#OtherMachines

2025-02-09

No stranger to being late to a party, and amazed that this book is not cited more beyond its (magnificent) prologue.
Prescient analyses of transhumanism and utilitarianism, and a super inspiring writing/thinking style.

"It is quite conceivable that the modern age - which began with such an unprecedented and promising outburst of human activity - may end in the deadliest, most sterile passivity history has ever known."

#HannahArendt #TheHumanCondition #OtherMachines #SystemsThatMatter

The cover of the first edition (not a first printing, this one is from 1959) of "The Human Condition" by Hannah Arendt, published in 1958.
2025-01-23

A recurrent problem of preparing a seminar is that there are so many things that would be interesting to read...

#OtherMachines #SchoolOfArtsGent #SystemsThatMatter

A pile of books, including "The Technological Society" by Jacques Ellul, "L'age des low tech" by Philippe Bihouix, "The Xenofeminist Manifesto" by Laboria Cuboniks, "Au temps des catastrophes by Isabelle Stengers, "Parallel Minds" by Laura Tripaldi, "Fully Automated Luxury Communism" by Aaron Bastani, "Hou het klein" by E.F. Schumacher, "Scientific Realism" by Nicholas Rescher, "White Skin, Black Fuel" by Andreas Malm and the Zetkin Collective, "Machines as the Measure of Men" by Michael Adas and "The Book of the New Alchemists".
2025-01-22

The 'New Alchemists' were a collective pioneering small scale, ecological systems, looking for sustainable alternatives to big tech and other forms of monoculture. Very uncomfortable to read 50 year old texts that discuss fossil fuel addiction.

#OtherMachines #NewAlchemists #SystemsThatMatter

The cover of "The Book of the New Alchemists", published in 1977. It depicts a windmill that appears to be built, not bought.
2025-01-21

Preparing the upcoming "Other Machines" seminar at KASK in Ghent. An appropriate moment to revisit this one, from 2014. (There is also an English translation that was published in 2020).

#OtherMachines #LowTech #PhilippeBihouix #SystemsThatMatter

The cover of the (original) French edition of Philippe Bihouix "L'age des low tech, Vers une civilisation techniquement soutenable". Paris: points. Written in 2014. Translated into English and published as "The Age of Low Tech, Towards a Technologically Sustainable Civilization". Bristol University Press.

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