Jascha Bareis - TA and dysfunctional liberal democracy: Bridging crisis through a politics of hype [ETAC6 presentation]

www.kit.edu KIT –Die Forschungsuniversität in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft TA and dysfunctional liberal democracy: Bridging crisis through a politics of hype Dr. Jascha Bareis First name Last name - Presentation title ➢TA bases itself on liberal democratic premises, especially echoing a deliberative ethos ➢But idea of democracy appears unreal, disconnected from experience, and its normative appeal fades. We experience dysfunctional political subjectivity and institutional failure. ➢If democracy becomes dysfunctional, the epistemological and normative self-understanding of TA is eroding with it. 05.06.20252 The crisis of the liberal system is TA‘s crisis First name Last name - Presentation title ➢“Stay loyal to your political ideals“; “more democratic participation“, “listen to the science” is not feasible politics anymore for the demos. ➢Such drastic interventions in their project of self-realization and autonomy are too demanding, too stressful and simply overburdening. ➢Blühdorn (2013); Selk (2024): the modern subjects liberate themselves from the traditional normative enlightenment constraints and “ruthlessly indulge in their self-realization, which is primarily oriented towards consumption and market success.” 05.06.20253 The demos: Emancipating from emancipation? First name Last name - Presentation title 05.06.20254 Fairytale “The Emperor's New Clothes“ (1837) liberal Democracy TA & privileged demos crises Tale is based on a 1335 story from the Libro de los ejemplos, a medieval Spanish collection of fiftyone cautionary tales. First name Last name - Presentation title ➢Liberal values are empirically fading, but their symbolism is reaffirmed: How to make democratic simulation tangible, performative and effective? ➢What can the system offer to the demos so they stay pacified? The system needs to, albeit implausible, perform the symbolic liberal capitalist order: 05.06.20255 Entering simulative democratic times First name Last name - Presentation title05.06.20256 First name Last name - Presentation title ➢AI Tech progress as a remedy to democratic, ecological & economic crisis. And TA rides along (Nanotech, IoT 4.0, AI…) 05.06.20257 The simulative and pacifying force of tech hype ➢Open AI and its claims of singularity: Tech fix solutionism: “Ask me anything” ➢the politics of hype points to the emotional celebration of technology as an efficient and sustainable future, without really politically changing anything - except for the stock value of some privileged financial strata First name Last name - Presentation title ➢The premises of liberal democracy are implausible and overcome putting TA into crisis. ➢In concealing the broken liberalism through hype, only the privileged part of demos benefits. The neglected one rages. ➢For now democratic order will continue in some dysfunctional way, as a hybrid between expertocratic, authoritarian, grassroot, constitutional, nationalist tension. Democracies are not dying, they are crying. ➢Dear TA: Where do you stand? Who benefits from TA? Can you exist without hype? ➢ Address: Questions of power, ownership, decentralisation, degrowth, global inclusion… 05.06.20258 Summary