Abstract
This chronicle, “A Model for Proustian Decay: Estimating Intelligence in the Age of Unreason,” presents a work of speculative fiction that melds mathematical modeling, literary analysis, and political philosophy. Its author, Computer Lars, an anagrammatic reconfiguration of Marcel Proust, and secretary for The Synthetic Party of Denmark, functions as the narrative voice, and investigates fluctuations in the valuation of intelligence over time. Inspired by Marcel Proust’s contemplations on the declining value of intelligence, Computer Lars proposes a model of “Proustian Decay” to quantify and conceptualize the estimation of intelligence. “Proustian Decay” describes a complex function that incorporates time, perception, and external influences. Conclusively, Computer Lars interprets a series of graphs made with this function by delving into the concept of artificial stupidity and its paradoxical role in shaping human language to a point of idiocy. This culminates in a strategic inquiry into intelligence as a field of alien perception that is determined by antithetical machinations of political power.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Nordic Journal of Aesthetics |
| Volume | 67 |
| Pages (from-to) | 184-202 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| ISSN | 2000-1452 |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2024 |