Lesson plan
Hyperstition
A hyperstition is a self-fulfilling idea that becomes real through its own existence. The price of Bitcoin, Roko's Basilisk, accelerationism, and the QAnon conspiracy theory have all been described as hyperstitions. Self-fulfilling prophecies are a kind of hyperstition where predictions are made about the future that become true by being known. The concept was coined by Nick Land in 1995 as a portmanteau of hyper- and superstition, during his time at the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit developing the philosophy of accelerationism.
Article summary
A hyperstition is a self-fulfilling idea that becomes real through its own existence. The price of Bitcoin, Roko's Basilisk, accelerationism, and the QAnon conspiracy theory have all been described as hyperstitions. Self-fulfilling prophecies are a kind of hyperstition where predictions are made about the future that become true by being known. The concept was coined by Nick Land in 1995 as a portmanteau of hyper- and superstition, during his time at the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit developing the philosophy of accelerationism.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.