Resistance and Survival in an Age of Algorithmic Control : Fanaticism and Self-Determination in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

This essay examines the possibilities and limits of resistance under conditions of increasingly pervasive algorithmic control. Taking Gerhard Richter’s paintings of members of the Red Army Faction (RAF) as its point of departure, it explores the relationship between fanaticism, political power, and the preservation of individual autonomy. The analysis begins with the RAF’s identification with characters from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, particularly Captain Ahab. His obsessive pursuit of the white whale provides a literary model of resistance that becomes destructive when the struggle against an adversary determines the meaning of an entire existence. Contrasting figures in Melville’s novel—Jonah, Ishmael, and Queequeg—suggest alternative possibilities: changing course, preserving multiple perspectives, and finding support in relationships that transcend established boundaries. The discussion then turns to the Leviathan as a symbol of overwhelming power, tracing its transformation from biblical mythology through Thomas Hobbes’s political philosophy to contemporary concerns about artificial intelligence. Drawing on Yuval Noah Harari’s reflections, the essay considers a possible future in which algorithmic systems increasingly mediate access to information, employment, healthcare, and social participation. Such systems may offer protection and efficiency while simultaneously creating dependencies that make resistance increasingly difficult. Against this background, the essay distinguishes resistance aimed at preserving institutional freedoms from the cultivation of inner independence. Drawing on Melville’s engagement with American Transcendentalism and the symbolic significance of Queequeg’s coffin, it argues that cultural and spiritual traditions may provide resources for resisting the compulsion to react to externally generated provocations. The central question is not simply how to oppose an overwhelmingly powerful system, but how to resist without allowing the adversary to determine the meaning of one’s life.