Ghost City. Alternatives for a Metaphysics of Architecture

“Ghost City probes the confounding gap between how things appear and how things are. Elusive matter, hollow forms, redacted natures, and slippery mathematical entities form its core concerns. The book is also a persuasive plea for architecture at large to wake up.”—Dr. Catherine Ingraham, author of Architecture’s Theory

“Engaging and profound…a sustained assault on the metaphysical underpinnings of contemporary theory.”—Dr. Mahesh Daas, author of Leading with Aesthetics

Today, the art of building has become increasingly dominated by concepts borrowed from science, but how do we interpret this influence when the causal reduction of subjective experience to space-time physics has repeatedly failed? This book—part philosophical investigation, part architecture treatise—explores the “hard problem of consciousness” and what happens when two distinct, yet closely related, ontologies are called into question. While deconstructing the conceptual supports for material monism and substance dualism, Ghost City addresses issues largely ignored by contemporary designers—especially those focused on future developments in artificial intelligence. Through essays and short stories, the author argues forcefully that direct insight into the nature of mind can help create a more timeless, ecologically sound framework for design in an age of accelerating change.