Revision as of 15:20, 23 April 2025

Hyperstition

Hyperstition is a compound term derived from hyper (beyond, excessive) and superstition, used to describe a narrative or symbolic construct that becomes real through repetition, belief, and feedback amplification. A hyperstition may begin as fiction, speculation, prophecy, or archetype, but—when repeated and emotionally charged—can crystallize into social reality.
Hyperstition operates as a key narrative vector within a Creative Framework, particularly through Creation Templates, where it functions to either reinforce dominant ideological constructs or to imagine and activate alternative futures. The term was introduced by the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit (CCRU) in the 1990s, notably by theorists Nick Land and Sadie Plant.

Concept Map

Key Terms

Human Development Framework >

Creative Framework > Collective Consciousness, Creation Template, Hyperstition, Subjugated Knowledge, System Agent, Systemic Indoctrination

Syncretic Terms

Hyperstition >

Mythos-in-action
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Narrative determinism
Speculative fiction (when internalized)
Collective thoughtform

Related LP Terms

Hyperstition > Ideological Institution, Sacrilization, Symbol Factory, System Agent, System Architect

Non-LP Related Terms

Hyperstition > Indoctrination

TINA (There Is No Alternative)
Memeplex (Dawkins)
Accelerationism
Narratology
Mass Suggestion

Key Characteristics

Fiction That Becomes Reality

Hyperstitions are speculative or symbolic narratives that gain real-world traction through cultural repetition, belief, and enactment.
Example: The archetype of "good vs. evil" has shaped legal codes, warfare, and theology. The belief in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) originated in science fiction but now drives research, policy, and global investment.

Feedback Loops and Narrative Engineering

Hyperstition operates via positive feedback loops: belief drives behavior → behavior reinforces belief → institutions crystallize belief into norm or policy.
Example: Bitcoin began as a libertarian hyperstition about decentralized money, which triggered adoption, speculation, and now central bank policy responses.

Acceleration and Emergence

Hyperstitions can accelerate cultural and technological change by implanting potent imaginaries within the social psyche.
Example: The myth of the "techno-singularity" has reoriented entire industries, venture capital, and public discourse toward exponential futurism.

Control or Liberation

Hyperstitions are tools of either elite control or systemic liberation:

   - Negative hyperstition: "Humans are naturally violent," "Hierarchy is inevitable."
   - Positive hyperstition: "Another world is possible," "Human beings can heal and connect."

Hyperstition and Creative Frameworks

Hyperstitions are deployed within Creative Frameworks via Creation Templates and their narrative-symbolic infrastructure:

Elite Hyperstition – Weaponized by System Architects and distributed through Symbol Factories and Ideological Institutions to reinforce elite dominance.

 * Example: "There is no alternative" (TINA) to capitalism.

Emancipatory Hyperstition – Seeded by activists, artists, and conscious agents to reprogram symbolic terrain.

 * Example: "We are the 99%," or "Healing is possible."

Hyperstition and the Lightning Path

From the LP perspective, hyperstition is a mechanism embedded in the archetypal, narrative, and symbolic layers of the Creative Framework. It is deeply tied to:

In Old Energy systems, hyperstition functions as psychosocial malware, enforcing trauma-based ideologies (e.g., "You deserve to suffer", "This is just how the world works"). In a New Energy context, hyperstition becomes a tool of conscious reprogramming: a way to overwrite destructive narratives with healing, empowering, and integrative symbolic scaffolding.

Hyperstition and Systemic Indoctrination

Hyperstition and Systemic Indoctrination both modulate perception and belief:

*Hyperstition vs. Systemic Indoctrination*
Aspect	Hyperstition	Systemic Indoctrination
Focus	Symbolic emergence through feedback	Institutionalized control of belief systems
Function	Seed change (or contain it)	Lock populations into predetermined worldviews
Tool of…	Narrative engineers, artists, mythmakers	State, church, media, education
Alignment	Can be used by elites or liberation movements	Typically elite-directed

Notes

Hyperstition has historically been used without critical distinction between elite and liberatory usage. The LP system introduces a normative ethical distinction: Does the hyperstition support healing, emancipation, and connection—or reinforce trauma, submission, and alienation?

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Footnotes

References

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-<blockquote class="definition">Hyperstition is a term that combines hyper (beyond, excessive) and superstition, referring to ideas, [[Narratives]], or fictions that become real through belief and repetition. It describes how self-fulfilling prophecies, myths, and speculative ideas can shape reality, particularly in cultural, economic, and technological domains. The concept was first developed by the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit (CCRU) in the 1990s, particularly by theorists like Nick Land and Sadie Plant. Hyperstition is often associated with accelerationism, the idea that technological and social processes should be pushed to their limits to create radical change.
+<blockquote class="definition">
+''Hyperstition'' is a compound term derived from ''hyper'' (beyond, excessive) and ''superstition'', used to describe a ''narrative or symbolic construct that becomes real through repetition, belief, and feedback amplification''. A hyperstition may begin as fiction, speculation, prophecy, or archetype, but—when repeated and emotionally charged—can crystallize into social reality.
+Hyperstition operates as a key ''narrative vector'' within a [[Creative Framework]], particularly through [[Creation Templates]], where it functions to either reinforce dominant ideological constructs or to imagine and activate alternative futures. The term was introduced by the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit (CCRU) in the 1990s, notably by theorists Nick Land and Sadie Plant.
+</blockquote>
 </blockquote>
 ==Concept Map==
 ===Key Terms===
 [[Human Development Framework]] > {{#ask:[[Is a component of::Human Development Framework]]
 |format=ul|sort=Has sort order}}
-[[Creative Framework]] > {{#ask:[[Is a key term::Creative Framework]]|format=ul|sort=Has sort CF}}
+[[Creative Framework]] > {{#ask:[[Is a key term::Creative Framework]]}}
+==Syncretic Terms==
+[[Hyperstition]] > {{#ask:[[Is a syncretic term::Hyperstition]]}}
+* Mythos-in-action
+* Self-fulfilling prophecy
+* Narrative determinism
+* Speculative fiction (when internalized)
+* Collective thoughtform
-===Related LP Terms===
+==Related LP Terms==
 [[Hyperstition]] > {{#ask:[[Is a related LP term::Hyperstition]]}}
-===Non-LP Related Terms===
+==Non-LP Related Terms==
 [[Hyperstition]] > {{#ask:[[Is a related term::Hyperstition]]}}
+* TINA (There Is No Alternative)
+* Memeplex (Dawkins)
+* Accelerationism
+* Narratology
+* Mass Suggestion
+== Key Characteristics ==
+=== ''Fiction That Becomes Reality'' ===
+* Hyperstitions are speculative or symbolic narratives that gain ''real-world traction'' through cultural repetition, belief, and enactment.
+* Example: The archetype of "good vs. evil" has shaped legal codes, warfare, and theology. The belief in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) originated in science fiction but now drives research, policy, and global investment.
+=== ''Feedback Loops and Narrative Engineering'' ===
+* Hyperstition operates via ''positive feedback loops'': belief drives behavior → behavior reinforces belief → institutions crystallize belief into norm or policy.
+* Example: Bitcoin began as a libertarian hyperstition about decentralized money, which triggered adoption, speculation, and now central bank policy responses.
-==Key Aspects of Hyperstition==
+=== ''Acceleration and Emergence'' ===
+* Hyperstitions can ''accelerate cultural and technological change'' by implanting potent imaginaries within the social psyche.
+* Example: The myth of the "techno-singularity" has reoriented entire industries, venture capital, and public discourse toward exponential futurism.
-'''Fiction that Becomes Reality'''
+=== ''Control or Liberation'' ===
+* Hyperstitions are tools of ''either elite control or systemic liberation'':
+    - Negative hyperstition: "Humans are naturally violent," "Hierarchy is inevitable."
+    - Positive hyperstition: "Another world is possible," "Human beings can heal and connect."
-# Hyperstitions start as fictional, speculative, or sacrilized mythological ideas, archetypes and narratives, but gain real-world traction, influencing human behavior and shaping actual events.
+== Hyperstition and Creative Frameworks ==
-# Example: The idea that good and evil exists in existential form drives human development and human interaction. The idea of artificial general intelligence (AGI) was once science fiction, but belief in it has driven investment, research, and technological development, making AGI increasingly plausible.
-'''Feedback Loops'''
+Hyperstitions are deployed within [[Creative Frameworks]] via [[Creation Templates]] and their narrative-symbolic infrastructure:
-# Hyperstition operates through positive feedback loops, where belief fuels action, action (and [[System Agents]] create conditions for realization, and realization reinforces belief.
+* ''Elite Hyperstition'' – Weaponized by [[System Architects]] and distributed through [[Symbol Factories]] and [[Ideological Institutions]] to reinforce elite dominance.
-# Example: The concept of cryptocurrency began as a niche cyber-libertarian idea but became a reality due to widespread belief, financial speculation, and social adoption.
+  * Example: "There is no alternative" (TINA) to capitalism.
+* ''Emancipatory Hyperstition'' – Seeded by activists, artists, and conscious agents to reprogram symbolic terrain.
+  * Example: "We are the 99%," or "Healing is possible."
-'''Acceleration and Self-Perpetuation'''
+== Hyperstition and the Lightning Path ==
-# Hyperstitions accelerate social and technological changes by embedding themselves in culture, economics, and politics.
+From the LP perspective, hyperstition is a mechanism embedded in the archetypal, narrative, and symbolic layers of the [[Creative Framework]]. It is deeply tied to:
-# Example: The "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, despite being false, has influenced political policies, fueled demographic anxieties, and driven real-world consequences.
-'''Myth as a Tool of Control or Liberation
+* [[Archetype Systems]]
-'''
+* [[Master Narratives]]
+* [[Positioning Statements]]
+* [[Symbol Factories]] and [[System Architects]]
+* [[Toxic Socialization]] and [[Indoctrination]]
-# Hyperstition can be used by elites to manipulate perception (e.g., neoliberalism’s myth of infinite economic growth) or by subcultures to create alternative realities (e.g., cyberpunk aesthetics shaping tech culture).
+In Old Energy systems, hyperstition functions as ''psychosocial malware'', enforcing trauma-based ideologies (e.g., "You deserve to suffer", "This is just how the world works"). In a New Energy context, hyperstition becomes a ''tool of conscious reprogramming'': a way to overwrite destructive narratives with healing, empowering, and integrative symbolic scaffolding.
-#Example: The Silicon Valley mythos of the "lone genius entrepreneur" (e.g., Elon Musk, Steve Jobs) encourages certain behaviours and investments, reinforcing a hyperstitious belief in disruption-driven capitalism.
-==Hyperstition & Systemic Indoctrination==
+== Hyperstition and Systemic Indoctrination ==
-#Hyperstition relates to [[Systemic Indoctrination]] (Korochkin, Sosteric) in that both shape perception and limit or expand possibilities:
+Hyperstition and [[Systemic Indoctrination]] both modulate perception and belief:
-#Systemic Indoctrination locks people into predefined beliefs to maintain control (e.g., nationalism, religion as social control).
-#Hyperstition can either reinforce control (e.g., capitalist realism) or break it by introducing radical new possibilities (e.g., anarchist utopias, techno-futurist singularity).
-==Lightning Path Perspective==
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+ ''Hyperstition vs. Systemic Indoctrination''
+! Aspect !! Hyperstition !! Systemic Indoctrination
+|-
+| Focus || Symbolic emergence through feedback || Institutionalized control of belief systems
+|-
+| Function || Seed change (or contain it) || Lock populations into predetermined worldviews
+|-
+| Tool of… || Narrative engineers, artists, mythmakers || State, church, media, education
+|-
+| Alignment || Can be used by elites or liberation movements || Typically elite-directed
+|}
-From an LP perspective, hyperstition is linked to [[archetypes]], [[Master Narratives]], [[System Architects]], [[Symbol Factories]], [[Ideological Institutions]], and [[Creation Template]]. In a [[Toxic Socialization]] system, ruling members of the [[Accumulating Class]] use [[System Architects]] to build [[Master Narratives]]/[[Creation Templates]] that use negative hyperstitions (e.g., "humans are naturally violent/selfish," "punishment is a good thing", "there’s no alternative to capitalism") to limit control human thought and behaviour and power and [[Human Potential]]. In contrast, positive hyperstitions (e.g., "Another world is possible," "We can heal and connect") can be used to reclaim power and reshape reality toward human flourishing.
+== Notes ==
+Hyperstition has historically been used without critical distinction between elite and liberatory usage. The LP system introduces a normative ethical distinction: ''Does the hyperstition support healing, emancipation, and connection—or reinforce trauma, submission, and alienation?''
-==Notes==
 {{endstuff}}
@@ Line 58: / Line 103: @@
 [[category:terms]]
 [[category:lightningpath]]
-[[Is a key term::Creative Framework| ]]
+[[IOs a key term::Creative Framework| ]]
-[[Has sort CF::40| ]]
 [[Is a related term::Fool's Tarot| ]]
 [[Is a related term::Indoctrination| ]]

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