Fisher’s Hauntology Towards a Philosophy of Hopeful Pedagogy in Artificial Intelligence

Proponent/s Name/s (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

Avah Jimaria N. Marzan, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow
Katya E. Manalastas, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow
Theora Katrine T. Cabuang, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow
Terrence Luis M. Reyes, De La Salle University, ManilaFollow

Document Types

Paper Presentation

School Name

De La Salle University, Manila

Track or Strand

Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS)

Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

Manalastas, Katya E.

Start Date

23-6-2025 3:30 PM

End Date

23-6-2025 5:00 PM

Zoom Link/ Room Assignment

Y501

Abstract/Executive Summary

Mark Fisher’s concept of hauntology probes into how lost futures linger and constrain the present’s imaginative possibilities. Hence, this paper connects Fisher’s insights with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to construct a philosophy of education that counters the intellectual stasis of capitalist hegemonies. The first section analyzes how capitalism and AI, with their relentless nature of production and generation, shrinks education’s imaginative capacities—a sphere intended as future-oriented. This phenomenon, defined as epistemic reactivity, pertains to the cognitive stagnation caused by dependence on AI and the neglect of opportunities not grounded within the paradigm of commodification. In the second section, we introduce the idea of epistemic proactivity, a supposed antithesis of Fisher’s hauntological diagnosis of society, as it opposes the cyclical structure of stagnation and complacency. Here, education must embrace its generative potential as an agent for creating forward-thinking stances. This calls for the deliberate use of AI to generate shock and stimulate engagement with the alien to deconstruct contradictions within knowledge automation and capitalism’s mechanisms. In the third section, these ideas converge as integral elements of hopeful pedagogy—acknowledging the influence of AI and the specters’ role in actualizing alternatives. It is here where learners and educators can reclaim education as a site of agency and transformation, subsequently allowing lost futures to turn into prospects of inspiration rather than despair. Ultimately, learning spheres through AI mold a space wherein the dregs of unrealized potential are actively mobilized, further creating emancipatory futures that turn this pedagogy into a liberatory catalyst.

Keywords

artificial intelligence; capitalism; epistemology; hauntology; pedagogy

Research Theme (for Paper Presentation and Poster Presentation submissions only)

Theoretical, Philosophical, and Historical Studies (TPH)

Initial Consent for Publication

yes

Statement of Originality

yes