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Temporalità e filosofia Nick Land

Abstract

Thinking at the Edge of Collapse: Temporality and Philosophy in Nick Land. This article aims to explore the nature of Nick Land’s “anomalous theory of time”, of which we can single out two fundamental features. Namely, (1) that the future is no less ontologically given than the past, and (2) that it can interfere with the present condition. In order to deepen their meaning, I map out a genealogy of Land’s theory, by drawing from his entanglement with multiple conceptual domains. Firstly, I deal with the notion of hyperstition, which is taken as an entry–point into Land’s understanding of time, and through which we can shift our attention from the future in itself to its virtual dimension, thereby clarifying the nature of its interactive dynamics with the present and actual sphere. Secondly, I address Land’s cybernetic approach to the structure of time, bringing into account some scientific issues that, according to the philosopher, point toward a re–evaluation of temporality. Eventually, by accounting for Land’s own hyperstition, which exposes philosophy to a reconfiguration of its functions — i.e., that of shedding light on, and effectuating alike, the (virtual) future to come — I resonate around the destiny of the philosophical thought therein.