Adam Nocek: From Computability to Semblance – Susanne K. Langer on Artificial Aesthetics in Biology

This talk attempts to situate technoscientific advancements in the biosciences in relation to Susanne K. Langer’s aesthetic biology. 
While precious little has been written about Langer’s art-infused biology, there seems to be even less to say about how Langer would respond to advances in computing technology – e.g., deep neural networks. This shouldn’t be surprising given that Langer does not offer a philosophy of technology, nor does she devote attention to theorizing technology as a symbolic form, as Ernst Cassirer did in Kunst und Technik. 
Despite this, the talk will show that Langer’s aesthetics are invaluable for reconfiguring the already fraught relation between artificial intelligence and biology. In doing so, the lecture offers a reconceptualization not only of artificial intelligence but also of Langer’s aesthetics, such that the latter can be brought to bear on computing and biology to resolve tensions within today’s technosciences.