Yvonne Förster

Mode zwischen Kultur und Kunst

Mode ist ein omniprasentes Phanomen zeitgenossischer Kultur. Nicht nur die Kleidermoden pragen das Erscheinungsbild der urbanen Raume, jedes Artefakt taglichen Lebens ist geformt durch Design und erscheint mehr oder weniger zeitgemas. Auch Kommunikationsformen und Korperhaltungen befinden sich in einem Wandel, der eng an den Wechsel der Moden in Kleidung und Technik gebunden ist. Trotz des immensen Einflusses der Mode auf zeitgenossische Kultur blieben die philosophischen Auseinandersetzungen mit diesem Phanomen bisher selten.

Effects of the Neuro-Turn

Abstract This chapter discusses the image of the neural net and its impact on human self-understanding. Neuroscientific imaging techniques produce a wide range of images of the inside of the skull, which not only serve a medical purpose but also begin to fuel our imagination and give the interdisciplinary discussion a new edge. I will elaborate on how philosophy adopts neuroscientific thinking and how art incorporates artificial life. Based on an analysis of the movies Her (2013) and Transcendence (2014), two highly successful Hollywood movies and recent examples from popular culture, I show that these movies invoke a net structure as their leading image, and that it makes a difference whether the image of the brain (body-bound) or of the neural net (not body-bound) is used. Furthermore, the neural net represents an image that suggests the emergence of intelligence, self-organization, and infinity. It is closely intertwined with the Internet, advanced computing, and utopias of immortality. These images, I argue, ultimately suggest a new metaphysical dimension of an omni-present consciousness that permeates being itself.This chapter discusses the image of the neural net and its impact on human self-understanding. Neuroscientific imaging techniques produce a wide range of images of the inside of the skull, which not only serve a medical purpose but also begin to fuel our imagination and give the interdisciplinary discussion a new edge. I will elaborate on how philosophy adopts neuroscientific thinking and how art incorporates artificial life. Based on an analysis of the movies Her (2013) and Transcendence (2014), two highly successful Hollywood movies and recent examples from popular culture, I show that these movies invoke a net structure as their leading image, and that it makes a difference whether the image of the brain (body-bound) or of the neural net (not body-bound) is used. Furthermore, the neural net represents an image that suggests the emergence of intelligence, self-organization, and infinity. It is closely intertwined with the Internet, advanced computing, and utopias of immortality. These images, I argue, ultimately suggest a new metaphysical dimension of an omni-present consciousness that permeates being itself.