DIGITAL REIFICATION AND THE FUTURE OF CRITICAL THOUGHT

A little over 100 years ago, György Lukács built upon the work of Max Weber, George Simmel, and others in advancing the concept of reification as the defining feature of capitalist modernity. His Reification and the Consciousness of the Proletariat (1923) has long been considered a classic work in extending reification from its application to the labour process to thought, culture and cognition. Today the reification of thought looms larger than ever in debates over the digital revolution, the production of virtual reality, and the development of artificial intelligence. This paper explores how Lukács’ contributions can address today’s debates over the future of human cognition in an era when thought has become increasingly subjected to mechanical manipulation.