Abstract

Arakawa and Gins, radical philosophers of the future, desire to construct life beyond the human condition. Their unique and original contribution to philosophy can be discerned most evidently in their concept of reversible destiny, an innovative response to our mortal condition. ‘We have decided not to die’, their ultimate declaration, is a testament not only to their architecture – an architecture predicated on the notion that death must be combated – but also, and perhaps most importantly, to its ability to teach us to think differently about the future. Even, and perhaps especially, the most fundamental and basic assumptions of our species are deliberately and evocatively called into question. It is this resistance to the present – in learning how not to die, in educating life differently – that will be addressed in this dissertation. The claim made here is that the highly instructive architectural philosophy of Arakawa and Gins produces a positive and useful philosophy of life, which orients us towards a new century of philosophy that operates beyond the human condition.