On hope resistance

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h ps://doi.o g/10.34024/p ome eica.2022.Especial.13536
ON HOPE RESISTANCE
SOBRE A RESISTÊNCIA DA ESPERANÇA
SOBRE LA RESISTENCIA DE LA ESPERANZA
Ca e ina Del So do
(Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU, Spain)
ca e ina.delso [email p o ec ed]
Recibido: 01/03/2022
Ap obado: 13/07/2022
ABSTRACT
In his pape , I analyse ou concep o esis ance. I ell he di e ence be ween hope esis ance
and esis ance ou cou - he i s igu es ou as a mo e basic phenomenon han he o he . I
speci y he concep o hope esis ance d awing upon he on ological and epis emological
a ille y o Bloch’s p inciple o hope. Acco dingly, hope esis ance is illus a ed and
explained h ough he concep s o possible u u es, u opian unc ion, an icipa ion and no um
ha nowadays a e c ucial o he new philosophical ield o u u e s udies. I b ing examples
o hope esis ance d awing upon he his o y o eminism and he ic i ious wo ld o science
ic ion and c ime se ies, pa icula ly Black Mi o , U opia, and Money Heis .
Keywo ds: hope. esis ance. u u e s udies. an icipa ion. u opic unc ion.
RESUMO
Nes e a igo, analiso nosso concei o de esis ência. Digo a di e ença en e esis ência à
espe ança e esis ência ou cou . O p imei o, igu a como um enômeno mais básico que o
ou o. Especi ico o concei o de esis ência à espe ança com base na a ilha ia on ológica e
epis emológica do p incípio da espe ança de Bloch. Assim, a esis ência à espe ança é
ilus ada e explicada a a és dos concei os de u u os possí eis, unção u ópica, an ecipação
e no um que hoje são c uciais pa a o no o campo ilosó ico dos es udos do u u o. T ago
exemplos de esis ência à espe ança com base na his ó ia do eminismo e no mundo ic ício
da icção cien í ica e das sé ies de c imes, em pa icula Black Mi o , U opia e Money Heis .
Pala as-cha e: espe ança. esis ência. es udos u u os. an ecipação. unção u ópica.
RESUMEN
En es e abajo analizo nues o concep o de esis encia. P esen o la di e encia en e la
esis encia de la espe anza y la esis encia ou cou . La p ime a apa ece como un enómeno
más básico que el o o. Especi ico el concep o de esis encia de la espe anza apoyándome
en la a ille ía on ológica y epis emológica del p incipio de espe anza de Bloch. Así, la
esis encia de la espe anza se ilus a y explica a a és de los concep os de u u os posibles,
unción u ópica, an icipación y no um que hoy en día son c uciales pa a el nue o campo
ilosó ico de los es udios de u u o. T aigo ejemplos de esis encia de la espe anza desde la
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his o ia del eminismo y el mundo ic icio de las se ies de ciencia icción y acción, en
pa icula Black Mi o , U opia y Money Heis .
Palab as cla es: espe anza. esis encia. es udios de u u o. an icipación. unción u ópica.
1. In oduc ion
This pape aims o cla i y he con en o ou concep o esis ance. To achie e his a ge , he main
heo e ical inspi a ion will be aken om he philosophy o E ns Bloch and exempli ica ions will be
d awn om La in-Ame ican eminism, science- ic ion and c ime TV se ies1. I only one s a s o hink
o i , esis ance e eals a slippe y and elusi e na u e. To be su e, i e eals a e y pe asi e concep ha
can be said in many ways jus as well as being. Indeed, i occu s in elec omagne ism as he measu e o
an objec ’s opposi ion o a ce ain low o elec ic cu en ; in human his o y as he physical and mo al
endu ance in wa a e and con es a ions; in poli ical philosophy and ju isp udence as he igh o con as
illegi ima e au ho i y; in physical exe cises as he body wo kou agains weigh s, bands o o ces; and
so o h (Del So do 2021).
Recen ly, esis ance has also joined he sho lis o concep s o heo e ical philosophy whe e esis ance
has been numbe ed among he a ibu es o ph ónesis o p ac ical wisdom. In his espec , I hink he
book José Medina's Epis emology o Resis ance (2013) has been pi o al. I de elops, indeed, i ue-
based e hics o knowing ha e ol es a ound he idea o esis ance conside ed as a kind o dianoe ic
i ue, i.e., as an admi able cha ac e ai ha any epis emic agen should nu u e. In his con ex , an
epis emic agen is said o be esis an when, unde condi ions o opp ession o disad an age, he o she
manages o gain momen um and pu in o doub e en ually in e io ized eelings, o sel -con ic ions, o
in e io i y.
Resis ance hus eme ges as a coun e ac i e o ce ha eac s agains ma e ial, physical, poli ical,
epis emic o in ellec ual o ms o opp ession. I will e e o his aspec o he concep as he esis ance
ou cou . Such a ela ional cha ac e iza ion does no seem, howe e , o be ine-g ained enough o
wholly iden i y wha we mean by esis ance. Medina 2013 seems o e e o a mo e complex
phenomenon han esis ance ou cou . I will e e o he mo e complex phenomenon o esis ance as
hope esis ance2, whose pa icula ou line uns om E ns Bloch’s idea o hope p inciple.
Hope esis ance is a hyb id concep ha de ies hypos a iza ion and abs ac ions (Thomason 2013, p.12),
o cing philosophe s o unde ake app oaches ha a e con ex ual and pe o ma i e. In his isiona y
ilogy, Bloch ne e eso s o analy ical p inciples o posi i e exempli ica ions. Ra he , he ends o use
nega i e examples and make he eade s acquain ed wi h hope h ough guided jumps o comp ehension.
Reg e ably, Bloch is ne e men ioned by Medina 2013, ei he in he ex o in i s bibliog aphy. To
cla i y he concep o esis ance, Medina ecalls illus ious examples o esis an he oes and he oines,
e.g., Juana Inez de la C uz and Rosa Pa ks.
Wi hou cla i ica ion o he abo emen ioned dis inc ion be ween esis ance ou cou and hope
esis ance, he exposi ion h ough exempla y igu es uns he isk o being misunde s ood o
unse iceable. Discou ses abou science ic ion and c ime TV se ies may p o ide us wi h illus a i e
examples o his e en ual kind o misunde s anding (Camb a Badii 2018).
1 The ui ul applica ion o case s udies om TV se ies in philosophical and psychological in es iga ions has been suppo ed
and expounded in Camb a Badii 2018.
2 McDonald, S ephenson 2010 in e es ingly couples he concep o hope wi h ha o esilience, which sha es lines o a ini y
wi h ha o esis ance. Also, o an embedding o hope in o i ue epis emology and e hics one could consul Billias 2010.
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The audience o sci- i and c ime se ies seems, indeed, o beha e ambi alen ly3. Hooked spec a o s
ollow he plo s and hea ly chee o Lacie in Nosedi e (B ooke 2016), Becky o Jessica Hyde in U opia
(Kelly, 2013-2014) o The P o esso in Money Heis (Pina, 2017-2021). They seem o unde s and hei
he oes’ easoning, suppo ing hei delibe a ions agains he g ain. While being sympa he ic wi h hem,
he audience seems con empo a ily unable o p oduce any eal co esponding esis ance in hei ou ine
way o using digi al and medical echnology o o being in ol ed in wo ldwide inancial machine y.
Following my dis inc ion, howe e , he e migh be some concep ual con usion in in e p e ing his
beha iou in e ms o ambi alence.
Social o indi idual changes can be he e ec s o ei he esis ance ou cou o hope esis ance.
Acco dingly, he ac ha he audience's a e sion o digi al echnology is no mani es ly ans e ed om
he ic i ious o he eal wo ld canno s and o a nea absence o esis ance in i . One can in e p e his
absence in e ms o esis ance ou cou , which does no imply on i s own a anishing o hope esis ance
oo.
This pape ollows his ou line. The i s and second sec ions a e dedica ed o he in oduc ion o he idea
o hope esis ance. In he i s sec ion, I will in oduce he concep s o u opian unc ion and an icipa ion
d awing upon he i s olume o Bloch’s 1995 ilogy. In he second sec ion, I will d aw inspi a ion
om he he oine Juana Inez de la C uz o exempli y u opian unc ion and hope esis ance. In he ou h
and i h sec ions, I will show ha cha ac e s o Black Mi o , U opia and Money Heis b ing o ligh
aspec s o hope esis ance. I will conclude ha co esponding appea ances o ambi alen beha iou s
dese e mo e ine-g ained ecalcula ions
2. U opian Func ion and An icipa ion
E ns Bloch has been numbe ed among adi ional au ho s o u u e philosophy. Indeed, one can ind a
b ie , bu sa is ac o y, accoun o his u u e on ology in Poli 2017. Bloch’s discou se on hope is laye ed
along in e wo en le els o analysis in ol ing biology, a ec i i y, on ology and epis emology.
The hope p inciple begins wi h a kind o p ocessual and biological monism, whe e modi ica ion,
openness and change igu e ou as on ological pilla s. Li e in i sel is an immedia e condi ion whe e
<<Tha we a e ali e canno be el >>.
Tha which posi s us as li ing does no i sel eme ge. I lies deep down, whe e we begin o be co po eal.
[…] Nobody has sough ou his s a e o u ging, i has been wi h us e e since we ha e exis ed and in ha
we exis . The na u e o ou immedia e being is emp y […] all o his does no eel i sel , in o de o do so i
mus i s go ou o i sel (Bloch, 1995, p. 45)
The media e condi ion o li e, namely, whe e li e eels i sel , a ises as a ‘ ague and inde ini e’ hi s ha
u ges immedia e li e o “go ou o i sel ”.
Fo one hing, Bloch s e nly de uses he sea ch o undamen al human d i es (Ibid. Ch. 13). He indeed
c i icizes philosophe s and psychologis s posi ing as undamen al ei he sex, powe , e os o a che ypes.
Acco ding o him, undamen ali y is always biased by con ingen cons ain s, mainly socioeconomic,
ha decei e ou inqui ies wi h alse p omises o absolu eness. Fo ano he hing, he de e mines wo
d i es ha can no wi hs anding aspi e o be mo e basic han o he s. The wo seemingly undamen al
d i es a e p ese a ion and comple ion4. P ese a ion mus be in e p e ed as an appe i e o app op ia e
condi ions o li e un olding. Comple ion mus be in e p e ed as a d i e owa ds ongoing pe ec ion.
3 The beha iou o TV se ies spec a o s can be conside ed a echnological ex ension o human beha iou s. Along his line,
he embodimen ela ion o echnology wi h he use s, aken as li ing bodies, has been analyzed in Libe a i 2019, Bon iglioli
2021. In his espec , u he insigh s o deepen can be ound in o he imagina i e esis ance phenomenon (see Tuna 2020).
Fo he gene al philosophical ele ance o ic ion and he a ie y o heo ies he eupon see Aldegani 2021.
4 Fo an on ological iew o comple ion see Žižek 2013.
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P ese a ion and comple ion a e illed in by a ec i i y, which is a quali a i e and si ua ed condi ion o
li ing ma e . As soon as he p ocess o “going ou o i sel ” akes place, d i es gi e ise o ague
in en ional ac s o s i ing and longing wi hou dis inc in en ional objec s (ibid. p. 45). These ac s can
be u he e ined and s eamlined in ull-g own in en ional ac s, wi h hei own dis inc objec s. The
e inemen o he ac s o s i ing and longing cons i u es wha Bloch calls deside ium (ibid. Ch. 10).
In addi ion o he sa is ac ion o pa icula desi es, a gene al unsa is ied desi e is always esidual.
Residuali y b ings abou he dis inc ion be ween illed and expec an a ec s (ibid., p. 74). The o me is
"sho - e m", ha is, hei in en ional d i e objec lies in he "al eady a ailable" wo ld. En y, g eed, and
admi a ion a e kinds o illed a ec s. Expec an a ec s ins ead a e "long- e m", ha is, hei in en ional
d i e objec does no lie ye eady, ei he in he espec i e indi idual a ainabili y o in he al eady
a ailable wo ld (ibid., Ch. 13). Examples o expec ed a ec s a e anxie y, ea , hope o ai h.
A i s glance, he dis inc ion be ween illed and expec an a ec s seems odd. Bloch indeed classi ies
hope among he expec an a ec s, bu o be su e, one’s hope can be di ec ed owa ds sho - e m objec s
as well. In addi ion, I would say, i is usually so. Fo ins ance, I can hope ha omo ow will be sunny
o ha he wa in Uk aine will no b eak ou . Which objec s can expec an hopes be o ien ed o?
Acco ding o Bloch, adi ional on ology and epis emology ha e usually deal wi h bounded objec s, ha
is, objec s whose iden i ying con en , unc ion o machine y, e en hough unknown, a e al eady
es ablished. Bloch's objec s claim o be open in his espec . Acco ding o him, wha we usually call an
"objec " is jus he con ingen and socioeconomically cons ained endpoin o a wide on ological wake
o i s possible con igu a ions.
T adi ional on ology and epis emology make his o ically de e mined cu s along on ological wakes. This
would no be a p oblem, howe e , i only one is eady o admi ha he cu is a ma e o empo a y
con enience and is p omp o hand again ull on ological wakes o objec s hemsel es. Un o una ely,
his eadmission ha dly su aces and wha we e jus con enien cu s a e likely o become ough
cons aining bounda ies.
The emo al o on ological bounda ies opens up he eal possible ho izon o an objec . Real possibili y
in ol es a leas ou kinds o u u es, namely, desi able, p obable, plausible and possible u u es (Poli
2019, Ch.10). The desi able u u e o an objec , say x, includes hose no -ye con igu a ions o i ha we
would p e e o li e wi h. P obable u u es a e he no -ye con igu a ions o x ha a e in line wi h ou
cu en social cons ain s, habi us o ends. Plausible u u es a e he no -ye con igu a ions o x ha a e
in line wi h he cu en s a e o ou knowledge. Possible u u es a e all he con igu a ions o x ha we
can ma e ially, o e en only abs ac ly, imagine.
I is impo an o no ice ha desi able u u es gi e ise o a c oss-sec ion o he o he kinds o u u es.
Tha is, a u u e con igu a ion is desi able ega dless o i s simila i y o dissimila i y wi h wha is
p obable o plausible. Desi able possible u u es make up wha Bloch calls ‘ he immense u opian ield
o he wo ld’ (C . Bloch 1995, p.6). Expec an a ec s a e usually di ec ed owa d possible u u es, he e
lying long- e m objec s, while illed a ec s a e usually di ec ed owa d plausible o p obable u u es,
he e lying sho - e m objec s.
Desi able, p obable, plausible, and possible u u es a e o dina ed by inclusion and in e sec as ollows:
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Figu e 1. In e sec ing Fu u es
We may imagine now ha an objec d aws a line along he in e sec ing u u es. Fo ins ance, we may
imagine ha he ollowing ed line is d awn by he I alian uni e si y ins i u ion:
Figu e 2. The Line o an Objec along In e sec ing Fu u es
Along his line, he I alian uni e si y ins i u ion inds a desi able u u e only in he ealm o possibili y
and u opian ield. This means ha i s desi able con igu a ions a e e y long- e m and ha a desi e

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di ec ed owa d i is expec ed o exe wha Bloch calls u opian unc ion, which is illed in by expec an
a ec s (Bloch 1995, p.115, passim).
The u opian ield becomes epis emically accessible by s ipping away om he objec s hei acqui ed
bounda ies. The blowing up o his o ically de e mined bounda ies libe a es om he objec s an almos
blinding beam o ligh . This libe a ed ligh cons i u es he phenomenon Bloch calls “ esis ance o he
no um” (ibid. p. 128-32). The no um a ises he e as some hing me ely de e minable ha mus be
in o med and de e mina e, no e en wi hou di icul ies, o be bes owed wi h an an icipa o y ole ha
succeeds in d i ing ou ac ions.
We can ge acquain ed wi h he blinding ligh o he no um by aking in o accoun wha is like o
expe ience he epis emological scope o he hope p inciple. The epis emological aspec s o he hope
p inciple a e in plain con as wi h wha is called he con empla i e pa adigm (ibid) o knowledge. The
con empla i e pa adigm cu en ly domina es knowledge. I se s he esul s o cogni ion back as a p emise
o cogni ion i sel and e e s o some al eady-es ablished being o he objec o knowledge. Upon close
inspec ion, his assump ion is al eady implici ly p esen in ou cogni i e li e, bo h in ou common sense
and in ou scien i ic o philosophical-sys ema ic endea o s. Le me poin ou a couple o examples. I I
see my desk, I know ha I’m seeing i as i al eady is and as i we e onigh be o e I woke up. I I see a
s a , I know ha I’m seeing i as i had al eady been se e al yea s ago.5 I I gi e p oo o he Py hago ean
Theo em, I'm implici ly assuming ha he a io o he legs iden i ies a p ope y o he hypo enuse as i
al eady is and no as i is going o become o as i has no ye become. Hence, i is no easy ask o imagine
o isualize any change in he con empla i e pa adigm o knowledge. This no el y would be a o al
b each o ou cogni i e habi us, hus showing ha kind o esis ance o de e mina ion ha acco ding o
Bloch is ypical o he new and he de e minable.
An icipa ion a ises as a p ac ical u opian ac i i y o a mili ancy owa d he no um. The p ac ical ace
o an icipa ion makes up he co ne s one o nowadays u u e s udies6. An icipa ion allows us o g adually
wo k ou he dialec ics be ween he de e mina ion and he de e minabili y o he no um. Following he
hope p inciple, we ha e a biological impulse o an icipa e he no um ins ead o passi ely wai ing o i s
ealiza ion. This impulse would be encoded wi hin he undamen al d i es o p ese a ion and
comple ion.
In he nex sec ion, I will d aw an example o u opian unc ion om he o iginal Mexican eminism.
3. The Case o So Juana Inez de la C uz
In se en een h-cen u y Mexico, Juana Ines de la C uz el a s ong deside ium owa ds knowledge
h oughou he li e. Now, ollowing Bloch’s pe spec i e, knowledge, like any o he objec , is
encapsula ed in a social na a i e ha con ines i and i s eachabili y wi hin speci ic bounda ies.
Knowledge was ou o Juana’s each because o he con empo a y na a i es. Fi s , she was a young
woman and hus could no go o he Uni e si y o Mexico Ci y. Then, she became a nun, and hus, she
couldn’ ha e mas e s o each he a s, li e a u e o sciences. She had o spend mos o he ime a e
monas ic s u and could dedica e only spa e ime o he lay inclina ions.
5 In he cogni i e sciences, hese wo examples a e e lec ed in he causal heo y o pe cep ion.
6 <<An icipa ion consis s o wo elemen s: a model and i s ansla ion in o ac ion. Looking a he wea he o ecas is no an
an icipa o y ac i i y in i sel , bu deciding o ake an umb ella as a esul o wha you ha e seen is. Fo ecas s a e no hing
mo e han a model, hey jus ell us wha could happen. Ha ing seen wha could happen and changing one's beha iou
acco dingly is a case o an icipa o y ac i i y. S ill, an icipa o y beha iou is mo e obus han eac i e beha iou , i.e. wai ing
o some hing o happen and hen esponding. Reac i e s a egies a e expensi e and ine icien : hey a e a su e ecipe o
ailu e. The e a e no alid al e na i es o a o wa d-looking app oach. I any hing, he poin is o unde s and ha he e a e
many di e en ways o an icipa ing and ha i is necessa y o ind hose ha a e bes sui ed o one’s si ua ion; jus as i is
necessa y o unde s and he cogni i e and social cons ain s ha il e and condi ion he ansla ion o a model in o ac ion.
(Poli 2019, p. 14-5)
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In a le e o So Filo ea, Juana said ha he longing o a s, li e a u e and sciences was so s ong ha
she ne e succeeded in bu ning i o :
Wha is ue is I will no deny [...] since he i s ligh o eason beamed on me, my inclina ion owa ds
le e s was so ehemen and powe ul, ha no e en ou side ep imands --which I ha e had many--, no my
e lexes --which I ha e done qui e a ew--, ha e been enough o me o s op ollowing his na u al impulse
God placed in me (C uz 1994 p.10). [ ansla ion mine]
As i seems, Juana’s desi e o knowledge was ha d o e adica e. Ra he , i g ew up s onge , as soon as
one ies o emo e i (ibid. p. 12). As is clea in he le e , Juana s a ed s udying humbly ollowing he
only easible ou es. The d i e o knowledge was so s ong o allow he o pu in o b acke s e en he
socially acqui ed eeling o in e io i y7. By designing he pa h, Juana opened up he on ological
bounda ies o knowledge. Wi h his mo e, she pu in o ques ion a wholesale ecei ed iew o knowledge
acco ding o which knowledge is a kind o Russian doll made up o specialized disciplines encapsula ed
one in he o he .
Acco ding o he con empo a y domina ing na a i es, he s udy o heology was conceded only o
s uden s who we e p e iously ained in speci ic disciplines. This condi ion was una o dable o Juana,
who s i es o knowledge alone and wi hou lib a ies, mas e s o disciples.
Despi e he di icul ies, Juana s a ed s udying specialized disciplines jus by eading he books she
happened o ha e and along he o de she could. Along his pa h, she su p isingly disco e ed o he wise
un o ecas able ace s o knowledge. In pa icula , she expe ienced ha knowledge was no a all di ided
in o encapsula ed sec o s. I was a he ho izon al and allowed s uden s o lea n disciplines h ough ee
wande ing om one sec o o he o he . Music, o ins ance, migh allow Juana o unde s and his o y,
cooking chemis y, poe y ma hema ics, and oy physics.
And so, by ha ing some p inciples gained, I con inually s udied a ious hings, wi hou ha ing any
pa icula inclina ion, bu a he all in gene al. The e o e, ha ing s udied some in mo e de ail han o he s
has no been my choice, bu a he he chance o ha ing come ac oss mo e books o hose acul ies has
gi en hem, wi hou my delibe a ion, he p e e ence. […] T ue, I say his abou he p ac ical pa […]
because i is clea ha while he pen mo es, he compass es s and while he ha p is played, he o gan calms
down, e sic de cae e is; […] bu in he o mal and specula i e he opposi e happens, and I would like o
pe suade e e yone wi h my expe ience ha no only do hey no ge on he way, bu hey help each o he
by gi ing ligh and opening he way o one ano he , h ough a ia ions and hidden links [...] in a way ha
seems o co espond and a e uni ed wi h admi able bonding and conce . […] I can assu e you ha wha I
do no unde s and in an au ho om one acul y, I usually unde s and in ano he om ano he ha seems
e y dis an ; and hose own, when explained, open me apho ical examples o o he a s […]. (ibid. p. 13-
14, ansla ion mine)
Well, wha could I ell […] abou he na u al sec e s ha I ha e disco e ed while cooking? I see ha an egg
is uni ed and ied in bu e o oil and, on he con a y, i b eaks apa in he sy up; […] I A is o le had
cooked, he would ha e w i en much mo e. (ibid., p. 24, ansla ion mine)
Juana’s s ong desi e o knowledge led he o eshape he bounda ies o his objec , d awing ma e ials
upon he u opian ield o desi able possible knowledge. The example o Juana also allows us o illus a e
ha he an icipa o y mili ancy igni ed by u opian unc ion con eys wi hs anding capaci ies in on o
e en ad e sa y p esen condi ions.
As migh be clea , Juana’s esis ance is no jus esis ance ou cou . I is no jus a ma e o ma e ick
keeping on o gi ing some hing up. Juana was conce ned wi h he on ologically sub e si e endea o o
7 Fo he impo ance o sel - us in igh ing agains epis emic injus ice see El Kassa 2021.
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opening up knowledge bounda ies o u opian ho izons o new con igu a ions8. Because i in ol es such
a u opian unc ion, Juana’s esis ance can be conside ed a ue example o hope esis ance.9
In he nex sec ion, I will analyse he cha ac e s o Lacie in Nosedi e and Becky in U opia. I will also
show ha hei esis ance is hope esis ance.
4. Hope Resis ance in Science Fic ion TV Se ies
This sec ion iden i ies elemen s o hope esis ance in science ic ion TV se ies. The e a e, I hink, a leas
wo cases dese ing discussion. One is Black Mi o 10 and he o he is U opia. The episodes o he
o me b each he banks ha digi al echnologies massi ely impose on human li e emo ions. The second
blow up he ixed con ou s and limi a ions ha massi e bio echnological medicine supe imposes on he
quali y o human li ing condi ions.
Bo h se ies display examples o hope esis ance. Some o hei p o agonis s do no jus s enuously ejec
digi al echnologies o massi e bio ech sani a y ea men s. Ra he , hey eshape he cu en bounda ies
o human heal h and sa is ac ion.
The i s example o hope esis ance I wan o d aw a en ion o comes om Nosedi e, a e y well-
known episode o he highly equen ed TV se ies Black Mi o . In Nosedi e, he p o agonis Lacie
Pound aims a eeling con en wi h he sel and up o he le el whe e e she winds up in. Un o una ely,
howe e , she inds hese a ge s con ined wi hin he eluc an domina ing na a i e o a ne wo k o
digi al social a ings.
Lacie li es in a socie y whe e p i a e ci izens, poli ics, en e p ises, e c., do such in ense use o a digi al
social a ing ne wo k ha one canno en a house o a ca o canno ge access o medical ea men s
unless she has a leas a ce ain sco e, 4.5 o example. Lacie s i es o be highly sco ed, bu i onically,
he mo e she s i es o i , he lowe sco e she ob ains. As a esul , she always ends up being us a ed.
He mos desi able u u e is somehow apped and locked in a cage whose key was momen a ily
una ailable o he .
The be o hope esis ance on Lacie consis s o cons uc ing ano he na a i e a ound con en men and
pe sonal adequacy. I Lacie exe ed only esis ance ou cou , she would ha e jus h own he
sma phone away wi hou diminishing, o a he wo sening, he g ade o us a ion.
Luckily, Lacie succeeds in disco e ing he libe a o y powe o u opic unc ions, hanks o he ge ing
in o acquain ance wi h Susan. Susan is a middle-aged uck d i e and plain woman, appea ing amid a
highly a icked ailway. She sco ed e y low. Howe e , despi e i , she is con en wi h he sel .
Susan's con en men does no depend on he esis ance ou cou . She has no jus abandoned he social
ne wo k Lacie was ond o . Susan has a he conque ed a u opic scena io whe e he being adequa e and
con en unde goes econ igu a ion. Con en men and pe sonal adequacy acco dingly change hei
con ou s, becoming independen o any digi al a ing mechanism.
8 The in e lace be ween esis ance and epis emic academic na a i es is in es iga ed in Bon iglioli 2020 ocusing on Co id19 pandemics.
9 Medina’s analysis o So Juana b ings abou hemes ha a e close o he ones I ha e so a ou lined: << Despi e So Juana’s cons an
c i ique o epis emic a ogance and cons an (e en excessi e) exe cises o humili y, she a gues ha we should no ge discou aged by he
di icul ies and dange s in ol ed in he pu sui o knowledge. Fo , no ma e how ex eme hese di icul ies and dange s may be, hey make
he jou ney and i s achie emen s all he mo e aluable; and i is ul ima ely up o he subjec s hemsel es ( ega dless o hei gende iden i y
o sexuali y) o decide whe he hey a e up o he challenge and whe he he epis emic isks a e wo h aking. […] Ou expe ien ial
pe spec i es can be b oadened wi h ou capaci y o imagine, o su ey possible wo lds in which al e na i e expe iences can be had. This
kind o imagina i e knowledge has a c ucial coun e ac ual dimension: e en i he ac ual wo ld does no allow ce ain expe iences o be
had, hei possibili y can be used as he basis o al e na i e knowledge, an epis emic coun e poin o li ed expe ience and knowledge,
which is s ill g ounded in eal li e and embodied expe iences>> (Medina 2013, p. 232).
10 Fo a de ailed discussion on Black Mi o and i s ele an bibliog aphy om he specialized poin o iew o ilm heo y, one can consul
he ecen pape So olla-Rome o e al. 2020. Fo a philosophical pe spec i e on he same se ies, consul Johnson 2020.
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Well, Susan's li e choices a e echoed in Lacie. She s a s doing he same, no ca ing o he sco es and
being b u ally since e wi h all people. B u al since i y ende s Susan and Lacie ma ginalized women,
who ie cely wi hs and hei ma ginaliza ion. They may bea i so s oically because hey che ish he
u opic idea ha con en men and adequacy can inally be libe a ed om chains o opp essi e digi al
a ing na a i es. F om his pe spec i e, cu en ma ginaliza ion hus a ises as wo king an icipa ion o
posi i e possible u u es. Susan and Lacie mili a e in his u opic di ec ion, he eby wi hs anding any
cu en social a ing wi hou unning he isk o being ampled o dea h o social us a ion. The
example o Nosedi e suppo us o ecognize ha an icipa o y p ac ices may os e he capaci y o people
o ein e p e p esen bed condi ions in e m o weak signals (Poli 201911) o a posi i e upcoming
blossoming u u e.
U opia is a less-known wo k han Nosedi e. I was launched in 2013 on an English channel and hen
canceled because o pu po ed image c udi y. In 2020, U opia was emade by Amazon. The 2013
o iginal and he emake a e qui e di e en om each o he . Up o he p esen , I didn' ge he occasion
o p ope ly app ecia e hei di e ences. In his pape , I hus e e o he o iginal 2013 e sion.
U opia has a highly en angled plo . This aspec is unde sco ed also by he ac ha he inal episode
con ains a hin o a ne e - eleased con inua ion. U opia e e s o a p ojec o DNA selec ion, called
Giano, de eloped by Co a d , a pha macy indus y. Th ough Giano, Co a d wo ks on he p ojec o
dec easing he human popula ion by sp eading a seeming accine p oduced o con on ing pu po edly
dange ous illnesses. In he igh agains Giano, all he cha ac e s o U opia display he ai s o esis ance
ou cou . Ne e heless, he se ies also o e s examples o ue hope esis ance.
Jessica Hyde, o ins ance, is an un o gi able hope- esis an cha ac e . Howe e , he ague ai s o
insani y ende he analysis bo h slippe y and c i ical. Fo his eason, I p e e o alloca e he analysis o
con ibu ions ailo ed o U opia. The cha ac e o Becky be e se es he pu pose o his pape .
Becky is a Ph.D. candida e in medicine. She appa en ly su e s om a degene a i e illness called Diel's
synd ome. F om he beginning o he se ies, i is clea ha Diels synd ome could be a gene ically
ansmissible illness a ising a he co e o Giano. Becky su e s om spasms and epilep ic a acks. She
knows she could only delay hese symp oms by aking a pha makon called Tho axine.
Becky desi es o disco e he u h abou Giano and he ela ed illness. A he end o he se ies, she
inally de e mines a leas pa o ha u h. In pa icula , she disco e s he illness was no an illness
p ope ly. Spasms and epilep ic a acks a e nega i e side e ec s o Tho axine i sel , which u ns ou o
be an opia e. She ge s access o his u h as soon as she e uses o ake Tho axine. This ac ion o e usal
encodes elemen s o esis ance ou cou . I emains clea howe e ha Becky’s is a mo e complex
u n12.
Fi s , he u n is deeply mo i a ed by suspicions o he Co a d p ojec and he mains eam poli ical
na a i e abou i . Second, i is suppo ed by an an icipa o y jump o a u opic u u e whe e he acqui ed
iew o echno-medical heal h blows up. Pu ing i in Bloch’s e ms, Becky libe a es he no um along
he on ological wake o human heal h. Acco ding o such no um, heal h passes om being a unc ion o
pha macology and echnomedicine o a p ope unc ion o human bodies.
Becky’s ajec o y e eals ano he aspec o hope esis ance. This aspec is some hing we may call a
debunking powe o hope esis ance. Indeed, hope esis ance, wi h he aid o epis emic suspicion, may
11 <<Weak signals a e bo n and die all he ime. The e a e a lo o hem, bu hei pa e ns a e di icul o see and in e p e because hey a e
weak. Only a ew can consolida e and become new ends. Since hey a e no gene ally app ecia ed by decision-make s, a nai e app oach
o weak signals is doomed o ail. Asking a pe son o pick up a weak signal is like asking hem o poin ou some hing i ele an ha migh
be ele an . They a e usually ecognized by pionee s o special g oups, a he han by ecognized expe s. To in e cep hem i is use ul o
wo k wi h he u u e. na i es, hose who adop new echnologies i s , who ques ion he pa adigms, and who c ea e he u u e hemsel es>>
(Poli 2019, p. 75 passim).
12 A de ailed accoun o he pe o ming ela ionship be ween hope, on he one hand, and he apy, su e ing and medical p ac ices, on he
o he , can be ound in Wa e wo h, Chs. 5,4 and Ha ama i 2010.