Two Episodes of Lithium – Too Mad to be True III
Conversations on Energy, Speculation, and the Future
PERFORMATIVE DIALOGUE between DOMINIKA GLOGOWSKI and SIDNEY CARLS-DIAMANTE
at the international conference on the philosophy of madness
This performative presentation interweaves philosophical and artistic narratives centred around two major contexts in which lithium arises: bipolar disorder and resource extraction for energy transition. These narratives in dialogue discuss the paradox of speculation and future-directedness, which we demonstrate generate mirroring behaviour on meta-levels. Bipolar disorder has long been associated with creativity, particularly during high-energy manic periods. It is widely treated with lithium, a mood stabiliser, which sometimes dampens creativity. As a set of epistemic strategies for exploring new ideas, creativity is in effect speculation about the future. Paradoxically, lithium can engender two futures for an individual: while its mood-stabilising effects may help lead to a mentally healthier future, it can also restrict future-directed speculation. On the other hand, lithium is subject to intense financial speculation about humans’ environmental future. Market explosive behaviour causes extreme uncertainty that is corrected and stabilized by funds, which function as buffers for those episodes. Risk is engraved in the creative mode of capital production. Paradoxically, hope for prosperity and despair correlate in the regions affected by extractive speculation. The performative dialogue format of the presentation opens spaces for predictive conjectures about speculation’s paradox in the real world of lithium’s medical and socio-environmental relevance.
Sidney Carls-Diamante is interested in underexplored topics about the mind. One of the first philosophers to study consciousness in octopuses, she has expanded her research to the philosophical issues surrounding bipolar disorder, particularly its relationship with creativity and suicidality. Until recently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Konstanz, she is preparing to move to the University of Lisbon.
Dominika Glogowski’s professional background is in the arts and art theory. She devises and supervises cross- sectoral projects on socio-environmental connectedness, resource extraction and the energy transition. Dominika collaborated with research institutions in i.a. Brazil, Austria, and the UK. Verging on theory and praxis, she bridges silos through relational thinking and embodied experiences, employ ing performative dialogue formats and deep speech listening.