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Nihilism and the Anthropocene

Sponsored by the Humanities and the Anthropocene Initiative, Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, and the Critical Theory Collective



April 17, 2025

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

GLAS 311

10:00: Introduction

10:15-11:45: Keynote Adress, Peter Trawny (U Wuppertal), “Hypernihilism: On the Lost Origin of Mankind.”

11:45-12:30: Lunch

12:30-1:30: Stefano Franchi (Independent Scholar), "Apocalyptic reduction vs. hypocalyptic revolutions: on the temporality of radical change in the technological era."

1:30-2:30:  Maddalena Cerrato (Texas A&M), "Metis and Machine Learning: New Economies of Secrecy and Sacrifice”

Coffee Break

2:45-3:45:  Humberto González Núñez (U of Texas-Dallas), “Toward a Pharmacology of Dreams: Thinking the Problem of Nihilism in the Anthropocene With Stiegler.”

4:00-5:00:  Rodrigo de los Santos (Texas A&M), “Evil Beyond Meaning and Silence: Infrapolitical Thoughts on Crisis.”

April 18, 2025

10:00 AM - 5:15 PM

GLAS 311

10:00-11:30: Keynote Address, Elliot Wolfson (U of California-Santa Barbara), “The Nihil That Is: Mystical Nihilism and the Skepticism of Faith.”

11:30-12:30: Matthew Peterson (University of Southern California), “Nihilism, Apocalypse, Revolution: Misosophizing with Jean Vioulac.”

12:30-1:00: Lunch

1:00-2:00: Alberto Moreiras (Texas A&M), “Being and Allotropy: Moira.”

2:00-3:00: Donovan Stewart (Leiden University/Leuphana University Lüneburg), “The Prosthesis of Nihilism.”

Coffee Break

3:15-4:15: Lucas Wright (Texas A&M), “Messianism, Nihilism, Infrapolitics: Critical Theory, the Politics of Liberation, and 20th Century Jewish Thought.”

4:15-5:15: Rafael Fernández López (Texas A&M), “Desecularization and Dexamiento.”



Event contact: Dr. Alberto Moreiras moreiras@tamu.edu