Negative Horizon: An Essay in Dromoscopy [Hardcover]

Paul Virilio (Author), Michael Degener (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0826478425 | ISBN-13: 978-0826478429 | Publication Date: May 29, 2005

Negative Horizon is Paul Virilio's most original and unified exploration of the key themes and ideas running through his work and thought. Provocatively and forcefully written, it sets out Virilio's theory of dromoscopy: a means of apprehending speed and its pivotal - and potentially destructive - role in contemporary global society. Applying this theory to Western political and military history, Virilio exposes a compulsion to accelerate, and the rise of a politics of time - encapsulated in the importance acorded to speed - over territorial politics of space. Moving through human history from the cave paintings at Lascaux that depict the first hunters, through the domestication of animals and the building of the first roads, to the 'stealth technologies' deployed in contemporary warfare, Virilio shows how resistance to speed and movement has consistently been eroded, and the physical world adapted, in order to satisfy the urge to move further and faster.

Editorial Reviews

Review

(Critical Inquiry- mentioning (Autumn 2005) )

"Overall the book maintains the provocative and unique style readers have come to expect from Virilio. A writer of difficult and often frustrating prose, Virilio nevertheless is to be commended for his willingness to push ideas and stand up to challenges." --Jeff Shantz, Philosophy in Review


(, )

”Overall the book maintains the provocative and unique style readers have come to expect from Virilio. A writer of difficult and often frustrating prose, Virilio nevertheless is to be commended for his willingness to push ideas and stand up to challenges." –Jeff Shantz, Philosophy in Review

About the Author

Paul Virilio is Director of the Ecole Speciale d'Architecture in Paris and author of over 15 books, including Art and Fear and Desert Screen.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (May 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826478425
• ISBN-13: 978-0826478429
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,762,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Post-Structural Theory for the Crash Test Dummy, November 14, 2008

By 

Lisa Marie Jordan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Negative Horizon: An Essay in Dromoscopy (Paperback)

If you enjoyed the movie "Crash," but didn't feel like you understood the message, here is a wonderful theoretical explanation for you. Negative Horizons examines the violence of speed. I would say that it's heavy theory that reads like a thriller. It was absolutely engaging and terrifying to read, especially while taking a airplane home from DC on a dark and stormy night.