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

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Benjamin H. Bratton

The Stack, 10th anniversary edition with new preface by the author

On Software and Sovereignty

Benjamin H. Bratton

$75

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

MIT Press
03 March 2026

Philosophy; Science: general issues

An anniversary edition of the comprehensive political and design theory of planetary-scale computation, which argues that The Stack-an accidental megastructure-is both a technological apparatus and a geopolitical architectural model.

With a new preface from the author.

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 his groundbreaking survey The Stack, Bratton anticipated the changes we see around us now. He proposes that different genres of computation-data centers, AI, cloud platforms, mobile apps, logistics, protocols, automation, robotics-can be seen not as different species evolving on their own, but as forming a coherent whole- an accidental megastructure called The Stack that is both a computational apparatus and a new governing architecture. We are inside The Stack, and it is inside of us.

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.

By: Benjamin H. Bratton
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 178mm,
Weight: 369g
ISBN: 9780262553919
ISBN 10: 0262553910
Pages: 528
Publication Date: 03 March 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

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.