The definitive introduction to, and critique of, the philosophy of Nick Land. From a Žižekian standpoint. A continuation of timenergy theory. Hands down the best point of entry into the worlds of philosophy and theory. Also the best way to get acquainted with the most influential theorists of the 21st Century.


"Militant proletarian snake-handling over abysses never gets much wilder than this."

—Nick Land


"It makes me really proud of having served as an inspiration to Downs' Capital vs Timenergy, a book whose title tells it all. It is much more than a book about Nick Land, me and our cohorts. Today, hundreds of books are devoted to the critique of capitalism, but the fact that they don't amount to much in terms of practical engagements signals a need to rethink our very basic theoretical coordinates: capitalism versus WHAT? With the elaboration of the concept of timenergy, Downs does precisely what is needed: he puts capitalism into a new conceptual space, enabling us to approach it in theory and in practice in new ways."

—Slavoj Žižek

"Michael Downs is an inspirational writer and teacher. In Capital vs Timenergy, he ventures where those timorous of the culture-war epithets of 'adjacency' and 'infection' fear to go. But to approach a topic or thinker with clarity in the spirit of critique is vital—not only to think against, but to think through. What are the material structures that provide the impetus for philosophical thought, good and bad? Where and how might thinkers be liable to fall into oppositional logics and the death spiral of capitalist bad infinity? In typical Downs style, this thorough and engaging study is a wild ride through the best (and worst) of where philosophy can take us."

—Helen Rollins

"A stunning, truly inspired sample of the kind of thinking being done outside of the academy. Downs' extended Žižekian critique of one of the darlings of Alt-Right faux intellectualism hits where it hurts. A must read for anyone interested in peeking behind the curtain and catching a glimpse of the ideas upon which the forces of neoreactionary neo(il)liberalism continue to feed—and how to counter them."

—Russell Sbriglia

"In Capital vs Timenergy: A Žižekian Critique of Nick Land, Downs intricately tracks the meaning of the ever-slippery term 'Landian' across the planes of philosophy, politics, and intellectual history. Ever intermingled with the remaining philosophical ephemera of Land, the CCRU, Fisher, et al., Downs' text retrieves from the wreckage an encyclopedic appraisal of our Landian moment, complete with a thorough critique of Land's all-too-human optimism. Drawing on theoretical heavyweights such as Žižek, McGowan, Lacan, Deleuze, Baudrillard, and Negarestani, whilst simultaneously dialoging with the highly-online Landosphere, Downs' text equally positions itself as scholarly and underground. A must read for anyone looking to make it into the near future."

—James Ellis