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Abstract Horror: The Unknown, as The Unknown
368 pages, Unknown Binding
About the author
Nick Land
47 books797 followersLand was a lecturer in Continental Philosophy at the University of Warwick from 1987 until his resignation in 1998.
At Warwick, he and Sadie Plant co-founded the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit (CCRU), an interdisciplinary research group described by philosopher Graham Harman as "a diverse group of thinkers who experimented in conceptual production by welding together a wide variety of sources: futurism, technoscience, philosophy, mysticism, numerology, complexity theory, and science fiction, among others".
During his time at Warwick, Land participated in Virtual Futures, a series of cyber-culture conferences. Virtual Futures 96 was advertised as “an anti-disciplinary event” and “a conference in the post-humanities”. One session involved Nick Land “lying on the ground, croaking into a mic”, recalls Robin Mackay, while Mackay played jungle records in the background."
In 1992, he published The Thirst for Annihilation: Georges Bataille and Virulent Nihilism. Land published an abundance of shorter texts, many in the 1990s during his time with the CCRU. The majority of these articles were compiled in the retrospective collection Fanged Noumena: Collected Writings 1987-2007, published in 2011.
Land taught at the New Centre for Research & Practice until March 2017,
One of Land's celebrated concepts is "hyperstition," a portmanteau of "superstition" and "hyper" that describes the action of successful ideas in the arena of culture. Hyperstitions are ideas that, once "downloaded" into the cultural mainframe, engender apocalyptic positive feedback cycles. Hyperstitions – by their very existence as ideas – function causally to bring about their own reality. Nick Land describes hyperstition as "the experimental (techno-)science of self-fulfilling prophecies".
At Warwick, he and Sadie Plant co-founded the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit (CCRU), an interdisciplinary research group described by philosopher Graham Harman as "a diverse group of thinkers who experimented in conceptual production by welding together a wide variety of sources: futurism, technoscience, philosophy, mysticism, numerology, complexity theory, and science fiction, among others".
During his time at Warwick, Land participated in Virtual Futures, a series of cyber-culture conferences. Virtual Futures 96 was advertised as “an anti-disciplinary event” and “a conference in the post-humanities”. One session involved Nick Land “lying on the ground, croaking into a mic”, recalls Robin Mackay, while Mackay played jungle records in the background."
In 1992, he published The Thirst for Annihilation: Georges Bataille and Virulent Nihilism. Land published an abundance of shorter texts, many in the 1990s during his time with the CCRU. The majority of these articles were compiled in the retrospective collection Fanged Noumena: Collected Writings 1987-2007, published in 2011.
Land taught at the New Centre for Research & Practice until March 2017,
One of Land's celebrated concepts is "hyperstition," a portmanteau of "superstition" and "hyper" that describes the action of successful ideas in the arena of culture. Hyperstitions are ideas that, once "downloaded" into the cultural mainframe, engender apocalyptic positive feedback cycles. Hyperstitions – by their very existence as ideas – function causally to bring about their own reality. Nick Land describes hyperstition as "the experimental (techno-)science of self-fulfilling prophecies".
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 18, 2023
Post Influence Land, still pretty potent. Since he is active on twitter again I recommend that you still follow him, he will continue to make good points until he dies (probably). Horror is about hyperstition is about level 2, numogram, ocean, outside. These are all about Bataille and the solar anus, if we go for an almost biblical reading his ideas havent moved an inch since he started publishing in 80s, he is still fixated with the outside his methods got better* though. Terror is the feeling of expansion, your chest heaves when you are scared, only way to make it into level 2 of human existence will be thorough metal inferno, hope you got what it takes for me to see you on the other side.
He shouldnt have mocked gamergate tbh, he is so petty doesnt want to look outside of his little fief but its okay, we like our authors despite their tunnel visions.
EDIT: God just remembered him talking about Gnon, someone should make him shut up about God he is spewing Kalam argument and isnt even apologetic about it. Everyone has their blindspots I guess but Nick Land is seriously lacking (was lacking?) in his understanding of divine, divinity and death. If you dont know just dont talk its not that hard.
He shouldnt have mocked gamergate tbh, he is so petty doesnt want to look outside of his little fief but its okay, we like our authors despite their tunnel visions.
EDIT: God just remembered him talking about Gnon, someone should make him shut up about God he is spewing Kalam argument and isnt even apologetic about it. Everyone has their blindspots I guess but Nick Land is seriously lacking (was lacking?) in his understanding of divine, divinity and death. If you dont know just dont talk its not that hard.
Displaying 1 of 1 review