Dialectics: Mathematico-Philosophical Sequential Quantification. Drunken Risibility.

Figure: Graphical representation of the quantification of dialectics.

A sequence S of P philosophers along a given period of time would incorporate the P most prominent and visible philosophers in that interval. The use of such a criterion to build the time-sequence for the philosophers implies in not necessarily uniform time-intervals between each pair of subsequent entries.

The set of C measurements used to characterize the philosophers define a C−dimensional feature space which will be henceforth referred to as the philosophical space. The characteristic vector v⃗_i of each philosopher i defines a respective philosophical state in the philosophical space. Given a set of P philosophers, the average state at time i, i ≤ P, is defined as

a⃗_i = 1/i ∑_k=1ⁱ v⃗_k

The opposite state of a given philosophical state v⃗_i is defined as:

r⃗_i = v⃗_i +2(a⃗_i −v⃗_i) = 2a⃗_i − v⃗_i

The opposition vector of philosophical state v⃗_i is given by D⃗_i = r⃗_i − v⃗_i. The opposition amplitude of that same state is defined as ||D⃗_i||.

An emphasis move taking place from the philosophical state v⃗_i is any displacement from v⃗_i along the direction −r⃗_i. A contrary move from the philosophical state v⃗_i is any displacement from v⃗_i along the direction r⃗_i.

Given a time-sequence S of P philosophers, the philosophical move implied by two successive philosophers i and j corresponds to the M⃗_i,j vector extending from v⃗_i to v⃗_j , i.e.

M⃗_i,j = v⃗_j – v⃗_i

In principle, an innovative or differentiated philosophical move would be such that it departs substantially from the current philosophical state v⃗_i. Decomposing innovation moves into two main subtypes: opposition and skewness.

The opposition index W_i,j of a given philosophical move M⃗_i,j is defined as

W_i,j = 〈M⃗_i,j, D⃗_i〉/  ||D⃗_i||²

This index quantifies the intensity of opposition of that respective philosophical move, in the sense of having a large projection along the vector D⃗_i. It should also be noticed that the repetition of opposition moves lead to little innovation, as it would imply in an oscillation around the average state. The skewness index s_i,j of that same philosophical move is the distance between v⃗_j and the line L defined by the vector D⃗_i, and therefore quantifies how much the new philosophical state departs from the respective opposition move. Actually, a sequence of moves with zero skewness would represent more trivial oscillations within the opposition line L_i.

We also suggest an index to quantify the dialectics between a triple of successive philosophers i, j and k. More specifically, the philosophical state v⃗_i is understood as the thesis, the state j is taken as the antithesis, with the synthesis being associated to the state v⃗_k. The hypothesis that k is the consequence, among other forces, of a dialectics between the views v⃗_i and v⃗_j can be expressed by the fact that the philosophical state v⃗_k be located near the middle line ML_i,j defined by the thesis and antithesis (i.e. the points which are at an equal distance to both v⃗_i and v⃗_j) relatively to the opposition amplitude ||D⃗_i||.

Therefore, the counter-dialectic index is defined as

ρ_i→k = d_i→k /||M⃗_i,j||

where d_i→k is the distance between the philosophical state v⃗_k and the middle-line M_Li,j between v⃗_i and v⃗_j. Note that 0 ≤ d_i→k ≤ 1. The choice of counter-dialectics instead of dialectics is justified to maintain compatibility with the use of a distance from point to line as adopted for the definition of skewness….

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The Chernobyl Herbarium

Some images in Anaïs Tondeur’s Chernobyl Herbarium are the explosions of light. Others are softly glowing, breathing with fragility and precariousness. The explosive imprints are, in effect, reminiscent of volcanic eruptions at night, hot lava spewing from the depths of the earth. Even assuming it is not an actual trace of radiation (which the specimens in the herbarium have received from the isotopes of cesium-137 and strontium-90 mixed with the soil of the exclusion zone) that comes through and shines forth from the plants’ contact with photosensitive paper, the resulting works of art cannot help but send us back to a space and time outside the frame, wherein this Linum usitatissimum germinated, grew, and blossomed.

The images are the visible records of an invisible calamity, tracked across the threshold of sight by the power of art. The literal translation from Greek of the technique used here, photogram, is a line of light. Not a photograph, the writing of light, but a photogram, its line captured on photosensitive paper, upon which the object is placed. In writing, a line is already too idealized, too heavy with meaning, overburdened with sense, nearly immaterial. In a photograph, light’s imprint is further removed from the being that emitted or reflected it than in a photogram, where, absent the camera, the line can be itself, can trace itself outside the system of coded significations and machinic mediations. The grammé of a photogram imposes itself from up close. Touching… It endures: etched, engraved, engrained, the energy it transported both reflected (or refracted) and absorbed. Much like radiation, indifferently imbibed by whatever and whoever is on its path – the soil, buildings, plants, animals, humans – yet uncontainable in any single entity whose time-frame it invariably overflows. Through her aesthetic practice, Tondeur detonates, releases the explosions of light trapped in plants, its lines dispersed, crisscrossing photograms every which way. She liberates luminescent traces without violence, avoiding the repetition of the first, invisible event of Chernobyl and, at the same time, capturing something of it. Release and preservation; preservation and release: by the grace of art.

The Chernobyl Herbarium

 

Autonomous Capitalist Algorithmic Virus and its Human Co-conspirators. #AltWoke

Although #AltWoke is a vertical political school of thought, it doesn’t disregard protests or horizontal action. However, we are opposed to kitsch recklessness. Effective protests come from frustrated entities with specific goals in mind, which is why Occupy fizzled out, despite its global audience. The Civil Right’s Movement was strategic and had specific goals in mind. Standing Rock is another example. Yes, riots are protests as well and can also be effective insofar the anger of the oppressed, expressed as violence against private property, highlights a failure or injustice on the state’s end. As an example, the violence in Ferguson led to the development of the Black Lives Matter movement, and this movement examined a specific problem.

We are not opposed to identity politics, per se. We’re opposed to identity politics in its current form. We think a better answer to the current mode of virtue signaling would be to add terms to the modern lexicon that explain intersectionality and, specifically, terms that talk about internalized racism, patriarchy, etc. It’s important to discuss identity in a way that is deserving of the complexity the issue presents. Take lived experience and match it up against statistics, don’t present it as an absolute fact that everyone should automatically agree with.

Many of these terms already exist and deal with identity in a systematic way, as opposed to pointing to lived experience as if it’s an infinite truth. If you think notions like Othering by way of Fanon or cultural hegemony by way of Gramsci are too academic, then make these terms part of the general lexicon until they no longer seem obscure. Teaching Gen Z to understand hegemony and media should be the next big emancipatory project.

We’re a technologically based society and  #AltWoke believes that our political decisions should be framed around this premise. Having access to endless streams of information will cause profound changes, culturally, sociologically, psychologically and perhaps even neurologically. Thus, you should think more critically about the way you engage with technology. This can only happen by educating yourself outside of our writing and manifesto.

The Left thinks we’re the Alt-Right while the Alt-Right thinks we’re AntiFa. In an age where nuance is meaningless, this proves to us that we’re doing something useful.

Conjuncted: Speculatively Accelerated Capital – Trading Outside the Pit.

High Frequency Traders (HFTs hereafter) may anticipate the trades of a mutual fund, for instance, if the mutual fund splits large orders into a series of smaller ones and the initial trades reveal information about the mutual funds’ future trading intentions. HFTs might also forecast order flow if traditional asset managers with similar trading demands do not all trade at the same time, allowing the possibility that the initiation of a trade by one mutual fund could forecast similar future trades by other mutual funds. If an HFT were able to forecast a traditional asset managers’ order flow by either these or some other means, then the HFT could potentially trade ahead of them and profit from the traditional asset manager’s subsequent price impact.

There are two main empirical implications of HFTs engaging in such a trading strategy. The first implication is that HFT trading should lead non-HFT trading – if an HFT buys a stock, non-HFTs should subsequently come into the market and buy those same stocks. Second, since the HFT’s objective would be to profit from non-HFTs’ subsequent price impact, it should be the case that the prices of the stocks they buy rise and those of the stocks they sell fall. These two patterns, together, are consistent with HFTs trading stocks in order to profit from non-HFTs’ future buying and selling pressure. 

While HFTs may in aggregate anticipate non-HFT order flow, it is also possible that among HFTs, some firms’ trades are strongly correlated with future non-HFT order flow, while other firms’ trades have little or no correlation with non-HFT order flow. This may be the case if certain HFTs focus more on strategies that anticipate order flow or if some HFTs are more skilled than other firms. If certain HFTs are better at forecasting order flow or if they focus more on such a strategy, then these HFTs’ trades should be consistently more strongly correlated with future non-HFT trades than are trades from other HFTs. Additionally, if these HFTs are more skilled, then one might expect these HFTs’ trades to be more strongly correlated with future returns. 

Another implication of the anticipatory trading hypothesis is that the correlation between HFT trades and future non-HFT trades should be stronger at times when non-HFTs are impatient. The reason is anticipating buying and selling pressure requires forecasting future trades based on patterns in past trades and orders. To make anticipating their order flow difficult, non-HFTs typically use execution algorithms to disguise their trading intentions. But there is a trade-off between disguising order flow and trading a large position quickly. When non-HFTs are impatient and focused on trading a position quickly, they may not hide their order flow as well, making it easier for HFTs to anticipate their trades. At such times, the correlation between HFT trades and future non-HFT trades should be stronger. 

If there are common trading patterns among firms, then the HFT and non-HFT trading measures will be contemporaneously correlated. This might be the case if, for instance, firms in the HFT and non-HFT samples use the same trading signals. If there is also serial correlation in these trading patterns, then HFT trading will predict non-HFT trading simply because it is a noisy proxy for lagged non-HFT trading. If this explanation is driving a lead-lag relationship between HFT and non-HFT trading and the form is such that HFT trading is non-HFT trading plus noise, then the lead-lag relationship between the two variables will go away after controlling for lagged non-HFT trading.

Infinitesimal and Differential Philosophy. Note Quote.

If difference is the ground of being qua becoming, it is not difference as contradiction (Hegel), but as infinitesimal difference (Leibniz). Accordingly, the world is an ideal continuum or transfinite totality (Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque) of compossibilities and incompossibilities analyzable into an infinity of differential relations (Desert Islands and Other Texts). As the physical world is merely composed of contiguous parts that actually divide until infinity, it finds its sufficient reason in the reciprocal determination of evanescent differences (dy/dx, i.e. the perfectly determinable ratio or intensive magnitude between indeterminate and unassignable differences that relate virtually but never actually). But what is an evanescent difference if not a speculation or fiction? Leibniz refuses to make a distinction between the ontological nature and the practical effectiveness of infinitesimals. For even if they have no actuality of their own, they are nonetheless the genetic requisites of actual things.

Moreover, infinitesimals are precisely those paradoxical means through which the finite understanding is capable of probing into the infinite. They are the elements of a logic of sense, that great logical dream of a combinatory or calculus of problems (Difference and Repetition). On the one hand, intensive magnitudes are entities that cannot be determined logically, i.e. in extension, even if they appear or are determined in sensation only in connection with already extended physical bodies. This is because in themselves they are determined at infinite speed. Is not the differential precisely this problematic entity at the limit of sensibility that exists only virtually, formally, in the realm of thought? Isn’t the differential precisely a minimum of time, which refers only to the swiftness of its fictional apprehension in thought, since it is synthesized in Aion, i.e. in a time smaller than the minimum of continuous time and hence in the interstitial realm where time takes thought instead of thought taking time?

Contrary to the Kantian critique that seeks to eliminate the duality between finite understanding and infinite understanding in order to avoid the contradictions of reason, Deleuze thus agrees with Maïmon that we shouldn’t speak of differentials as mere fictions unless they require the status of a fully actual reality in that infinite understanding. The alternative between mere fictions and actual reality is a false problem that hides the paradoxical reality of the virtual as such: real but not actual, ideal but not abstract. If Deleuze is interested in the esoteric history of differential philosophy, this is as a speculative alternative to the exoteric history of the extensional science of actual differences and to Kantian critical philosophy. It is precisely through conceptualizing intensive, differential relations that finite thought is capable of acquiring consistency without losing the infinite in which it plunges. This brings us back to Leibniz and Spinoza. As Deleuze writes about the former: no one has gone further than Leibniz in the exploration of sufficient reason [and] the element of difference and therefore [o]nly Leibniz approached the conditions of a logic of thought. Or as he argues of the latter, fictional abstractions are only a preliminary stage for thought to become more real, i.e. to produce an expressive or progressive synthesis: The introduction of a fiction may indeed help us to reach the idea of God as quickly as possible without falling into the traps of infinite regression. In Maïmon’s reinvention of the Kantian schematism as well as in the Deleuzian system of nature, the differentials are the immanent noumena that are dramatized by reciprocal determination in the complete determination of the phenomenal. Even the Kantian concept of the straight line, Deleuze emphasizes, is a dramatic synthesis or integration of an infinity of differential relations. In this way, infinitesimals constitute the distinct but obscure grounds enveloped by clear but confused effects. They are not empirical objects but objects of thought. Even if they are only known as already developed within the extensional becomings of the sensible and covered over by representational qualities, as differences they are problems that do not resemble their solutions and as such continue to insist in an enveloped, quasi-causal state.

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