals" is compelling. He suggests that once the unconscious is "liberated" (becoming "in-conscious"), it becomes "productive, that is, capable of continuous creation." This allows for "logical conjunctions (connections and disconnections)... creating significant liaisons in systems of relations which are external to their terms." This isn't just abstract theory; it’s a call for a practical science of being, an "etho-onto-logic" that moves beyond mere description to active construction then connection--or connection then construction. This directly serves the overarching thesis of Collapse I by demonstrating how a mathematically-inflected philosophy can be profoundly experimental and generative, aiming to build new ways of thinking and relating.
What I didn’t like:
While the ambition of these people should be and are always externally noted, the contributions from Nick Bostrom on existential risk and Nick Land on "Qabbala 101" didn't resonate as strongly for me. Bostrom's work, while addressing undeniably significant issues, can sometimes feel like it re-treads ground already covered by critiques of techno-futurism, and Land's piece, though intentionally provocative, occasionally risks becoming a caricature of the very esoteric accelerationism he's known for, perhaps echoing critiques he has faced elsewhere about opacity. I’ve held these beliefs towards these academics before reading, so this is not objective, but is any review? I personally do not align the ends of their works, or the effects the works had, towards a philosophy that is worth understanding further. Accelerationism and longtermism is a drag.
More broadly, the collection's strength—its embrace of the esoteric and highly specialized—can also be a barrier. Many chapters demand significant prior knowledge (I’ve found myself searching probably 75% of words in these chapters / what the philosophers meant), and the density of the prose often requires multiple readings to even begin to grasp the arguments. While I engaged with all chapters, some, due to their sheer conceptual difficulty and niche ass focus, remained somewhat opaque, not inviting the same level of re-engagement as the more (relatively) accessible or immediately captivating pieces discussed earlier. This isn't a flaw per se... given the journal's aims, but it does make it a challenging read of course. The challenge is a necessity with this type of philosophy, and a feature of this journal.
Final thoughts:
Shoutout to Robin Mackay and associate editors Ray Brassier and Michael Carr for these works. Collapse I is a demanding but ultimately rewarding collection that successfully pioneers another form of radically experimental philosophy. I think this introductory volume throws down an axe to more conventional academic discourse, where the lumberjacks (these thinkers) who are unafraid to venture into the conceptual wilderness. I’m still lost in these jungles. My ex-girlfriend bought me a physical copy of this for my birthday in 2024, and I’ve slowly chipped away it till a year later of finishing it finally. I miss her dearly. Not only was this hard to read, like by itself thru its nature of being challenging, but also because it was a physical and self-esteeming boost gift from her: as its a testament to her belief in my ability to grapple with such material. Deciphering the esoteric arguments felt like navigating a landscape she had provided the map to, now explored alone. Also it was difficult to read and find secondary sources about this collection--experimental stuff like this can make you feel lonely then rewarded, then desolate. Anyways the volume's consistent, if varied, engagement with mathematics as a tool for philosophical inquiry and world-building is so exciting. It demonstrates that the intersection of formal thought and speculative philosophy is not a barren landscape but a fertile ground for new ideas, making this book an awesome read for anyone interested in the adventurous frontiers of contemporary thought of the early 2000s.
The introductory volume of Collapse is pretty experimental, in a formalizing-of-empirical-studies-into-algorithmic-descriptions type of way. I’m eager to read more of the journal from Urbanomic. The collection aims to communicate the "passion for thought, and the excitement of thinking," favoring "de jure mad scientists with their bubbling conceptual cauldrons over career academics." My personal take is that its novelty is this fearless interdisciplinarity, particularly its bold integration of mathematics, not just as a tool, but as a fundamental language for a kind of experimental philosophy. This isn't about applying philosophy to math, or vice-versa; its message explores the sinews of thought where formal systems, abstract structures, and philosophical inquiry meet through revelatory threads.
Here r bullet points on the chapters of the collection, in order:
Alain Badiou is interviewed on the relations between philosophy, sciences, and mathematics, clarifying his materialist thought and the role of mathematics in defining 'nature'.
Gregory Chaitin, (paper) "Epistemology as Information Theory," presents a whirlwind review of how information theory can reframe our understanding of knowledge and scientific theories.
Reza Negarestani's (paper) "The Militarization of Peace" describes the mutation and hybridization of certain components of Islamic thought, ultimately referring it to a mathematical model.
Matthew Watkins is interviewed on prime evolution, offering a non-specialist speculative exploration of complex concepts at the intersection of number theory and physics.
'Incognitum' (psuedoynym) with the (paper) "Introduction to ABJAD," delves into a functionally-complex alphanumeric system and its cultural-historical significance.
Nick Bostrom is interviewed on "Existential Risk," discussing his Future of Humanity Institute and the philosophical work on issues of unimaginable magnitude.
Thomas Duzer's paper) "On the Mathematics of Intensity" picks up threads from Lacan's project of mathematizing the unconscious, inflecting it with an affirmative stance.
Keith Tilford contributes "Art: Crowds," graphical work drawing on poststructuralist debates about multiplicity and individuation.
Nick Land's (paper) "Qabbala 101" puts the meta-rational orthodoxies of experimental practice to the test through an exotericized qabbalistics.
Gregory Chaitin’s "Epistemology as Information Theory" is neat for its re-envisioning of scientific/mathematical theories as computer programs, where understanding equates compression. He posits that the best theory is the smallest program that can generate the observed facts, offering a quantifiable measure of a theory's success. This is experimental philosophy I love to read: using the precise language of algorithmic information theory to probe the limits of knowledge and proof, making mathematics itself an almost empirical field of inquiry. Similarly, Thomas Duzer’s "On the Mathematics of Intensity" is novel in its attempt to forge a "logic of self-belonging" by exploring the "unconscious as a true physical topography" whose dimensions correspond to zones of intensity. It’s cool because it seeks a rigorous, almost mathematical, framework for deeply subjective and affective experiences, pushing philosophy into a space where formal thought meets the "Mystical." Both pieces exemplify the volume's mathematical angle, using formal concepts to dissect and reconstruct philosophical problems.
The parts I really dig:
The cover image, the ABJAD diagram from page 202 of the pseudonym’s piece, featuring a figure composed of names and symbols, is cool because it immediately signals the book's esoteric and deeply symbolic explorations, blending ancient systems with modern inquiry. 'Incognitum's' "Introduction to ABJAD" itself is a fascinating dive into a system where numbers and letters are not just representational but operative, shaping belief and even heresy. The paper reveals ABJAD as a multi-functional heretical tool, a language for minorities, and a support for political belief-systems through mathematics and crypto-sciences. This exploration of an ancient "mathematical" system used for divination, coding, and conceptual mapping is a brilliant example of unearthing alternative rationalities, perfectly aligning with the volume's experimental ethos.
Keith Tilford's "Crowds" art, described in the intro as drawing on "philosophical debates in poststructuralism" and "evoking especially the ongoing debates over the nature of multiplicity and individuation," is a fantastic inclusion. These ink drawings, with their intricate, almost cellular, emergence of faces from a miasma of lines, visually embody the philosophical concepts the book grapples with. Their presence underscores Collapse's commitment to being more than purely textual, making the exploration of abstract ideas a multi-sensory, aesthetic experience, thereby enriching the experimental nature of the collection.
Duzer's "On the Mathematics of Intensity" is a standout piece to me. It advances Deleuzian studies by attempting to provide a formal, almost mathematical, structure for concepts like intensity and the unconscious, which Deleuze explored more descriptively. Duzer speaks of the "unconscious as a true physical topography" with "a thousand plateaus," directly echoing Deleuze, but then pushes towards a "mathematics of intensity" as a "logic of self-belonging." This resonates powerfully with Alain Badiou's interview near the beginning of the collection, where Badiou discusses the mathematical articulation of being and the logical organization of worlds. Collapse thus creates an amazing dialectic: Badiou provides an angle of his framework where mathematics is ontology, and Duzer offers a specific, intensive application of mathematical-logical thinking to the psycho-philosophical terrain. This interplay is a testament to the volume's experimental success in fostering dialogue between distinct but resonant philosophical projects. The novelty of Duzer's chapter lies in its ambitious synthesis of psychoanalysis (thru Lacan), Deleuzian philosophy, and a drive towards mathematical formalization. It's philosophically cool because it refuses to leave concepts like "intensity" or the "Self" in the realm of the purely metaphorical, instead seeking a rigorous "etho-onto-logic." Duzer posits that "the unconscious is in fact a true physical topography… each of whose dimensions corresponds to a zone of intensity," and that the "integral production of the mathematics of intensities has a preliminary requirement: the conquest of the unconscious by any means available." He further posits that the "Self is that 'planomenon' (Deleuze), that paradoxical substance where the polyphony of intensities circulates in pure immanence; intensive grammar itself in perpetual differance since it is connection, syntax of differences."
Deeper into two of Duzer's points: First, his conceptualization of the Ego versus the Self is crucial. The Ego is presented as a "false unity," a "coding filter" imposed by the "Socius," which separates the individual from their power. The Self, in contrast, is the "indiscernability of the one and the multiple," a site of "pure immanence" where intensities circulate. This distinction is powerful because it offers a framework for understanding alienation and liberation not just psychologically, but as a problem of logical and topographical organization, susceptible to a "mathematics." It challenges traditional psychoanalytic notions by grounding them in a more abstract, structural, and ultimately affirmative logic. Second, Duzer's idea of a "mathematics of intensities" as a "real pragmatics" and a "constructivist philosophy between free individuals" is compelling. He suggests that once the unconscious is "liberated" (becoming "in-conscious"), it becomes "productive, that is, capable of continuous creation." This allows for "logical conjunctions (connections and disconnections)... creating significant liaisons in systems of relations which are external to their terms." This isn't just abstract theory; it’s a call for a practical science of being, an "etho-onto-logic" that moves beyond mere description to active construction then connection--or connection then construction. This directly serves the overarching thesis of Collapse I by demonstrating how a mathematically-inflected philosophy can be profoundly experimental and generative, aiming to build new ways of thinking and relating.
What I didn’t like:
While the ambition of these people should be and are always externally noted, the contributions from Nick Bostrom on existential risk and Nick Land on "Qabbala 101" didn't resonate as strongly for me. Bostrom's work, while addressing undeniably significant issues, can sometimes feel like it re-treads ground already covered by critiques of techno-futurism, and Land's piece, though intentionally provocative, occasionally risks becoming a caricature of the very esoteric accelerationism he's known for, perhaps echoing critiques he has faced elsewhere about opacity. I’ve held these beliefs towards these academics before reading, so this is not objective, but is any review? I personally do not align the ends of their works, or the effects the works had, towards a philosophy that is worth understanding further. Accelerationism and longtermism is a drag.
More broadly, the collection's strength—its embrace of the esoteric and highly specialized—can also be a barrier. Many chapters demand significant prior knowledge (I’ve found myself searching probably 75% of words in these chapters / what the philosophers meant), and the density of the prose often requires multiple readings to even begin to grasp the arguments. While I engaged with all chapters, some, due to their sheer conceptual difficulty and niche ass focus, remained somewhat opaque, not inviting the same level of re-engagement as the more (relatively) accessible or immediately captivating pieces discussed earlier. This isn't a flaw per se... given the journal's aims, but it does make it a challenging read of course. The challenge is a necessity with this type of philosophy, and a feature of this journal.
Final thoughts:
Shoutout to Robin Mackay and associate editors Ray Brassier and Michael Carr for these works. Collapse I is a demanding but ultimately rewarding collection that successfully pioneers another form of radically experimental philosophy. I think this introductory volume throws down an axe to more conventional academic discourse, where the lumberjacks (these thinkers) who are unafraid to venture into the conceptual wilderness. I’m still lost in these jungles. My ex-girlfriend bought me a physical copy of this for my birthday in 2024, and I’ve slowly chipped away it till a year later of finishing it finally. I miss her dearly. Not only was this hard to read, like by itself thru its nature of being challenging, but also because it was a physical and self-esteeming boost gift from her: as its a testament to her belief in my ability to grapple with such material. Deciphering the esoteric arguments felt like navigating a landscape she had provided the map to, now explored alone. Also it was difficult to read and find secondary sources about this collection--experimental stuff like this can make you feel lonely then rewarded, then desolate. Anyways the volume's consistent, if varied, engagement with mathematics as a tool for philosophical inquiry and world-building is so exciting. It demonstrates that the intersection of formal thought and speculative philosophy is not a barren landscape but a fertile ground for new ideas, making this book an awesome read for anyone interested in the adventurous frontiers of contemporary thought of the early 2000s.
December 24, 2023
give this to the crazy math person in your life
August 20, 2016
At its best, this collection was really quite good indeed. The Turing lecture and the lengthy interview with Watkins in the middle of the book were extremely thought-provoking highlights. A couple pieces fell short for me, including those by Negarestani (who I assume was the "Incognitum" author of the ABJAD piece) which were what led me to this series in part. The contribution by Duzer towards the end also bordered on the totally incoherent, at least to me. Overall though I'm very glad I picked this up, and will definitely continue reading more of these collections.
August 21, 2015
Strong range of articles, most very interesting, including a 100-page interview with a mathematician whose use of metaphor helps clarify what must be technically difficult concepts, one most incomprehensible article, and one meh article on qaballa.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews