Speed and Politics, new editionWith this book Paul Virilio inaugurated the new science whose object of study is the "dromocratic" revolution. Speed and Politics (first published in France in 1977) is the matrix of Virilio's entire work. Building on the works of Morand, Marinetti, and McLuhan, Virilio presents a vision more radically political than that of any of his French contemporaries: speed as the engine of destruction. Speed and Politics presents a topological account of the entire history of humanity, honing in on the technological advances made possible through the militarization of society. Paralleling Heidegger's account of technology, Virilio's vision sees speed—not class or wealth—as the primary force shaping civilization. In this "technical vitalism," multiple projectiles—inert fortresses and bunkers, the "metabolic bodies" of soldiers, transport vessels, and now information and computer technology—are launched in a permanent assault on the world and on human nature. Written at a lightning-fast pace, Virilio's landmark book is a split-second, overwhelming look at how humanity's motivity has shaped the way we function today, and what might come of it. |
From inside the book
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... army is already deploying its personnel in key points of civilian activity and shadows the police in its surveillance tasks . The military proletariat's job is henceforth to police highways and airports , to collect garbage on public ...
... army and the civilian populations . The farmers , who remembered the army's help during the previous year's drought , accepted the Demeter exercise without , it seems , too much grumbling ... " Goddess Demeter is with us , " recognizes ...
... army can be found behind these philanthropic enterprises . Read the memoirs of Abbot Oziol , the French country priest who created centers for retarded children from nothing , centers designed to tear them away from the psychiatric ...
Contents
THE DROMOCRATIC REVOLUTION | 27 |
From Highway Right to State Right | 49 |
Practical War | 73 |
Copyright | |
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