Speed and politics : an essay on dromology / Paul Virilio ; translated by Mark Polizzotti.
| Author/creator | Virilio, Paul author. |
| Format | Book |
| Edition | [2006 edition]. |
| Publication | South Pasadena, CA ; [Los Angeles, Calif.] : Semiotext(e), [2006] |
| Copyright Date | © 2006 |
| Description | 174 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm. |
| Supplemental Content | Table of contents |
| Subjects |
| Uniform title | Vitesse et politique. English |
| Portion of title | An essay on dromology |
| Series | Semiotext(e) foreign agents series Semiotext(e) foreign agents series. ^A707647 |
| Contents | Logistics of habitable circulation -- From street fight to state right -- From highway right to state right -- From space right to state right -- Practical war -- Unable bodies -- The boarding of metabolic vehicles -- The end of the proletariat -- The consumption of security -- The state of emergency. |
| Abstract | In less than half a century, geographical spaces have been shrinking as speed increased. The continental translation has given way to a worldwide phenomenon of technological contraction: the direct encounter of every surface on a diminished planet. The invasion of the instant replaces the invasion of the territory. We have to face the facts: today, speed is war, the last war. |
| Summary | Speed and Politics (1986; first published in France in 1977) is the matrix of Virilio's entire work. It presents a topological account of the history of humanity, honing in on the technological advances made possible through the militarization of society. Parallel to Heidegger's vision of technology, Virilio sees speed-not class or wealth-as the primary motor behind civilization. In this 'technical vitalism,' multiple projectiles-inert fortresses and bunkers, the 'metabolic bodies' of soldiers, transport vessels and now information and computer technology-mutually prosthetize each other in a permanent assault on the world and, through it, on human nature. |
| General note | Translation of: Vitesse et politique. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-174). |
| Language | In English; translated from French. |
| Issued in other form | Online version: Virilio, Paul. Vitesse et politique. English. Speed and politics. [2006 ed.]. Los Angeles, CA : Semiotext(e), ©2006 |
| Genre/form | History. |
| LCCN | 2007280234 |
| ISBN | 9781584350408 (pbk.) |
| ISBN | 1584350407 (pbk.) |