The Stack, 10th anniversary edition with new preface by the author: On Software and Sovereignty (Software Studies)

Bratton, Benjamin H.

ISBN 10: 0262553910 / ISBN 13: 9780262553919

Published by The MIT Press, 2026

Seller Inventory # mon0004014058

Synopsis:

Why The Stack—an accidental megastructure—is both a technological apparatus and the geopolitical model of our times.

A tenth anniversary edition of the comprehensive political philosophy of planetary-scale computation, with a new preface from the author.

What has planetary-scale computation done to our geopolitical realities? It takes different forms at different scales—from energy and mineral sourcing and subterranean cloud infrastructure to urban software and massive universal addressing systems; from interfaces drawn by the augmentation of the hand and eye to users identified by self-quantification and the arrival of legions of sensors, algorithms, and robots. Together, how do these distort and deform modern political geographies and produce new territories in their own image? In an account that is both theoretical and technical, drawing on political philosophy, design theory, and computer science, Bratton explores six layers of The Stack: Earth, Cloud, City, Address, Interface, User.

About the Author: Benjamin H. Bratton is Professor of Philosophy of Technology and Speculative Design at University of California, San Diego. He is also Director of Antikythera, a think-tank, journal, and book series exploring the future of planetary computation.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Stack, 10th anniversary edition with new...
Publisher: The MIT Press
Publication Date: 2026
Binding: paperback
Condition: Fine