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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... limits . " The invader's performance resembles that of his athletic coun- terpart , of those olympic champions whose records first progressed by hours , then by minutes , then by seconds , then by fractions of seconds . The better they ...
... limits to economic growth , there are also potentially desirable limits to the infinite expansion of democracy . ” The crisis of these liberal democracies is the end of a form of mobilization of the citizenry . The central historical ...
... limit the speed of this race ( the speed of means of communicating destruction ) will not limit strategic arms , since from now on the essential object of strategy consists in maintaining the non - place of a general delocalization of ...
Contents
THE DROMOCRATIC REVOLUTION | 27 |
From Highway Right to State Right | 49 |
Practical War | 73 |
Copyright | |
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