Pure War (Semiotext(e) / Foreign Agents) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Sylvère Lotringer (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"Pure war" is the name of the invisible war that technology is waging against humanity. In this dazzling dialogue with Sylvere Lotringer, Paul Virilio for the first time displayed the whole range of his reflections on the effect of speed on our civilization and every one of them has been dramatically confirmed over the years. For Virilio, the foremost philosopher of speed, the "technical surprise" of World War I was the discovery that the wartime economy could not be sustained unless it was continued in peacetime. As a consequence, the distinction between war and peace ceased to apply, inaugurating the military-industrial complex and the militarization of science itself. Every new invention casts a long shadow that we are generally unwilling to acknowledge in the name of progress: the invention of automobiles inaugurated car-crashes; the invention of nuclear energy, Hiroshima and Tchernobyl. The technologies of instant communications have invented another kind of accident: the extermination of space and the derealization of time. Instant feedback is shrinking the planet to nothing, and "globalization" is its ultimate accident. First published in 1983, this book introduced Virilio's thinking to the United States. For successive generations of readers, it remains one of the most influential and far-reaching essays of our time.

About the Author

Paul Virilio has published twenty-five books, including Pure War (1988) (his first in English) and The Accident of Art (2005), both written with Sylvère Lotringer, as well as Speed and Politics and Lost Dimension, all published by Semiotext(e).

Sylvère Lotringer, general editor of Semiotext(e), lives in New York and Baja, California. He is the author of Overexposed: Perverting Perversions (Semiotext(e), 2007).

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Semiotext(e); Revised edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570270783
• ISBN-13: 978-1570270789
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,342,026 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prophet of speed, June 14, 2000

By	Peter McMahon (perth, australia) - See all my reviews

I think Virilio is one of the century's genuine original thinkers. More specifically, his thesis about speed and chrono-politics is a key explanation of the basic transformation of society under pressure from technology. Of course he is all over the place and hardly rigorous, but his shere intelligence makes him a 'must read' in my view. His ideas inspire more than educate, but he is worth paying attention to in a world of charlatans passing themselves off as intellectuals. Read, think and understand.