The Machine of Pataphysics: Reimagining the Relationship Between Humanity & Technology

In our world there are two things that can be seen as obvious ways that humanity could end. First is that of climate change which we hear about and attempt to deal with all the time. Second, and perhaps less obvious, is the threat of technology replacing us or limiting us to a point where we are no longer human. This modern issue is drastically different from premodern uses of technology driven by analogical connections that helped to discover the universe around us. Following the rise of modern science, technology today is instead tied to productivity and is increasingly used as an efficient way to control the world, including us. The part that has changed most is not as much the technology but the way we use it and how this affects the understanding of ourselves. To mediate such changes, this thesis looks to Alfred Jarry?s pataphysics to redefine the way that humanity interacts with technology, to help break us free from the current limitations we have placed on ourselves. It explores a world where machines might help us come together and create connections instead of isolating us for productivity and profit