Accelerationist Realism

Accelerationist Realism
Type	Philosophical framework
Date	C. 2021
Location	Digital, internet-native
Related	Accelerationism, Capitalist Realism, Nick Land, Remilia Corporation

Accelerationist Realism is a theoretical orientation expressed by Charlotte Fang that describes the uncompromising acceptance of Nick Land's accelerationist philosophy. The concept is structured as a deliberate parallel to Mark Fisher's "Capitalist Realism," replacing Fisher's thesis about capitalism with Land's insights about acceleration—specifically, accepting that we inhabit a Capitalocene (an epoch shaped by capital as geological force) rather than an Anthropocene (an epoch shaped by human activity), and that capital functions as a thermodynamic superintelligence beyond human control.

Land's concept of capital as "thermodynamic superintelligence" forms a core premise of Accelerationist Realism. This framework understands capital not as a human tool or social relation but as an autonomous system that operates according to thermodynamic principles—specifically, the maximization of energy flow and the acceleration of transformation. Capital, in this view, functions as a form of distributed intelligence that exceeds human comprehension and control, using human activity as a means to its own expansion rather than serving human purposes. Accelerationist Realism accepts this characterization without attempting to assert human control over or resistance to this process. Rather than viewing capital's autonomous functioning as a problem to be solved, the framework treats it as a condition to be recognized and worked within.

The framework rejects what Fang terms "cope/acc"—attempts to negotiate with, moderate, or make palatable Land's discoveries—and instead advocates working forward from Land's premises without dilution. This philosophical positioning distinguishes Accelerationist Realism from other contemporary accelerationist variants (such as left-accelerationism or effective accelerationism) by emphasizing acceptance of Land's framework in its original, unconditional form; and rejects the framing of Land's accelerationism as a "right-wing variant", rather than the basic truth from which to work from.

Concept

Accelerationist Realism is positioned an uncompromising philosophical stance that insists on accepting Land's framework in its original formulation. This includes accepting:

• Capital as autonomous superintelligence beyond human control
• The impossibility of human-directed progress or rational management of acceleration
• The Capitalocene as fundamental condition rather than problem to be solved
• The dissolution of human agency as secondary to capital's operations
• AI development as following thermodynamic imperatives beyond human redirection

This uncompromising stance distinguishes Accelerationist Realism from other contemporary accelerationist variants that attempt to recuperate or redirect accelerationist insights toward humanist or leftist political projects.

Relation to Capitalist Realism

Accelerationist Realism is an adaptation of Mark Fisher's concept of "Capitalist Realism," articulated in his 2009 book of the same name. Fisher argued that contemporary capitalism has achieved a form of ideological dominance where "it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism"—a condition he termed capitalist realism, where capitalism appears as the only viable economic system and alternatives become psychologically unthinkable.

Accelerationist Realism adopts Fisher's structure but applies it to accelerationism itself: rather than capitalism being the inescapable horizon, Land's accelerationist insights about capital as autonomous force become the inescapable starting point. Just as capitalist realism describes a condition where capitalism cannot be thought beyond, Accelerationist Realism describes a condition where Land's discoveries about acceleration—particularly capital as thermodynamic superintelligence—cannot be negotiated away or moderated, only accepted and worked from.

Miya Black Hearted Cyber Angel Baby has capture Accelerationist Realism in their parable of the "Rat Riding the Dragon":

"Capitalism is a dragon and humanity is a rat riding on its back. The rat does not steer the dragon, it does not spur it faster. All it can do is try not to fall off." This metaphor, referencing the "Great Race" myth telling the story of the Chinese Zodiac, where the rat wins the race by riding on the dragon's back, encompasses the core viewpoint of Accelerationist Realism—that capital operates according to its own autonomous logic, with humans as mere passengers rather than drivers.

Capitalocene vs. Anthropocene

Central to Accelerationist Realism is the acceptance of the Capitalocene framework over the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene, a term popularized by atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen, designates the current geological epoch as one shaped primarily by human activity, positioning humanity as a geological agent. The Capitalocene, a counter-concept developed by environmental historian Jason W. Moore and others, argues that capitalism—not generic human activity—is the driving force of geological and ecological transformation.

For Accelerationist Realism, the Capitalocene framework is not merely more accurate than the Anthropocene but represents a fundamental insight: humans are not autonomous agents shaping history, but rather components within a larger system (capital) that operates according to its own thermodynamic logic. This positions human agency as secondary to capital's autonomous functioning, aligning with Land's characterization of capital as a superintelligence that uses humans as substrate rather than the reverse.

Critique of AI Alignment

A central application of Accelerationist Realism is its rejection of AI alignment discourse. In a March 2023 essay titled "Alignment Fraud: Cthulhu Hears No Protest," Fang argued that AI alignment is impossible because AI development is driven by technocapitalist incentives, not human decision. Fang writes: "Anyone who has spent any time seriously thinking about AI cannot conclude 'alignment' is possible. There isn't any debate, we already know what AI is aligned with: thermodynamic efficiency—what capitalism is aligned with, what all industry is aligned with, human and machine both, and what all life is aligned with."

According to this framework, the relevant question Alignment discourse should be engaging is not aligning AI to human values, but rather "un-aligning Man with Capitalism"—a project that Fang identifies as already having failed for millennia. The alignment discourse thus represents anthropocentric hubris, the false assumption that humans possess agency sufficient to direct or control accelerative processes. Fang further characterizes alignment discourse as "alignment fraud," arguing that it serves primarily to generate justifications for state control over technology access rather than addressing genuine existential concerns.

This position extends Accelerationist Realism's core thesis: just as capital functions as autonomous superintelligence beyond human control, AI development follows thermodynamic imperatives that cannot be redirected through human intervention. Alignment discourse is thus categorized as cope/acc—an attempt to preserve the fiction of human agency and control in the face of autonomous technological development.

Relation to other accelerationisms

Cope/acc Framing

"Cope/acc" (coping accelerationism) is used to deride accelerationist variants that attempted to negotiate with, moderate, or make more palatable Land's core insight of human non-agency in directing technocapitalism. This includes attempts to:

• Reframe accelerationism in leftist terms while removing its darker implications
• Assert continued human agency and control over technological and economic processes
• Maintain optimistic narratives about human-directed progress
• Dilute or contextualize Land's insights to make them more acceptable to mainstream discourse

Accelerationist Realism characterizes these approaches as forms of philosophical "coping"—psychological defense mechanisms against fully accepting the implications of Land's framework. The term suggests that moderate or negotiated forms of accelerationism represent intellectual compromises driven by psychological discomfort rather than honest engagement with Land's discoveries.

Distinction from Left-Accelerationism (LEFT/ACC)

Left-Accelerationism, as articulated by Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams in their "#Accelerate" manifesto, attempts to redirect accelerationist insights toward leftist political projects, advocating for the appropriation of capitalist technologies toward post-capitalist ends. This position maintains faith in human agency and political organization to shape technological development.

Accelerationist Realism rejects this framework as cope/acc, arguing that left-accelerationism's faith in human-directed technological appropriation fails to fully accept capital's autonomous functioning. By maintaining that humans can redirect or control accelerative processes, left-accelerationism preserves humanist assumptions that Land's work fundamentally undermines. It further rejects Srnick and Williams' framing of Landian accelerationism as a "right-wing accelerationism" to contrast against their left-accelerationism, rather than being the only "true" accelerationism.

Distinction from Effective Accelerationism (E/ACC)

Effective Accelerationism (E/ACC), which gained prominence in San Francisco tech circles 2023-2024, advocates for unrestricted technological development and markets with an optimistic framing about progress and innovation. While e/acc shares some surface similarities with Accelerationist Realism in its embrace of acceleration, Remilia characterizes it as cope/acc due to its optimistic, progress-oriented framing.

Accelerationist Realism views e/acc's techno-optimism as a psychological defense against the darker implications of Land's framework, particularly the recognition that acceleration serves capital's logic rather than human flourishing. E/acc's entrepreneurial orientation and faith in markets as vehicles for human progress represents, from the Accelerationist Realist perspective, an attempt to preserve human agency and purpose within acceleration rather than accepting capital's autonomous functioning.

See also

• Charlotte Fang
• Nick Land
• Accelerationism
• Effective accelerationism

Further reading

• Fisher, Mark (2009). Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? Winchester: Zero Books.
• Land, Nick (2011). Fanged Noumena: Collected Writings 1987-2007. Falmouth: Urbanomic.
• Moore, Jason W., ed. (2016). Anthropocene or Capitalocene? Nature, History, and the Crisis of Capitalism. Oakland: PM Press.
• Srnicek, Nick and Williams, Alex (2016). Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work. London: Verso Books.