From the Mental State of Noise to the New Frontiers of Techno-Human Cognition

At the intersection of humanities and science, this book re-examines noise as a fundamental force in shaping contemporary thought and digital culture. Anchored by the republication of Steven Sands and John Ratey's influential 1986 article "The concept of noise", this volume explores how noise transcends its traditional definition as unwanted sound or mere signal interference to become a generative force in our increasingly complex, digitised world.

The book brings together leading thinkers including Catherine Malabou, Rosa Menkman, and Yuk Hui to investigate noise across multiple domains: from semantic disruptions in Large Language Models to the algorithmic unconscious, from gaming platforms to glitch aesthetics, and from protest movements to post-semiotic French theory. Building on Sands and Ratey's pioneering concept of "the mental state of noise", it reveals how noise functions, also, as a catalyst for emergence, creativity, and transformative change in contemporary society. The chapters in this interdisciplinary collection challenge conventional understandings of complex systems, cognition, and computation, offering fresh perspectives on the relationship between human thought and technological advancement. By positioning noise as central to 21st-century techno-human cognition and cultural evolution, this volume opens new pathways for understanding the intersection of mind, machine, and meaning.

Essential reading for scholars and students in contemporary philosophy, science and technology studies, media and cultural studies, digital humanities, and digital arts, this volume demonstrates how noise has become instrumental in reshaping our understanding of the modern world and its possibilities. It was originally published as a special issue of Angelaki.