Rhizome bundles, multiple agencies, and ascription

A critical appraisal of rhizomatic imagery.

Abstract

Starting with a review of G. Deleuze’s and F. Guattari’s metaphysical and methodological assumptions in Mille-Plateaux, this paper aims to critically appraise Bruno Latour’s rhizomatic Epistemology, particularly in agency and network formation, and its Leibnizian inspiration, as mediated by G. de Tarde and G. Deleuze. It also seeks to evaluate the soundness of some of ANT’s metaphysical assumptions, such as the metaphysical primacy of forces and forces irreducibility, in light of the increasing participation of artificial agents in communication and social interaction and the growing technological transformation of the 'natural attitude.' The meaning of artificial agency is the empirical perspective through which I will evaluate ANT’s epistemological and metaphysical claims. The paper will define artificial agents and artificial agency and describe the social context of the 'pool of agents' that includes humans and machines in digital networks of human-machine interactions. The normative themes of causality, accountability, and responsibility of artificial agents, central to the Ethics of artificial intelligence, will also be explored within the critical appraisal of ANT’s description of networks.