Hyperstition
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.
Related LP Terms
Hyperstition > Creation Template, Ideological Institution, Sacrilization, Symbol Factory, System Agent, System Architect
Non-LP Related Terms
Hyperstition > Creation Template, Ideological Institution, Sacrilization, Symbol Factory, System Agent, System Architect
Notes
Key Aspects of Hyperstition
Fiction that Becomes Reality
- Hyperstitions start as fictional, speculative, or sacrilized mythological ideas, archetypes and narratives, but gain real-world traction, influencing human behavior and shaping actual events.
- 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
- Hyperstition operates through positive feedback loops, where belief fuels action, action (and System Agents create conditions for realization, and realization reinforces belief.
- 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.
Acceleration and Self-Perpetuation
- Hyperstitions accelerate social and technological changes by embedding themselves in culture, economics, and politics.
- 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
- 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).
- 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 relates to Systemic Indoctrination (Korochkin, Sosteric) in that both shape perception and limit or expand possibilities:
- 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
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.
