Supervising the Creation of New Forms of Philosophy
Proposal Type
Individual Talk
Location
Algorithms & Imaginaries
Start Date
July 2026
End Date
July 2026
Abstract
This paper examines the emergence of new myth-making practices within digital philosophy. If electronic literature (e-lit) is considered a form of philosophical expression, how does reflection function when enacted through digital interaction rather than linear argumentation?
While analogue philosophical texts traditionally guide readers on a structured 'pilgrimage of thought', electronic literature decentralizes authority and disrupts totalizing or idealist interpretative frameworks. Rather than presenting closed systems, it often creates open, participatory environments. This raises a central question: should such practices be described as e-philosophy, as a form of practical philosophy, or as something that challenges the distinction altogether?
Drawing on the concept of rhizomatic thinking developed by Deleuze and Guattari (1987; also discussed in Delagrange, 2009), and in reference to previous research (e.g. Kolb, 1997), this paper explores how networked structures and hypertextual forms (Baehr & Lang, 2019) reshape philosophical methodology. If philosophical thinking becomes procedural, interactive and coded, must philosophers learn to program to fully engage with this medium? Or does the artistic form resist systematic theory-building?
Two examples illustrate this tension. Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film Theorema attempts to translate theoretical reflection into cinematic form, demonstrating how philosophy can inform audiovisual narratives. In the digital realm, Homestuck, a collaboratively produced, interactive web comic with participatory elements, stages a theory of hypertext through hypertext itself. Both works suggest that theory can be embedded in aesthetic and procedural structures rather than articulated discursively.
This paper ultimately asks: how can theory be incorporated into practical digital artworks? As a result of this inquiry, I will present the conceptual groundwork for a future philosophical e-text that is both electronic and emotional and explores how digital forms might enable new modes of reflection.
Supervising the Creation of New Forms of Philosophy
Algorithms & Imaginaries
This paper examines the emergence of new myth-making practices within digital philosophy. If electronic literature (e-lit) is considered a form of philosophical expression, how does reflection function when enacted through digital interaction rather than linear argumentation?
While analogue philosophical texts traditionally guide readers on a structured 'pilgrimage of thought', electronic literature decentralizes authority and disrupts totalizing or idealist interpretative frameworks. Rather than presenting closed systems, it often creates open, participatory environments. This raises a central question: should such practices be described as e-philosophy, as a form of practical philosophy, or as something that challenges the distinction altogether?
Drawing on the concept of rhizomatic thinking developed by Deleuze and Guattari (1987; also discussed in Delagrange, 2009), and in reference to previous research (e.g. Kolb, 1997), this paper explores how networked structures and hypertextual forms (Baehr & Lang, 2019) reshape philosophical methodology. If philosophical thinking becomes procedural, interactive and coded, must philosophers learn to program to fully engage with this medium? Or does the artistic form resist systematic theory-building?
Two examples illustrate this tension. Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film Theorema attempts to translate theoretical reflection into cinematic form, demonstrating how philosophy can inform audiovisual narratives. In the digital realm, Homestuck, a collaboratively produced, interactive web comic with participatory elements, stages a theory of hypertext through hypertext itself. Both works suggest that theory can be embedded in aesthetic and procedural structures rather than articulated discursively.
This paper ultimately asks: how can theory be incorporated into practical digital artworks? As a result of this inquiry, I will present the conceptual groundwork for a future philosophical e-text that is both electronic and emotional and explores how digital forms might enable new modes of reflection.
Bio
Sebastian R. Richter is a graduate research assistant at the Department of Interdisciplinary and Multiscalar Area Studies, University of Regensburg, Germany. His PhD thesis deals with existential philosophy and failure in videogames. He is an associated researcher at the Regensburg Digital Area Studies Lab (DAS|LAB). In addition, he experiments with digital theater as a music theater director.