Open Sky"One day the day will come when the day will not come." Bleak in its analysis of the social destruction wrought by modern technologies of communication and surveillance, but passionately political, Open Sky is Paul Virilio's most far-reaching and radical book for many years. Deepening and extending his earlier work on speed perception and political control, and applying it now to the global 'real time' of the information superhighways, he explores the growing danger of what he calls a "generalized accident," provoked by the breakdown of our collective and individual relation to time, space and movement. But this is not merely a lucid and disturbing lament for the loss of real geographical spaces, distance, intimacy or democracy. Open Sky is also a call for revolt—against the insidious and accelerating manipulation of perception by the electronic media and repressive political power, against the tyranny of "real time," and against the infantilism of cyberhype. Paul Virillo makes a powerful case for a new ethics of perception, and a new ecology, one which will not only strive to protect the natural world from pollution and destruction, but will also combat the devastation of urban communities by proliferating technologies of control and virtuality. |
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Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The Law of Proximity | 49 |
Grey Ecology | 58 |
Continental Drift | 69 |
Eye Lust | 89 |
From Sexual Perversion to Sexual Diversion | 103 |
Escape Velocity | 119 |
Notes | 146 |
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Common terms and phrases
absolute speed acceleration accident already Apollo 11 astronauts Ayrton Senna become body centre cosmic cybernetic DataGlove DataSuit depth of field dimension distance dromospheric duration Earth ecology Einstein electromagnetic electromagnetic radiation electronic energy Epicurus expanse extraterrestrial freeze future geographical geometric geometric optics geophysical global gravity horizon human environment inertia instantaneous interactive interface interval Joseph Roth kilometres per hour kind laser limit-speed living longer machine mass matter micromachinery mobility movement nature networks notion once optics optoelectronic organization Paris Paul Virilio perception perspective physical planet political pollution postindustrial present prostheses proximity Quattrocento real instant real space real-time reality recent remote control Saint-Pol Roux scanners screen sexual signals soon space-time spatial speed of light substance sudden suddenly surface tangible technologies teleaction telecommunications telepresence teletechnologies teletopical television temporal territorial thanks time-light tion transmission revolution universal urban vanishing virtual vision visual waves
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Open Sky Volume 35 of Radical thinkers |
| Author | Paul Virilio |
| Translated by | Julie Rose |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Verso, 1997 |
| ISBN | 1859841813, 9781859841815 |
| Length | 152 pages |
| Subjects | › Philosophy / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |