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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... simple collision , to the provocation of a clash with the urban police , in which the mass of overtrained militants is armed with audio visual machines : movie cameras , tape recorders , etc. Aware of the kinetic nature of their actions ...
... simple reason , the English will long remain the best clockmakers in the world . Mastery over the sea demands that over Time ; it requires you to “ shoot for the moon , " as they used to say . So it is natural that the modern formula of ...
... simple civil war , ” as Engels had predicted to Lassalle — a rerouting toward the interior of the " proletariat's torrent of energy " ( Trotsky ) . In 1917 in France national war lost its old revolutionary prestige in the eyes of the ...
Contents
THE DROMOCRATIC REVOLUTION | 27 |
From Highway Right to State Right | 49 |
Practical War | 73 |
Copyright | |
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