The Faculty of Humanities and the Academy of Fine Arts had the honour of hosting a lecture by Reza Negarestani, one of the leading thinkers of “speculative realism.” Negarestani (in the photos, he’s the one in the beige sweater) not only popularized writing at the intersection of theory and fiction (Cyclonopedia), but also developed an extensive neo-rationalist project on intelligence. During his first ever Prague appearance, Negarestani outlined his program of (general) intelligence as presented in his book Intelligence and Spirit. Negarestani’s lecture was moderated by the artist, curator and critic Mohammad Salemy (the one in the black cap), who was joined by curator and theorist Václav Janoščík (the one in the red cap) with his own contribution and questions. Make Philosophy Great Again!

Photo: Pavla Keltnerová

This event was funded by the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR), project No. 22-17984S: Focal images: Violence and Inhumanism in Contemporary Art and Media Culture.