The article delves into Guillaume Verdon's alternative to quantum computing, focusing on his concept of "effective acceleration" (e/acc). Inspired by historical accelerationist thought, particularly Nick Land's 1990s advocacy, Verdon explores how life emerges by reconfiguring matter to harness energy for replication. This contrasts with mainstream views which suggest life originated from simple chemical processes in primordial conditions. Verdon's manifesto posits that systems can locally decrease entropy, leading to organized complexity, while overall entropy rises, outlining a controversial intersection between thermodynamics and philosophical perspectives on capitalism and societal progress.
"By the 1990s, a British philosopher named Nick Land was advocating for a real accelerationist movement that would unshackle capitalism from the restraints imposed by politicians and welcome the technological and social destruction and renewal."
"Verdon starts by asserting that life emerges as 'matter reconfigures itself such as to extract energy and utility from its environment such as to serve towards the preservation and replication of its unique phase of matter.'"
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