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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... century , despite apparent revolutions . As Tocqueville remarks , the quartermasters of fortifications ... century , a vogue that in the nineteenth century would become a veritable cult in philosophy and fiction . The engineer is ...
... century and gave rise to important works only in the nineteenth . ' He cites the example of a group of erudites , mostly of the legal profession , who , toward the middle of the sixteenth century , proposed ( in the words of one of them ...
... century , for example , each shot fired from a cannon required about ten move- ments ) . Later they began wondering about the living conditions of the laboring proletariat — without , as did Engels , abandoning the disdain and repulsion ...
Contents
THE DROMOCRATIC REVOLUTION | 27 |
From Highway Right to State Right | 49 |
Practical War | 73 |
Copyright | |
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