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
Results 1-3 of 15
... vector to another , as has , for two hundred years , the power of the American nation he adored . Nothing else interested ... vectors . But , being - all - too often tangled up in elitist culture and used to giving more importance to the ...
... vectors and to the extension of their reach ( cf. the American submarine Trident , whose new missiles can travel 8 to 10,000 kilometers , as opposed to the Poseidon's 4 to 5,000 ) . Thus , the different strategic nuclear forces ...
... vectors used . Deterrence seems to have passed suddenly from the fire stage , in other words the explosive stage , to that of the movement of vectors , as if a final degree of nuclear deterrence had appeared , still poorly mas- tered by ...
Contents
THE DROMOCRATIC REVOLUTION | 27 |
From Highway Right to State Right | 49 |
Practical War | 73 |
Copyright | |
4 other sections not shown