THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

1. VIRAL SYMBIOSIS

8% of human DNA derives from viral insertions (Villarreal, 2005)
Viruses as potential evolutionary partners rather than just pathogens
From parasitism to mutualism: The virus as beneficial symbiont
Key question: Can we intentionally engineer viral symbionts that extend human capabilities?

2. POSTHUMAN EMBODIMENT

Haraway's Cyborg Theory: "The breaking down of the boundary between organism and technology represents the final conquering of the oppressed body" (Haraway, 1985)
Hayles' Material Information: "Information cannot exist apart from the embodiment that brings it into being" (Hayles, 1999)
The TERT virus creates a posthuman subject uncoupled from traditional temporality
Maintains materiality while reprogramming biological limitations

3. BIOPOLITICAL DISRUPTION

Challenges institutional control over life-extending technologies
Democratizes access through viral transmission rather than medical administration
Confronts the "outbreak narrative" (Wald, 2008) that frames viruses exclusively as threats
Employs "tactical biopolitics" (Critical Art Ensemble, 1998) to question who controls biotechnology