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Paul Virilio

Paul Virilio Quotes

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Paul Virilio, born on January 4, 1932, is a French philosopher, cultural theorist, and urbanist. His research focuses on themes such as speed, technology, war, and urban environments, offering profound insights into the rapid changes and urbanization processes of modern society.

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All War Reality Technology World Kosovo Accidents Body Ifs Mean Speed

Famous Paul Virilio Quotes

“As I pointed out in The Art of the Motor and elsewhere, from now on we need two watches: a wristwatch to tell us what time it is and a GPS watch to tell us what space it is!”

Needs Art Two Space Watches Elsewhere Motor Gps

Author:Paul Virilio

“Resistance is always possible! But we must engage in resistance first of all by developing the idea of a technological culture.”

Firsts Ideas Culture Resistance Developing Technological

Author:Paul Virilio

“For example, we have developed an artistic and a literary culture. Nevertheless, the ideals of technological culture remain underdeveloped and therefore outside of popular culture and the practical ideals of democracy.”

Culture Democracy Example Ideals Practicals Artistic Nevertheless Technological Popular Culture

Author:Paul Virilio

“The ideals of technological culture remain underdeveloped and therefore outside of popular culture and the practical ideals of democracy. This is also why society as a whole has no control over technological developments. And this is one of the gravest threats to democracy in the near future. It is, then, imperative to develop a democratic technological culture.”

Whole Culture Democracy Development Ideals Threat Democratic Practicals Technological Imperatives Popular Culture Technological Development

Author:Paul Virilio

“Even among the elite, in government circles, technological culture is somewhat deficient.”

Government Culture Circles Elites Technological

Author:Paul Virilio

“I could give examples of cabinet ministers, including defence ministers, who have no technological culture at all. In other words, what I am suggesting is that the hype generated by the publicity around the Internet and so on is not counter balanced by a political intelligence that is based on a technological culture.”

Giving Political Culture Example Internet Including Ministers Balanced Technological Publicity Defence Hype Cabinets Suggesting

Author:Paul Virilio

“For instance, in 1999, Bill Gates not only published a new book on work at the speed of thought but also detailed how Microsoft's 'Falconview' software would enable the destruction of bridges in Kosovo.”

Book Destruction Bills Speed Instance Bridges Gates Software Microsoft New Books Kosovo

Author:Paul Virilio

“Thus it is no longer a Caesar or a Napoleon who decides on the fate of any particular war but a piece of software! In short, the political intelligence of war and the political intelligence of society no longer penetrate the techno-scientific world.”

World War Political Pieces Fate Particular Software Penetrate Techno

Author:Paul Virilio

“Let us put it this way, techno-scientific intelligence is presently insufficiently spread among society at large to enable us to interpret the sorts of techno-scientific advances that are taking shape today.”

Way Today Shapes Spread Techno

Author:Paul Virilio

“The field of vision is comparable, for me, to the terrain of an archaeological dig. To see is to be on guard, to wait for what emerges from the background, without any name, without any particular interest: what was silent will speak, what is closed will open and will take on a voice.”

Names Speak Waiting Voice Interest Vision Fields Particular Silent Backgrounds Terrain

Author:Paul Virilio

“The invention of the ship was also the invention of the shipwreck.”

Inspirational Invention Ships Shipwreck

Book:Politics of the Very Worst

Source: Politics of the Very Worst

“Images contaminate us like viruses.”

Author:Paul Virilio

“When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck; when you invent the plane you also invent the plane crash; and when you invent electricity, you invent electrocution...Every technology carries its own negativity, which is invented at the same time as technical progress.”

Technology Progress Ships Planes Carrie Negativity Crash Electricity Shipwreck Plane Crashes

Book:Politics of the Very Worst

Source: Politics of the Very Worst

“There are eyes everywhere. No blind spot left. What shall we dream of when everything becomes visible? We'll dream of being blind.”

Dream Eye Left Blind Spots Visible Blind Spots

Author:Paul Virilio

“Speed now illuminates reality whereas light once gave objects of the world their shape.”

World Reality Light Objects Shapes Speed

Book:The Administration of Fear

Source: The Administration of Fear

“War is cinema, and cinema is war”

Author:Paul Virilio

“Time is not something that can be measured with a pendule. Time is something that we build together within a tribe, a family, a region.”

Together Regions Tribes

Author:Paul Virilio

“Science, which is not so attached to 'truth' as it once was, but more to immediate 'effectiveness', is now drifting towards a decline, it's civic fall from grace.”

Science Fall Grace Decline Falling Apart Effectiveness Civics Aggravation Drifting Falls From Grace

Book:The Information Bomb

Source: The Information Bomb

“It will no longer be war that is the continuation of politics by other means, it will be what I have dubbed 'the integral accident' that is the continuation of politics by other means.”

Mean War Politics Accidents Continuation

Author:Paul Virilio

About the Author

Born: January 4, 1932
Known for: Author
Quotes: 169

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People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

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Politics of the Very WorstRelated source material

Pure warRelated source material

The Information BombRelated source material

Open SkyRelated source material

The Administration of FearRelated source material

War and Cinema: The Logistics of PerceptionRelated source material

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