The course will critically examine philosophical ideas about humans, animals, and machines. We will think about the current stage of technological development—the ways in which contemporary technologies both expand and interrupt what it means to be human. We will focus on several key concepts of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari (including becoming-animal, lines of flight, and reterritorialization). Our discussions will situate these concepts in the context of past and ongoing posthumanist debates, placing them alongside the contributions of contemporary philosophers, such as Bernard Stiegler and Catherine Malabou. The plays and short stories of Anton Chekhov will help chart out—not so much the lines of flight, as footpaths for slower becomings and futures.