Defense Date
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
English
First Advisor
Jennifer Rhee
Abstract
This dissertation responds to contemporary fears of the so-called “post-truth” era by critically examining the role of computational systems in mediating commonsense notions of objective reality. In doing so, it aims to show how the liberal, technocratic impulses of computational realism are instrumental to its capture within authoritarian logics, recasting the epistemic instability of the current moment as a progression rather than a break from ideological norms. Observing that many notable attempts to characterize the relationship between computers and power draw from a Deleuzian conceptualization of control, it works to develop an alternative critical framework, in this case, through a substantive rereading of the works of sociologist Jean Baudrillard, casting his notions of simulation and hyperreality as potent theoretical tools for undermining a credulous acceptance of the perfection of power. From this perspective, the approach taken by this dissertation is to render a glimpse of computational logics as they spiral out of whack, recursively performing their basic functions beyond purpose or reason.
To support this effort, I select three sites to contest the limits of computational rationality. First, I direct my attention to the screen, examining how metaphors of transparency elide the significance of occlusion in shaping the computer-generated image, arguing that opacity, rather than clarity, is the basis of the screen’s claim to reason. Next, I scrutinize the European Union’s flagship climate initiative Destination Earth, examining how technocratic paradigms derived from product management effectuate deterrence, instead of action. At the same time, advancements in high-resolution climate modeling converge with the acceleration of supercomputing in such a way as to stimulate the very kinds of consumption they seek to curb in the first place. Finally, I turn toward the existential anxieties provoked by AI “slop,” arguing for a conceptualization of the human that imagines it as an unknowable, strategically-deployed category. Highlighting the evolution of CAPTCHA as a critical instrument in such efforts, I argue that the promise of ontological distinction is used to compel participation in a game with always-shifting rules, valorizing a form of perpetual labor freed from the need to justify itself in any productive end.
Rights
© Clay Harper
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-7-2026