Speulative Epistemologies

Critique relies on speculation insofar as it must go beyond the immediately given in order to be able to think such constructs like society or "the social". Speculation thereby gains a moment of freedom from the existing order: it distances itself from the given and is at the same time a generative practice in which new concepts, connections, and theories may arise. In this sense, no critical theory can do without speculative elements. In my dissertation project, I develop these theses based on an examination of the theories of Theodor W. Adorno, Saidiya Hartman, and Donna J. Haraway. Despite their different contexts, all three exhibit a speculative element in their critique of society or sociality, which they also reflect upon. Speculation is not understood idealistically, but as a social force that gives voice to concrete and embodied experiences and pushes for specific forms of representation that mark the boundaries of philosophical discourse.