Baudrillar

d
e Agony of Power
uction by Sylvre Lotringer
Translated by Annes
Hod9eS
semiotext(e)
intervention
series o 6
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Inside cover photograph: Jean Baudrillard
Design: Hedi El Kholti
ISBN8 929/"/794:7/!9/2
;istributed by T&e MIT 1ress.
6a#brid'e. Mass) and 5ondon. En'land
1rinted in t&e <nited States o+ A#eri-a
ent
s
u-tion by Syl(=re
5otrin'er
;o#ination to
He'e#ony 3&ite Terror
o+ 3orld Order re >ood
>ro0s
Roots o+ E(il
2
59
79
J O9

.
'BN30 ATIO AD !E"#IT$DE
Yhin book gathers previousl% unpu&lished te'ts
in ())*+ t,o %ears &e-ore the author.s death.
Baudrillard read the/ at various con-erences
/d the ,orld+ in "io de Janeiro+ 0ontreal+
e, Yiik, 1uito+ etc. B% then+ he had &eco/e
an itin2 at philosopher3he never ,as /uch o-
a ho/e4 5:6iiJosopher an%,a% I 5oined hi/ in
0ontreal in late Octo&er ())*+ ,here he
delivered the -irst te't ioduded here+ 7ro/
Do/ination to Hege/on%.4 He ,as ta8ing a crac8
at the &e,ildering situation currentl% -acing us as
,e e'it the s%ste/ o-do/ina2 tion. 9&ased on
slaver%+ o&edience+ alienation: and enter a /ore
e'pansive ,orld o- hege/on%+4 in ,hich
ever%one &eco/es &oth hostage and acco/2 plice
o- the glo&al po,er. It ,as a ver% po,er-ul te't+
and I o--ered to pu&lish it right a,a% in English.
Baudrillard ,as hoping to turn all the te'ts he ,as
; ,riting at the ti/e into a ne, &oo8+ so I held o--.
,ith cancer
/onths later he ,as diagnosed
A -e,
and never regained enough strength to -ollo,
H<=
OT1
te'ts+ slightl%
pro5ect. I a/ pu&lishing these
this
edited to avoid duplication+ into a &oo8 in
order to
I si/pl%
added
-ul-ill+ at least partiall%+ his ,ishes.;
%ear to
that he gave that sa/e
intervie, an
h>? @hl>h
7rench cultural /agaAine+
Chronicart, a
one to
/a8e
hi/sel- that
revie,ed personall%. Baudrillard ,asn.t
state/ent3he didn.t ta8e
-inal a
this &oo8 could certainl%
&e read as
seriousl%3&ut
his intellectual
/ind could
testa/ent. Onl% a -ree
never Baudrillard
,ritten it. Bi8e ietAsche+
have
alread%
,as a-raid o- sha8ing ever%thing that ,as
cru/&ling do,n+ ,hatever tht( OlltCOlTl.
Cor8
0ontreal+ ,e ca/e &ac8 to e,
Beaving
,here ,e had scheduled a pu&lic dialogue
&et,een
in
!ocial "esearch
at the e, !chool -or
ourselves
-ront o- a pac8ed
earl% ove/&er. It too8 place in
audience+ and hundreds /ore people
lined up good2
last
trip
hu/oredl% in the street. It ,as
Baudrillard.s
into a -estival.
$nited !tates+ and it turned
the to
,hether
,anted to chec8 -or the/!-(l#es
Ever%one
o-
hi/sel-.
Baudrillard ,as -or real or a
si/ulacru/
huge e/pt%
here he ,as at the center o- the
And
little /an
stage3a
stoc8%+ so-t2spo8en &espectacled
-ace+ /u/&ling so/e
,ith a large ative2A/erican
D. T,o other te'ts ,ere pu&lished separatel% as EAiAiFi;6F G
trans. >hris Turner+ Botido-l+ !eagull BO)8s ()D)s
' H ;
English ,ith a Eer/an2sounding accent. I a/ not
sure an%one understood ever%thing that ,as said+
&ut the audience ,as ecstatic. It ,as philosoph% &%
contact. This is the ,a% theor% ,as &eing acco/o2
dated in an age o- /edia spectacle. But ,h%
should
Ieor% &e spared the general deco/position o- all
values+ ,hich is turning culture+ politics+ not to
/ention li-e itsel-+ into a carnival? Even !lavo5 JiAe8
s-avishl% said o- Alain Badiou+ pla%ing each other
up+ diai he ,as Klato ,al8ing a/ong us.4 @h%
not 0ao hi/sei-i As Baudrillard ,rote: Histor%
that repeats ii'el-turns to -arce. But a -arce that
repeats itsel-ends up /a8ing a histor%.4 The event
,as histor%
Very earl% on+ Baudrillard /apped out /ost o-
the concepts that he ,ould ,or8 on -or
decades to co/e. As he recogniAed it hi/sel-+ a
philosopher /a%; onl% have uur idea in his li-e+
and &e luc8% that lic has one+ &ut he could un-old
it in such a ,a% diat no one ,ould recogniAe it
,henever the% pnssed &% it again. Actuall%+
Baudrillard had t,o /n5or ideas: the -irst one+
critical+ ,as that realit% lins disappeared and ,as
replaced &% si/ulacraL che second one+ /ore
agonistic+ ,as to turn this disappearance into a
s%/&olic challenge.
The agonistic challenge ,as ,hat he reall%
cared a&out+ &ut si/ulation and si/ulacra is ,hat
pc'iple re/e/&ered hi/ -or /ost+ o-ten ta8ing it+
cA'oneousl%+ as an advocation on his part. It ,as in
-act a jubilant diagnosis o- our civiliAation.
Baudrillard could never Muite &elieve his e%es
,hen -aced ,ith ,hat ,e 8eep doing to ourselves
in the na/e o-3,hatever. Bi8e Anton in Artaud+
Baudrillard realiAed -ro/ the onset that our culture
,as getting divorced -ro/ li-e. B% the ti/e he ,as
,riting+ there ,as not /uch li-e le-t to &e divorced
-ro/. Baudrillard ,as hailed as the inventor o-
post2/odernis/+4 a concept he re5ected. The sa/e
con-usion surrounded 0ichel 7oucault+ ,ho ,as
cast as the stern advocate o- control+ or Kaul #irilio
cast as the prophet o- speeNi. The pu&lication o-
Simulations gave Baudrillard instant pro/inence in
the e, Cor8 art ,orld. It got hi/ pigeonholed as
the denier o- realit%+ and he ,as adulated or hated
-or it. He ,as in -act alread% ,or8ing on other
concepts3seduction+ -atalit%+ ecstas%3&% the ti/e
si/ulation &eca/e the rage. !i/ulation4 never
,as Baudrillard.s signature concept+ the ,a% the
societ% o- the spectacle4 ,as -or Eu% De&ord+
although the t,o notions re/ain closel% related.
!i/ulation is spectacle ,ithout an agenc%. The
concept got out o- hand+ the ,a% the Oedipus
>o/ple' did -or 7reud+ ,ho onl% ,rote eight
pages all in all a&out it. The t,o parts that
/a8e up Simulations ,ere onl% put together in the
&oo8 I pu&lished in English in the 7oreign Agents
series in D=OP. In 7rench+ the% &elong to di--erent
&oo8s. !i/ulation4 ,as -irst /entioned in The
Consumer
Serie pu&lished in D=Q)+ a couple o- %ears aher
De&ord.s Society ofthe Spectacle. 7ittingl%+ Baudrillard
/anaged to turn 7erdinand de !aussure.s discover%
o- linguistic value 9signs as pure di--erences: into a
structural revolution.4 It ,as a clinical assess/ent
o- a societ% that ,as losing all its /oorings.
Identi-%ing the code independentl% o- an% outside
re-erence allo,ed hi/ to read the sign on the ,all
3
Ie -loatation o- value escaping into &oundless spec2
ulation. Kolitics aher that could never &e the sa/e.
The /a5or turn in Baudrillard.s thin8ing+ para2
do'icall%+ happened in A/erica. An invitation &%
0ar'ist 7redric Ja/eson to teach -or a -e,
/onths in !an Diego in D=Q*+ together ,ith Jean2
7ranMois B%otard+ 0ichel de >erteau+ Bouis 0arin
and Edgar 0orin+ turned out to &e decisive. The
i,;o ca/ps didn.t al,a%s see e%e to e%e+ and there
,;ere occasional tensions and /utual e'clusions+
,;hich I happened to ,itness at the ti/e+ &ut it
certainl% ,as a learning process on &oth sides+ and
had lasting repercussions. Baudrillard too8 a huge
step -or,ard ,hen he discovered the !ilicon
RSalle%4 pheno/enon+ the ho/e2&ased co/puter
utopia+ ,hich he hailed as the c%&ernetic disinte2
gration o- the Ttertiar% /etropolis.4S U6*J $ntil
(2 Jan Baudrillard+ !%VeFNc Exchange and Death, tons. Iain Ha/ilton
>WAiir. Bondon+ !age Ku&lications+ D==P+ p. 6*. All the page nu/&ers
in d5s ioniX:Auction re-er to this &oo8.
then+ he had seen the sphere o- consu/ption as a
/ere appendage o- the sphere o- production+ the
,a% superstructures sat on in-rastructures in
0ar'ist theor%. "egistering the >ali-ornia e--ect+
Baudrillard realiAed that production ,as /oving
into
consu/ption. His anal%sis o- the consu/er
societ% hadn.t &een a li/ited case stud%L it applied
everyhere. The consu/er process couldn.t &e
stopped+ it ,ould engul- ever%thing. !oon+ the
entire ,orld ,ould &e consu/ed4 &% the
e'changea&ilit% o- capital. Ever%thing ,ithin
production and the econo/% &eco/es co/2
/uta&le+ reversi&le and e'changea&le according to
the
sa/e indeter/inate specularic% as ,e -ind in
politics+ -ashion or the /edia.4 UDY< >apital no
longer ,as a process o- productionL
production
itsel-
,as dissolving into the code. UDO< He also
understood that there ,as no /ore gap le-t+ no
insider.s distance that ,ould still allo, -or a cri2
tiMue o- societ%. An% counter2discourse -iltering
into the code ,ould i//ediatel% &e disconnected
-ro/ its o,n ends+ disintegrated and a&sor&ed4
li8e ever%thing else. U(<
Be-ore leaving !an Diego+ Baurillard -everishl%
co/pleted his /a ri/ nFZus+ Symbolic Exchange
and Death, ,hich he pu&lished the -ollo,ing %ear+
a thic8 and ra/&ling &oo8 that served as a sca-2
-olding -or ever%thing that he ,ould tr% out in the
to co/e. @hile DeleuAe and Euattari
/ain2 s ncd that societ% 8eeps lea8ing -ro/ all
sides and '&ai capital never stops investing and
disinvesting !tories ,ith its -lo,s+
Baudrillard.s o,n version it capital+ the
structural revolution o- value+ ,as aAivdiing &ut
-luid. On the contrar%+ it ,as a cr/ogeniAing
principle &ased on repetition+ brinin
together di--erences -ro/ various sources in a
larger and larger scale. B% an e'traordinar%
coincidence+4 Baudrillard recalled+ he had
turned to 7reud 5ust at the /o/ent ,hen he
realiAed that die s%ste/ o- production ,as
/oving to the sphere o- reproduction. It
da,ned on hi/ that the entire political
econo/% ,as governed &% the
Iadi drive. UD6O< In its /ost terroristic structural
-i:X/+. the la, o- value ,as a co/pulsive repro2
ducrion o- the code.4 It ,as death on the /arch+
and Tthe destin% o- our culture.4 9D*(<
The death drive 8eeps un&inding energ% and
icau'ung it to a prior+ inorganic state. 7reud treated
ii as a &iological /etaphor+ &ut also as a /%th+
/agni-icent in its inde-initeness.4 $sing 7reud
against 7reud+ Baudrillard cele&rated it as an
a/aAing &rea8through+ a /a5or anthropological
discover%. This sent hi/ &ac8+ via 0auss and
Bataille+ to ancient cults and pri/itive -or/ations.
Although he ,ould hardl% re-er to it &% na/e+ the
death drive &eca/e the 8e%stone o- his entire
,;or8. The e'altation that he -elt then+ seeing
ever%thing suddenl% co/ing
together+ rever&erates
through Symbolic Exchange and
Drith, especiall%
in the
pre-ace+ ,hich ta8es on a
visionar%
Ever%,here+
in ever% do/ain+ a
single
+or#
*re/
Air innovative -or/s o- la&or and -reer trade2
!nionis" along the line o- the @o&&lies 9the
la'ernational @or8ers o- the @orld: ,ho had
cuganiAed i//igrant ,or8ers in the D=()s. 7eli'
do/inates: reversi&ilit%
+
c%clical
reversal and
E/iiari pu&licl% espoused their cause in 7rance+
annul#ent *ut an
end to
the linearit% o- ti/e+
Toni egri conceived it in Ital%+ and Jean
lan'ua'e. e-ono#i- e$-&an'e.
a--u#ulation
and
po,er. Hence the reversi&ilit%
o-
the gi-t in the
Baudrillard drea/ed it in A/erica. The% all had
,inched the sa/e conclusions: the 7ordist s%ste/+
counter2gi-t+
the reversi&ilit% o-
e'change
in the
,i'h co//unist parties and la&or &ureaucrac%
sacri-ice+ the
reversi&ilir% o- ti/e in
thV 1>
le. . . In
ever% do/ain
it assu/es the -or/
o- e'ter/ina2
tion and
death+ -or it is the -or/
o- the
s%/&olic
itsel-.4 U(<
"eversi&ilit% is the -or/ death
ta8es in
a
s%/&olic
e'change. And Baudrillard
,arned
DeleuAe and
Euattari that all the
-reed
energies
,ill one da%
return to it. . . 7or the
s%ste/ l! th>
/aster: li8e
Eod it can &ind or
un&ind
energiesL
,hat it is
incapa&le o- 9and ,hat it
can no longer
avoid: is reversi&ilit%.4 U*<
At the ti/e Baudrillard
,as ,itnessing
the t,i2
light o- la&or culture in
the
deserts o+
6ali+ornia.
the Operaist /ove/en
t
in Ital%
,as
e'peri/entlnR
,ith the sa/e idea+ &ut on
a
/uch larger scale+
voluntaril% renouncing
stead%
e/plo%/en
t and
h#$ked together+ ,as &loc8ing an% change. It had to
lv:replaced &% Aero ,or84 and cottage industries.4
>o/pared to the 7rench Elorious Three+4
1%30, DO6O and the DOQD Karis >o//une+ 0a%
SYO ,as a -ailed revolution+ &ut it succeeded in
inter ,a%s. It de/onstrated that traditional class
s/MLgIe no longer ,as a via&le political alternative.
T&#$ revolutionaries4 re/ained on the sideline+
a/d the re&els ,ere alread% engaged in repro2
d!'tion. Italian autono/ists sa, the co/ing
"/-ordist paradig/ as radical utopia+ it ,as the
co//unis/ o- capital.4P Baudrillard ,asn.t so
ni'e. Boo8ing at it as part o- the revolution o-
vnlue+. he realiAed that Kost-ordis/ and the ne,
i''linologies o- la&or could ,ell &e another step
in(ards an integral realit%4 that no one ,ould &e
rel%ing instead on collective
technological advances. Italian
intelligence and
autono#ists
sa0
7) R?ilo Virno. Grammar af the Multitude, trans) Isabella
Bertoletti.
the/selves as a ne, &reed o-
co//unists+
and %et
the% ,ere
open2ended enough to loo8
to A/erica
6as-aito. and Andrea 6asson. 5os An'eles.
Se#iote$t(e).
a&le to oppose+ short o- capitalis/ itsel-. The
intellectual split &eca/e unavoida&le. In the
D=O)s+ the ,inter %ears+4 Baudrillard.s
e'trapolations
&e read
again in that light. It /a% ,ell
have &een
" /issed encounter.
,ere re5ected &% his peers as ,ea8 thought.4
1.ilCe
7oucaul
t+
Baudrillard had &een deepl%
The conseMuences o- the paradig/atic change
indeed ere huge+ and the% could &e read in ;
di--erent ,a%s. I//aterialiAing la&or allo,ed the
-or/ o- capital to penetrate the entire societ%. It
invested ,or8ers &oth at ho/e and in the social
space as one /ight Tinvest. a to,n+ totall%
occu2 p%ing it and controlling all access.4
UD=<. o longer &rutall% &ought and sold on
the /ar8et2 place+ la&or po,er &eca/e another
co//odit%. Ba&or and non2la&or ti/e
9e'change value and use value: &eca/e harder
to di--erentiate+ as Baudrillard had anticipated+
and the e'traction o- surplus2value pro&le/atic.
The passage -ro/ the golden age o- production
to the sorts!"actu ,as e'citingL -or so/e+ li8e
Toni egri and Kaolo #irno+ it pro/ised the
deplo%/ent o- a general
a--ected &:A
the ,or8 o- Antoniri Artaud
and
Eeorges
Bataille+ high /odernists4 ,ho
intro3
CCd
thlTl both &O ietAsche+ &ut their
in-luence
on
Baudrillard re/ained long2lasting.
Both
Ariaud.s
theater o- cruelt%4 and Bataille.s
sacri2
ii::esS ,ere
atte/pts to recreate a s%/&olic
&ond
in
a ,orld
increasingl% estranged -ro/ it.
The con
3
O)t O*
cruelt%+4 inspired &% ietAsche+
involved
ari't rules
that had to &e appli
2
ed ,i
2
th
an
i/placa2
rigor.
The displa% o- gruVso/e
tortures
and
diR/e/&er/ents
in 7oucault.s
DiiciEline and
#h
pu&lished the sa/e %ear+ ,ere
cruel in
that
. the
ritual o- po,er ,as /eant to in-lict
on
the regicide.s
&od% pains that ,ould &e+ do,n
to
+t' last detail+ co//ensurate to the
outrage.
In the classical3legal3c
onception o-
sover2
intelligence4 open to change and innovation.
1J+ the
/onarch
isn.t 5ust considered superior
Boo8ing at it the other ,a%+ it ,as nonstop ,or8
J"ivereign4 : to
his /isera&le su&5ects in relative
and general stupidit%. The structure o- a&sorption
. "uling &% divine
right+ his superiorit% is
&eca/e total. KulveriAed into ever% pore o-
societ%+4 la&or &eca/e a ay of life. In D=QY+ the
%ear Baudrillard pu&lished Symbolic Exchange,
and transcends vulgar hu/an
e'istence.
Eng life or letting live are the sovereign.
s
-unda2
!tat attri&utes.
But onl% ,hen he
actuall%
8ills
7oucault introduced the concept o- &io2po,er4
in his lectures at the >ollege de 7rance. Their con2
2222even
t%rannicall%
+
un5ustl%3does
>2[V-- his !%/&olic rights over
the sovereign
li-e. 7oucault
-rontation in $or et $oucault, one %ear later+ could
ed that
the punish/ent ,as all the
/ore
ruthless in
that it ,as /eant to o--sVt
thV di!con2
sinuous hold
o- po,er over societ%.
STht( lTl,h, )
the net ,ere too
&ig+4 and eluded his
grasp
6
Thl!
strategic
vTision o-
do/ination
,ent
a long ,a% in
accounting -or the technological
/utation
o- po,er
in the
@est at the da,n o- the industrial
revolution.
@hile out,ardl%
/aintaining the
i/age
o- sover2
eignt%+ a
ne, t%pe o-
disciplinar%
control
san8
deeper
into the social
&od%+
do,n
tenuous ele/ents. @hat disappeared
in
the process
,as s%/&olic e'change.
7oucault.s
inversion o- the
s%ste/ o- po,er -ro/ the top
do,n+
+ro# t&e
so(er/
eignt%
o- death to the discipline
o- li+e.
+ollO3S t&68
sa/e
logic. The ne, s%ste/ o-
po,er
,hich replaced
tr!e the slave+ and dialectics ,as a con2ga/e.
Both ruled &% the -ear. Bataille ,ent on to
h%poth2
esiAe another -or/ o- sovereignt% that ,ould &e
i Y irrd; 5oin domination. The real sovereign is
@Ir+ in the ietAschean sense. He doesn.t derive
his po,er -ro/ his su&5ects+ &ut -ro/ his o,n
it$ndi. He onl% ,aits it to co/e+ i//une -ro/ an%
hunger save the one ,ho ,ill /urder hi/. It ,as
ii Iat ,a% that Bataille /anaged to reesta&lish a
s%/&olic e'change ,here there ,as none.
In D=PP+ Bataille e'tended this sacri-icial
corn% to conte/porar% la&or through his reading
it i0arcel 0auss.s The %ift. 0auss opposed the
n:/icted econo/%4 o- capital 9utilit% and use value:
the old in the nineteenth
centur% had its o,n
Bi-e replaced
-idi the orth,estern A/erican2Indian /odel o-
./$ potlatch+4 a s%/&olic e'change in ,hich goods
death as a /eans o- controlling
societ%
at large.
Hegel.s /asterFslav
e dialectics ,as
&:I!Vd
on the
slave.s -ear
o- death. Eiving it a
perveT!V
cc rituall% destro%ed and rivalr% e'acer&ated to the
0#iiot o- ter/inal violence. 7or Bataille+ onl% useless
e'penditure ,as a&le to counter the deadening
e--ect
Bataille h%pothesiAed that there ,as
not 5ust
&ut r,o separate -or/s o-
/aster%.
The
one+
-irst+
c capital.s e'changea&ilit%. The /ost lucid /an+ he
,rote+ ,ill understand nothing i-it does not occur
rel%ing on classical do/ination+4
is geared to pro2
to hi/ that a hu/an societ% can have+ 5ust as he
duce
o&edient su&5ects. The
/aster rules &ecause clries+ an dourest in considera&le losses+ in catastro2
the slave is
a-raid o- death+ and he is
not. But ,ere
the /aster
to actuall% die+ Bataille
o&5ected+
he
,ould lose
his lTlil!ter%. The /aster ,as
no
di--erent
6. 0ichel 7Ot-@t-iG+
Bes /ailles du pouvoir4 9D=QY: in
Di& H cc-t)Z '
pg\+ Ealli/ard+ D==6+ p. D=).
phe that+ iuhile conforming to ell(defined need,
p/vo8e tu/ultuous depressions+ crises o- dread+
and+ in the -inal anal%sis+ a certain orgiastic state.4.
;2 Eeorges Bataille+ in Allo, af E'ude+ tr. Allan !toe8l+ 0inneapolis+
>oiversir% o- 0innesota Kress+ D=O*+ p. DDQ.
Bataille loo8ed upon capital as enslaving ,or8ers
as &eing the sa/e thing as the sovereign i/posing
o&edience on his su&5ects. Just &ecause the sover2
eign chose to !rt his su&5ects live didn.t /ean he let
the/ -ree. The% re/ained su&5ected to hi/ in
,hatever -unction the% carried out. @hether a
prisoner o- ,ar+ ,hose li-e ,as sparedL a slave
serving in su/ptuar% do/esticit%L an e/ancipated
slaveL or a ser- in the -ields+ none o- their lives ,ere
scenario has never
changed+4
-on-urred.
sin-e labor *o0er &as
been
tuted on
death. Having converted
his
death
no a
0a'e. t&e 0or,er -ould
only +ree
hi/sel- &%
*@ ri' &is o0n deat& on t&e
line)
@hether
the industrialist
s
,ould
crush their
the ,or8ers
slaughter their /asters
9it
$>:
lle//a in D=PP Eer/an%:
didn.t
Nr t&at
#u-& to &i# as lon' as
a sa-riA-ial
their o,n. The% didn.t have to die in order to &e
deadL their death ,as differed, 8ept in suspension+
no#y
too,
ne(er
o(er
+ro# *oliti-al e-ono#y)
until the sovereign decided other,ise.
And the sa/e holds true -or the -actor% ,or8er.
Ba&or+ Bataille /aintained+ ,as a unilateral gi-t o-
capital to the ,or8ers and ,as /ranr to conde/n
the/ to a hideous degradation.4 >ontrar% to ,hat
0ar' &elieved+ the process o- production ,asn.t set
up to e'tract -ro/ the/ a surplus2value+ its real
purpose ,as to su&5ect the/ to a sacri-ice. And
Bataille dis/issed the A/erican su&ter-uge4 o-
co/pensating ,or8ers -or the de&ase/ent that had
&een i/posed on the/. othing could /odi-% the
-unda/ental division &et,een no&le and igno&le .
/en. The cruel ga/e o- social li-e does not var%
a/ong the di--erent civiliAed countries+ ,here the
insulting splendor o- the rich loses and degrades the
hu/an nature o- the lo,er class.4.
is &onor.B
Baudrillard 0rote in t&e
sa#e
The ,orst
that capital could do to a ,or8er
@ to 8eep
hi/ alive+ conde/ned
to the inde-inite
inCe-tion o+ a li+e o+ labor)B D:9E
$nli8e
Artaud
and Bataille+ his
older conte/2
1cs+ Baudrillard
never %earned -or an
inner
Operience
o- death reached
through
anguish+
eroti-is#.
yet &e re#ained
-on(in-ed
dt d form internal to the system
,as the
le+t to
oFset it) As labor 0as
slo0 deat&.
stant and (iolent -&allen'e
>Ould possi&l%
OGe
+ro# it) A'ainst
e(er
% revolutionar%4
+ he
insisted+
,e
/ust
/aintain that the onl%
ernative to la&or is
not -ree ti/e+ or
non2la&or+
is sacri-ice.4 UP=<
II S)imbolic
Exchange and Death,
Baudrillard
&ed inde&ted
as 0ell to Hou-aultIs
'enealo'y
Y. Eeorges Bataille+ 1id', p.
D(Y.
ID e'clusion +
&ut
&e
realiJed t&at e(ery site
o+
enclosure3as%lu/s+ prisons+ -actories+ schools3
,ould eventuall% &e rea&sor&ed &% the s%ste/ and
.Q
at could have denatured4
/en to
OD e'tent
that+ &orn to live -ree+ the%
,ould
displa%ed as phanto/ re-erences. Bi&erating /ad2 lO,t
the re/e/&rance o- their original
ness+ or se'ualit%+ ,ould si/pl% e/pt% the/ out
o- their su&versive potential. In the late D=Q)s+
7oucault and Euattari did their ut/ost to open
the as%lu/s+ and succeeded all too ,ell3/ental
patients ,ere si/pl% du/ped into the streets. The
O-Dd the desire to regain it4? His
ans,er ,as
sc'd 2 people lose
thelr -reedo/ through their o,n
The
desire to serve the t%rant is
so/e2
+iin that
the% the/selves ,ant. Had Ba
BoVtie
8no'vn a&our
native societies discovered at
the
sa/e happened to se'+ ,hich &eca/e an industr%. . e in the e,
@orld 9and /a%&e he did: it
The onl% site le-t untouched ,as death. Or rather
it ,as *t+iia!'!'eared+ in &road da%light in order to
leave roo/ -or the ne, consu/er ,a% o- li-e.
Instead o- /adness+ the li/it &% ,hich conte/po2
rar% societ% de-ines itsel- &eca/e death. Kerhaps
death and death alone+4 Baudrillard concluded+
&elongs to a higher order than the code.4 U6< He
didn.t /ean death as a &iological -act+ &ut the
rever,ibili- o- death.
Etienne de la BoVtie+ a %oung "enaissance
philosopher and close -riend o- 0ichel de
0ontaigne+ ,rote a sli/ pa/phlet that has not
Onl% ,ould have vindicated his
argu/ent
trout the
denaturation o- hu/anit%. It
,as proo-
Hugh that
voluntar% servitude ,asn.t innate+
&ut
2133td -ro/ the outside.
!o/ething
/ust have happened then+
Ba
BoVtie suggested+ a /is-ortune
U/alenrontre<
din /ade
people ,illing+ even eager+ to
e/&race
Ieir
t%rant. !uddenl% do/ination caught
on+
X-Ii':ting ever%one+
eventuall% ,earing the -ace
o-
die sovereign
or the -or/ o- the !tate. As long
as
ODie ,as
circular+ and societ% undivided+
the
dlTl,"
o- servitude ,as 8ept in
a&e%ance.
The
accident+ or /is-ortune+ 8noc8ed
all this
ceased to -ascinate generations o- thiTnn8e
er
It
,as the &eginning o- Histor%. ./ll
Baudrillard included. The argu/ent o- Ba BoVtie.s
Discourse of 0oluntary Servitude, D*6O+ ,as si/ple+
&ut poerful. Ho, did it happen that so /an%
/en+ so /an% villages+ so /an% cities+ so /an%
nations+ so/eti/es su--er under a single t%rant
,ho has no other po,er than the po,er the% give
Societies
are slave societies4;
Kierre
>lastres+ a controversial political anthropologist+
concluded in TYr /rcheolo of 0iolence, &ecause
this love o- the su&5ects -or the /aster eMuall%
denatures the relations &et,een su&5ects.4. The
people;s love -or their o,n su&5ection &eca/e the
ned+ ,as
to prevent the e/ergence
in their
o- this
cold /onster+ the !tate.
@hether so2
pri/itive cultures
had &een e'posed to savage
l->! &e-orehand+
or pree/pted their recurrence
ugh their o,n practices and
institutions+
,ell2hidden secret o- do/ination. Ever% relation
o- po,er is oppressive+ regardless o- ,ho+ cruel or
is an open
de&ate+ id a nu/&er
o- strict
&$t the% deli&eratel%
#e-&anis#s to
t&at
&enevolent+ co/es to assu/e it.
In Tristes Tropi1ue,, >laude Bevi2!trauss held
TO 8eep their nu/&ers
do0n. t&ey en'a'ed
ceaseless ,ars against nei
gh&oring tri&es+ and
on to the idea o- innocent savages4 corrupted &%
I pi civil+ religious
and ,ar po,ers separate.
@estern civiliAation. It didn.t prevent good natives
-ro/ practicing tortures and scari-ications ,ith
even /ore gusto and e'pertise than the sovereign.s
hench/en ,hen the% tore the regicide.s -lesh -ro/
his &reast+ or &urnt it ,ith ,a' and sul-ur. But it
>tive societies
ignored slaver%+ and
preserved
ancestral
ho/eostasis &%
staging ritual
o-
accu/ulated
,ealth. This is ,hat
tch4 ulti/atel% is
a&out: eradicating the evil
/a8ing
sure that ,hoever ,ins the
ruthless
,asn.t -or the &ene-it o- one+ distinct -ro/ the rest tIXnI8nge ,ould end
up ,ith nothing+ and even ;
o- the tri&e. To the contrar%: the ghastl% ritual ,as
/eant to inscri&e on native &odies the tri&al la,
that ever%&od%+ ,ithout e'ception+ ,ould have
to o&e%. The collective /e/or% created through
vio2 lence and death+ ,asn.t &uried deep inside
the/+ &ut indeli&l% displa%ed on their s8in -or
ever%one to see. It certainl% reMuired e'tre/e
codi-ications on the part o- Indian tri&es to
resist change and re/ain e'e/pt -ro/
do/ination. 7ar -ro/ &eing close to nature+ the%
su&5ected the/selves to -ero2 cious /ar8ings
,hose ulti/ate outco/e+ >lastres
nothing:
losing their lives.
!urvivors
/ore
prestige+ &ut ,ere too destitute
to
Int a serious threat.
Kte po,er attri&uted
to chie-s in anthropological
0arcel 0auss to Bevi2!trauss+
has
ildl%
overesti/ate d. In his
cele&rated
Besson+4S
BVvi2!traus s recounts that
he
out the
tri&al chie- &% his
superior intelli2
and his
eagerness to acMuire po,er
-ro/ the
tt(>hnolog%
used &% the anthropologi
st
to
consign his o&servations. There couldn.t have &een+
o- course+ a greater &etra%al in a societ% ,ithout
,riting and ,ithout histor%+ ,here traditions ,ere
passed on orall% -ro/ generation to generation+
than to introduce ,riting+ ho,ever rudi/entar%
and ape2li8e. But so/eone+ an insider+ had to dis2
sociate hi/sel- -ro/ his congeners and ta8e on the
&la/e -or the stranger ,ho ca/e -ro/ the outside
to &rea8 the secrets o- the tri&e. Bevi2!trauss auto2
/aticall% assu/ed that the chie-+ &ecause a chie-+4
,as di--erent -or/ the others+ and ,illing to
acMuire -ro/ the -oreigner a po,er that he ,ould
have &een una&le to devise on his o,n -ro/ ,ithin.
!uch ,as the price to pa% -or enlighten/ent+ and
Bevi2!trauss ,as eager to assu/e the @hite 0an.s
guilt -or it+ as long as the savages retained their
assu/ed naturalness. @hat sealed this little /ental
dra/a+ and got the stor% straight+ ,as the passing
/ention that the chie-+ ulti/atel%+ ,as deco//is2
sioned and e'pelled &% his 8in.
>ontrar% to the sovereign+ Indian chie-s are
re/ar8a&le -or their co/plete lac8 o- authorit%.
The onl% po,er the% o,n resides in the pm!mrs,
in their capacit% to /aintain &% their speeches an
eMuili&riu/ ,ithin the group. The% recapitulate
out loud+ li8e a /antra+ the tri&e.s genealog% and
tradition+ ,hile no one+ ostensi&l%+ is pa%ing
attention. As >lastres sa%s+ he doesn.t have the
right+ &ut the huJ to tal8. >hie-s have no po,er
0 *4 &$r li-e+ let alone appropriate so/e o- the
$! ,ealth. Actuall%+ the% have to divest the/2
5#'s -ro/ ever%thing the% o,n+ and tolerate a
per/anent plunder4 -ro/ the other /e/&ers.
67ti ,onder the position o- a chie- is not e'actl%
desira&le. The% re/ain dependent on ever%one
and are granted several ,o/en+ not as a privi2
; &ut &ecause the% aren.t allo,ed to hunt -or
Ourselves. Eenerosit% is not onl% a chie-.s dut%+
@ an involuntar% servitude.4
O-lieuAe and Euattari reproached >lastres 9,ho/
dcv+ consulted -or /nti(2edipus) -or assu/ing that
societies could e'ist in autarch% outside o- ,tory.
But >lastres did /ore: he suggested that Ba 6 $$tie
hi/sel- had pulled o-- a si/ilar -eat. The on that
his DiscDurse raises+ he said+ is so
-ree4 and independent o- an% territorialit%
-or it can still &e received toda% in the sa/e ,a%.
Ba -i'ate had a uniMue opportunit% to step our
o-his2
s. &ecause the /onarch% ,as 5ust &eginning to
hiunge a/ong rival -eudal lords and divide societ%
: eng a vertical a'is+ pitting against each other
reigns and su&5ects+ /asters and slaves. In
Audi+ specialists agree that the D!,ronrse ,as a
direct espouse to a /assive peasant uprising against
ta'es ii Eu%enne+ the -irst o- its 8ind+ that ,as
ruthlessl%
crushed &% the /onarch.s soldiers in D*6O.
Ba Boetie.s purpose ,asn.t to encourage su&5ects
to re&el+ &ut to re/ind the/ that an% do/ination
is illegiti/ate: 7ro/ all these indignities+ such as
the ver% &easts o- the -ield ,ould not endure+ %ou
can deliver %ourselves i- %ou tr%+ not &% ta8ing
action+ &ut /erel% &% ,illing to &e -ree. "esolve to
serve no /ore+ and %ou are at once -reed. . . sup2
port hi/ no longerL then %ou ,ill &ehold hi/+
li8e a great >olossus ,hose pedestal has &een
pulled a,a%+ -all o- his o,n ,eight and &rea8 in
pieces.4 Ba Boetie sho,ed no respect -or the
sovereign.s right+ divine or not+ let alone -or those
,ho su&5ected the/selves ,illingl% to it. There
,as so/ething that nothing could su&due+ even
under the /ost vicious tortures: the po,er that
death a--ords. 0ontaigne+ an e'ile li8e hi/ in
his o,n ti/e+ ,rote: Kre/editation o- death is
pre/editation o- -reedo/. . . Ac8no,ledging
death -rees us -ro/ ever% su&5ection and con2
straint.4 Onl% death resists do/ination.
#oluntar% servitude is a parado'ical state/ent
&ecause servitude is not e'perienced passivel%+ &ut
activel%3a-ter all+ it is ,illed. And an%thing that
is ,illed could &e un,illed. Keople rather desire
their o,n oppression. O&viousl%+ the% /ust get
so/ething in return: identit%+ privilege+ securit%+
even pleasure+ ho,ever perverse. Jean27ranMois
B%otard once asserted+ scandalousl%+ in 3ibidinal
Economy, that -actor% ,or8ers en5o%ed their lot.
The% ,ere !'ro!ei, and proud to &e. Didn.t the pro2
letariat+ a-ter 0ar'+ &eco/e a value] The% ,ere
0 onl% ones ,ho 8ne, ,hat rough realit%4
,as. I;d:inch intellectuals+ Jean2Kaul !artre
included+
:8 deepl% illegiti/ate+ even d,ar-ed &% the/+
,ore their &lue overalls in de/onstrations to
priate so/e o- their po,er. Khilosopher
One @eil couldn.t care less a&out po,er+ she
,anted to &e cruci-ied. !he 5oined the asse/2
&l% line to e'perience ,hat &eing a slave ,as li8e
roo8 hersel- -or one+ reinventing Eod in order
in seal her o,n -ate. 7actor% ,or8ers ,ere the
o- hu/an8ind3as i- slaver% could &ring
8g else than /ore slaver%. In the end
it .t the dictatorship o- the proletariat that
&ought out a classless societ%+ &ut capitalis/3on
in:s oo,,;nn ter/s+ o- course+ and -or iTts o,n
&ene-iit.
#oluntar% servitude ,asn.t so/ething that one
; cAnild ac8no,ledge+ consciousl% or notL it ,as
per er turned inside out+ ever%one -orever circling
'/ud each other. @hat ,as un-orgiva&le a&out
-ta:v .YO re&els or a&out the Autono/ia /ove2
/ent at its pea4 in D=QQ is that the% did nut ,ant
ii /8e po,er. 7ranco Kiperno+ one o- their leaders+
ad/itted to /e later on: @e didn.t 8no, ,hat
,e ,ould have done ,ith it.4 As Baudrillard
(rites in The /gony of 5oer. Ko,er itsel- /ust
&e A&olished3and not solel% &ecause o- a re-usal to
&e eli/inated+ ,hich is at the heart o- all
traditional sO'iggles3&ut also+ 5ust as violentl%+ in
the re-usal to do/inate.4
Agony of Power
0 DO0 I ATIO TO H EE E IWDO C
order to grasp ho, glo&aliAation and glo&al
nis/ ,or8s+ ,e should distinguish
care-ull% n do/ination and hege/on%.
One could
that hege/on% is the ulti/ate stage o- do/i2
nion and its ter/inal phase. Do/ination is
eriAed &% the /asterFslave relation+ ,hich
a dual relation ,ith potential alienation+ a
nship o- -orce and con-licts. It has a violent
r% o- oppression and li&eration. There are
do/inators and the do/inated3it re/ains
lic relationship. Ever%thing changes ,ith
e/ancipation o- the slave and the internal2
on o- the /aster &% the e/ancipated slave.
on% &egins here in the disappearance o- the
personal+ agonistic do/ination -or the sa8e
integral realit%3the realit% o- net,or8s+ o- the
and total e'change ,here there are no
do/inators or do/inated.
Indeed+ it could &e said that hege/on% &rings
do/ination to an end. @e+ e/ancipated ,or8ers+
internaliAe the Elo&al Order and its operational
setup o- ,hich ,e are the hostages -ar /ore than
rhe slaves. >onsensus+ &e it voluntar% or involun2
tar%+ replaces traditional servitude+ ,hich still
&elongs to the s%/&olic register o- do/ination.
HEEE0O /eans the one ,ho co//ands+
orders+ leads and governs 9and not the one ,ho
do/inates and e'ploits:. This &rings us &ac8 to
the literal /eaning o- the ,ord c%&ernetic
9Ku&ernetil::V+ the art o- governing:. >ontrar% to
do/ination+ a hege/on% o- ,orld 5=O@Vr i no
longer a dual+ personal or real -or/ o- do/ination+
&ut the do/ination o- net,or8s+ o- calculation
and integral e'change.
Do/ination can &e overthro,n -ro/ the out2
side. Hege/on% can onl% &e inverted or reversed
-ro/ the inside. T,o di--erent+ al/ost contrar%
paradig/s: the paradig/ o- revolution+ transgres2
sion+ su&version 9do/ination: and the paradig/
o- inversion+ reversion+ auto2liMuidation 9hege2
/on%:. The% are al/ost e'clusive o- each other+
&ecause the /echanis/s o- revolution+ o- anti2
do/ination+ as histor% de/onstrated+ can &eco/e
the i/petus or the vector -or hege/on%. @e could
co/pare hege/on% to the &rain+ ,hich is its
&iological eMuivalent. Bi8e the &rain+ ,hich su&or2
dinates ever% other -unction+ the central co/puter
es the hege/onic hold o- a glo&al po,er
can there-ore serve as an i/age o- our present
ical situation.
other -eature distinguishes hege/on% -ro/
and si/ple do/ination is the co/ing o- a
ental event: si/ulacra and si/ulation.
on% ,or8s through general /asMuerade+
relies on the e'cessive use o- ever% sign and
it%+ the ,a% it /oc8s its o,n values+ and
ges the rest o- the ,orld &% its c%nicis/
ivaliAation4:. >lassical+ historical do/ination
d a s%ste/ o- positive values+ displa%ing as
as de-ending these values. >onte/porar%
on%+ on the other hand+ relies on a s%/&olic
idation o- ever% possi&le value. The ter/s
acru/+4 si/ulation and virtual su//a2
this liMuidation+ in ,hich ever% signi-ication is
ted in its o,n sign+ and the pro-usion o-
parodies a &% no, uno&taina&le realit%. This
total /asMuerade in ,hich do/ination itsel-
ed. Ko,er is onl% the parod% o- the signs o-
^235ust as ,ar is onl% the parod% o- signs o-
including technolog%. 0asMuerade o- ,ar+
uerade o- po,er. @e can there-ore spea8 o-
hege/on% o- /asMuerade+ and the /asMuerade
Thege/on%. All /eaning is a&olished in its o,n
and the pro-usion o- signs parodies a no,
vera&le realit%.
Do/ination and hege/on% are separated &%
the liMuidation o- realit%+ the super -ast irruption+ o-
late+ o- a glo&al principle o- si/ulation+ a glo&al
hold &% the virtual. Elo&aliAation is the hege/on%
o- a glo&al po,er and can onl% occur in the -ra/e2
,or8 o- the virtual and the net,or8s3,ith
the
ho/ogeneit% that co/es -ro/ signs e/ptied o-
their su&stance.
The entire @estern /asMuerade relies on the
canni&aliAation o- realit% &% signs+ or o- a culture
&% itsel-. I use canni&aliAe4 here in the
derivative
sense o- cannibali*ing a car, using it as spare
parts. >anni&aliAing a culture+ as ,e do it toda%+
/eans tin8ering ,ith its values li8e spare parts
inas/uch as the entire s%ste/ is out o- order. This
distinction &et,een do/ination and hege/on% is
crucial It deter/ines the -or/s o- resistance
appropriate -or each and the various ,a%s in
,hich the present situation could evolve. One
doesn.t respond to hege/on% and do/ination in
the sa/e ,a%L the strategies should not &e
con-used.
In the -ace o- this hege/on%+ the ,or8 o- the
nega2 tive+ the ,or8 o- critical thought+ o- the
relationship o- -orces against oppression+ or o-
radical su&5ec2 tivit% against alienation+ all this
has 9virtuall%: &eco/e o&solete. It has &eco/e
o&vious that+ than8s to the t,ists and turns o-
c%nical reason+ or the ruses o- histor%+ this ne,
hege/onic con-iguration
ich is no longer the hege/on% o- capital:
a&sor&ed the negative+ negativit% as a ,a% o-
ining the initiative. >aught in a vast !toc8hol/
o/e+ the alienated+ the oppressed+ and the
niAed are siding ,ith the s%ste/ that holds
hostage. The% are no, anne'ed+4 in the
sense+ prisoners o- the ne'us+4 o- the net2
+ connected -or &etter or ,orse.
Ko,er has ransac8ed all o- the strategies o-
ulation: parod%+ iron%+ and sel-2/oc8er%3
the Be-t ,ith onl% a phanto/ o- the truth.
-a/ous slogan -or the BanMue ationale de
is 9BK: in the D=Q)s co/es to /ind: Cour
e% interests /e?4 This state/ent encapsulates
igno/in% o- capital -ar &etter than an% critical
is. Denouncing capital and all o- the &an8ing
isins ,as nothing ne,+ the scandalous
e ,as that the &an8er hi/sel- had sai
co/ing out -ro/ the /outh o- Evil. It ,asn.t
unciation+ a critical anal%sis. It ca/e -ro/ the
t po,er and en5o%ed co/plete i//unit%.
d ad/it its cri/e4 in &road da%light.
The /ost recent pro-ession o- -aith in a si/ilar
ca/e -ro/ Katric8 Be Ba%+ >EO o- T7D+ the
television channel: Bet.s &e realistic: the
o- T7D is to help >oca2>ola sell its products.
an advertising ca/paign to ,or8 properl%+
vie,er.s &rains have to &e accessi&le. The goal
our progra/s is to /a8e the/ availa&le+ &%
entertaining the/+ rela'ing the/ &et,een t,o
/essages. @hat ,e sell to >oca2>ola is rela'ed2
&rains ti/e. . . othing is harder than getting
the/ to open up.
@e should pa% our respect to this a/aAing
ad/ission and pro-essional c%nicis/. It is ,idel%
shared+ as the -ollo,ing slogan -or Koste
Teleco/ testi-ies: 0one% has no se'+ &ut it ,ill
reproduce. And it could &e conde/ned -or the
sa/e reason+ as it ,as &% all -ine /inds. But
this is not the real pro&le/. Even those ,ho
conde/ned Be Ba%.s shoc8ing state/ent ,ere
-ascinated &% its insolence. Doesn.t this
sha/eless -lippanc% /ani2 -est a greater -reedo/
than the stone,alling o- critical contestation?
Bur this is the Muestion: ho, could truth &e
li-ted &% an arrogant4 dis2 course that gets the
upper2hand &% short2circuiting an% critiMue]
Technocratic c%nicis/ is not scandalous per se,
&ut &% the ,a% it &rea8s a -unda/ental rule o- our
social and political ga/e: corruption -or so/e and
protesting Evil -or others. I- the corrupt have no
respect -or this protocol+ and sho, their hand
,ithout sparing us their h%pocris%+ then the ritual
/echanis/ o- denunciation goes ha%,ire. The
privilege o- telling the truth eludes our grasp3in
the -ace o- capital unveiled &% the capitalists+
even.
In -act+ Be Ba% ta8es a,a% the onl% po,er ,e
had le-t. He steals our denunciation. Thts is the
38
!>O-idal.
Other,ise+ ho, could %ou e'plain
the outrage ,hen he revealed an open
secret? ead o- denouncing evil -ro/ the
position
o-
good 9eternal /oral position:+ he e'presses evil
no the position o- evil. It is the &est ,a% to
sa%
&ut
it re/ains inad/issi&le. Truth /ust
&e
on
:
side o- Eood. There can &e no intelligence on
!ide o- Evil. Cet all those ,ho outdo
the/2
,ith arrogance 9Be Ken:+ c%nicis/ 9Be
:+ pornograph% 9A&u Ehrai&:+ /%tho/ania
ie B.: un/as8 the truth o- the s%ste/ in
a&use o- it. The e--ects are &oth -ascinating
revolting3and the% are /uch /ore
e--ective conventional critiMues.
A
&itter truth: radicalness is on the side o- the
gence o- evil. >ritical intelligence no
longer res up ro the collapse o- realit%
and to the e into total realit%. The truth+
or the inhu2
it%
o- this situation+ can onl% &e revealed -ro/
inside+
voluntaril% or involuntaril%+ &%
the
ts
o- the e/&eAAle/ent o- realit%. Onl%
evil spea8 evil no,3evil is a
ventriloMuist.
itical
intelligence is le-t to 5u/p
over its o,n o,: even in its radicalness+ it
re/ains pious denunciator%. The curse o-
critical discourse is
reconcile
itself secretl% ,ith
those it criticiAes &%
ouncing
the/ 9and I a/
,ell a,are that ,hat
D a/ sa%ing here &elongs to this
discourse:.
unciation ,ill never have the shoc8ing
-ran8ness o- an unscrupulous discourse. @e /ust
loo8 to the side o- evil -or the clearest
indications+
the harshest realit%. Onl% those ,ho sho, no con2
cern -or contradiction or critical consideration
in
their acts and discourse can+ &% this ver% /eans+
shed -ull light+ ,ithout re/orse or a/&iguit%+
on
the a&surd and e'travagant character o- the state
o- things+ through the pla% o- o&5ective iron%.
@hat is happening to critical thought3the
thought o- the Enlighten/ent and the
"evolution+
the
thought that drove the anal%sis o- capital+
/er2
chandise and spectacle throughout the nineteenth
and
t,entieth centuries3is ,hat happened &e-ore
to religious+ ethnic and linguistic pheno/ena.
@e
are presentl% ,itnessing their -or/al rene,al+
&ut
,ithout an% o- their original su&stance. The
reli2
gious
revival is epigonal and has nothing to do
,ith the -ervor o- past centuries. It presupposes
the dilution o- -aith as s%/&olic organiAation+
the
disappearance o- transcendence 9and /a%&e even
the death o- Eod:. It is the speci-ic product o- a
disenchanted situation o- loss ,here ever%thing
that
disappears is arti-iciall% revived. It is the a&re2
active product o- a ,orld ,here there is no reason
le-t to &elieve in an%thing.
>urrent critical thought continues along its
tra5ector% &ut it is no longer the critical thought o-
the Enlighten/ent and /odernit%+ ,hich had
their o,n o&5ect and their o,n energ%. It is /erel%
0 cpipheno/enon o- a ,orld ,here there is
8g le-t to anal%Ae in the hopes o-
su&verting @ T thought iTs no longer current
&ecause ,e 0 no longer in a critical4 situation+
li8e the his2 do/ination o- capital. @e have
entered a
onic -or/ o- total realit%+ o- closed2circuit
po,er that has even captured the negative.
"" Iat is le-t toda% is the speci-ic product o- this
piisdiu/ous situation ,here it no longer has a
:oricaD reason to e'ist or an% e--ectiveness.
Cet it is all the /ore pro/inent. The critiMue o-
Ation and spectacle has &losso/ed and spread
@ Ie point that it has &eco/e the /ost co//on
'#4date &ecause it is the onl% discourse o- consola2
liii that ,e have. But its tone has changedL it has
&eco/e /ore /elanchol% as su&version and trans2
!ession have lost popularit% toda%.
Three si/ultaneous di/ensions -or/ the passage
-ro/ do/ination to hege/on%. It is a perilous
'Aiple 5u/p+ a three2part sacri-ice:
D: >apital surpasses itsel- and turns against itsel-
in the sacri-ice o- value 9the econo/ic illusion:.
(: Ko,er turns against itsel- in the sacri-ice o-
representation 9the de/ocratic illusion:.
P: The entire s%ste/ turns against itsel- in the
sacri-ice o- realit% 9the /etaph%sical illusion:.
All three 5u/p over their shado,.
The shado, o- capital is value. The shado, o-
po,er is representation. The shado, o- the s%ste/
is realit%. The% respectivel% /ove &e%ond #alue+
"epresentation and "ealit%3in a h%perspace that
is no longer econo/ic+ political or real &ut rather
the hege/onic sphere.
>apital is &oth the total realiAation o- #alue
and its liMuidation. Ko,er is no, the -inal -or/ o-
representation: it onl% represents itsel-. The s%s2
te/ is the total version o- the "eal and at the sa/e
ti/e its liMuidation through the #irtual. This is
the hege/onic -or/.
The Econo/ic Illusion
In an% event+ the Muestion o- capital4 /ust &e
recon-igured. Does so/ething li8e capital still
e'ist+ and+ i- there is a crisis+ ,hat is the essence
o-
this crisis] @e /ust tr% to pass through the
loo8ing glass+4 &e%ond the /irror o- production.
Does e'ploitation still e'ist? >an ,e still tal8
a&out alienation] Have ,e &eco/e the hostages
9not the slaves+ &ut the hostages: o- a glo&al /ar8et
under the de-initive sign o- glo&aliAation] But can
,e still tal8 o- a /ar8et4? And hasn.t capitalis/
reached the point o- destro%ing the conditions o-
its o,n e'istence]
One o- the pro&le/s o- generaliAed e'change
is in the /ar8et is &oth its ideal and its
strategic In:ation. It /a% &e the -atal destin% o-
capital to to the li/it o- e'change3to the
total corr2 uption o- realit%. In its historical
9and 0ar'ist:
:- ruition+ capitalis/ presided over the
/ultipli2 c ion o- e'changes in the na/e o-
value. The /ni8et o&e%s the la, o- value and
eMuivalenc%. T1#$ li/it here is the li/it o- classic
capitalis/. Ead the crises o- capital can al,a%s &e
resolved &% /gulating value.
This is no longer true -or the -inancial -lo,s
international speculation that -ar surpass the
lv2s o- the /ar8et. >an ,e still spea8 o- capital]
Ehi ,e 8eep the ter/ and the concept and there2
,e ac8no,ledge the e'ponential strateg% that
pushes capital &e%ond its o,n li/its+ into a ,hirl2
id o- e'changes ,here capital loses its ver%
once ,hich is the essence o- the /ar8et3and
@2destructs in an un&ridled circulation that
Kings the ver% concept o- e'change to an end?
Or to ,e consider that it is no longer capital at
all &ut ething radicall% di--erent+ an e'change
that is onl% general &ut total3co/pletel% -reed
-ro/ value and /ar8ets3an e'change that+
having lost
:s rational principle+ the principle o- value+
&e:co/es integral 5ust as realit%+ having lost its
entit% principle+ &eco/es integral realit%+ -ro/
,hich there is no salvation?
In this light+ capital in its historical -or/
appears to &e a lesser evil. In relation to a virtual
universe+ realit% appears to &e a lesser evil. In
vie, o- hege/on%+ do/ination itsel- appears to
&e a lesser evil. Ta8e the e'a/ple o- the @e&+ the
Internet+ net,or8s+ &logs+ etc. It is all -ree+ li&2
erall%4 deplo%ed ,ithout econo/ic constraints+
&e%ond /ar8ets+ in a -renA% o- total co//unica2
tion. This is a virtual catastrophe+ the catastrophe
o- total e'change that is not even protected &%
/one% or the /ar8et. @e -ind ourselves ,arring
it all to &e su&5ect to the la, o- value+ ta8en in
hand &% capitalist po,er+ to slo, its e'ponential
develop/ent+ to escape the ecstas% o- 9-ree+ secular
and o&ligator%: co//unication3&ecause it is
leading to the dictatorship o- -orced e'change3
&ut no one ,ill escape.
The ne't stage+ ,hich can &e seen in these
/%steriousl% -ree net,or8s+ is /uch ,orse than
an%thing that ,as stig/atiAed as the /ercan2
tiliAation o- e'change+ ,here ever%thing is
assigned a price and a /ar8et. This in-luence
9,hich is not strictl% spea8ing the in-luence o- a
person+ a capitalist4 po,er or an% political
po,er: is the ascendanc% o- total+ integral -ree
e'change+ universal ,iring+ universal connection.
>apital+ /ar2 8ets+ surplus value+ /erchandise
and prices see/ li8e a lesser evil or protection
against so/ething ,orse. This is the virtual
di/ension o-hege/on%3
it is di--erent
**o*Tl
the do/ination o- capital
and
di--erent -ro/ the
di/ension o- po,er in its
strictl%
political de-inition.
The De/ocratic Illusion
/ight
,onder+ ho,ever+ i- hege/on% is
a
ct continuation
or perpetuation o-
do/ination.
h it
the sa/e -or/ deplo%ed to its
ulti/ate conse2
Muences] Or
is there a /o/ent ,here
there is a
diih to a noncritical -or/3&e%ond
internal crises
&ut not
e'e/pt -ro/ internal catastrophe
or sel-2
dissolution
through saturation 9li8e an% s%ste/
at
Ie li/it o- its possi&ilities:
.
A ,orld
o- total+
instan
taneo us+ perpetual co//unicatio
n
is
unthin8a&le and+ in an% case+
intolera&le.
Hege/on%
corresponds to a phase o- the satu2
/uon o-
po,er 9political+ -inancial+
/ilitar% and
cWen cultural
po,er: pushed &% its o,n logic &ut
uWa&le to
acco/plish its possi&ilities -ull%3a
dire
l-ldVed 9the stor% o- the u/&rella3/a%
&e
the
-ate o-
realiAing possi&ilities -ull% is the
-ate o-
K'/an8ind]:.
Cet an% action that tries to
slo,
cnpiral or
po,er+ that tries to 8eep the/ -ro/
/plishing
all o- their possi&ilities is
their last
+ their last
chance to survive 5ust short
o- their
And i- ,e let
the/+ the% ,ill rush headlong
@ Ieir end 9ta8ing
us ,ith the/:.
Is it
&etter to let tht(/ dO it+ tO let thVDTD
-OllO@
their -atal penchant -or sel-2destruction
through
saturation
and ultra2realiAation3o
r
is it &etter
to
slo, the/
do,n to avoid disaster] This
is the
parado'
,e con-ront in the paro'%s/ o-
pO@-?r.
9And+
once again+ the sa/e glo&al+
universal
pro&le/
-aces hu/anit% and its h%pertelic4
-ate
,hen
it rushes to its end &ecause it is too
success-ul
Utechnologicall%+
se'uall%+ de/ographicall%
+ etc.<:
It all
depends on %our idea o- po,er.
I- %ou
presuppose
that intelligence or the
i/agination
hold po,er+
then the persistence o- stupidit%
or at
least the per/anent a&sence o-
i/agination -ro/
po,er is ine'plica&le. 9$nless %ou also
suppose a
general disposition a/ong people to delegate
their
sovereignt%
to the /ost ino--ensive+
least i/agi2
native
o- their -ello, citiAens+ a /vFF n
g6nie that
pushes
people tO elect the /ost
nearsighted+ cor2
rupt
person out o- a secret delight in
seeing the
stupidit%
and corruption o- those in
po,er.
Especiall%
in ti/es o- trou&le+ people
,DDD VOt
/assivel%
-or the candidate ,ho does not
as8
the/
to thin8. It is a silent con5uration+
analogous
in the
political sphere to the conspirac%
o- art in
another do/ain.:
@e
should a&andon the de/ocratic
illusion o-
i/agination
or intelligence in po,er that co/es
-ro/ the depths o- Enlighten/ent
ideolog%.
The
naive utopias o- the D=Y)s /ust &e
revised:
TI/agination in po,er?43Ta8e %our drea/s -or
re:nJit%?43o li/its to pleasure?4 All o- these
dogans ,ere realiAed 9or h%perrealiAed: in the
dcvelO<IDTDent o- the s%ste/.
I- ,e re/ove the /oral utopia o- po,er3
pii,;er as it should &e in the e%es o- those ,ho
#'0i$'t it3i- ,e h%pothesiAe that po,er onl% lives
through parod% or si/ulations o- representation
Jul is de-ined &% the societ% that /anipulates itL
O,e accept the h%pothesis that po,er is an ecto2
plns/ic+ %et indispensa&le -unction+ then people li8e
irish or !ch,arAenegger -iDD their roles per-ectl%.
Ol#ir that a countr% or a people has the leaders it
"eserves &ut that the leaders are an e/anation o-
gJo&al po,er. The political structure o- the
OD'iited !tates is in direct correlation to its glo&al
s-iiinination. Bush leads the $nited !tates in the
line ,a% as those ,ho e'ercise glo&al hege/on%
the rest o- the planet. 9@e could even sa%
hint the hege/on% o- glo&al po,er rese/&les the
: :isolute privilege o- the hu/an species over
all hers.: There is there-ore no reason to thin8
o- , alternative.
Ko,er itsel- /ust &e a&olished3and not solel%
the re-usal to &e do/inated+ ,hich is at the
ii:nrt o- all traditional struggles3&ut also+ 5ust
in violentl%+ in the re-usal to do/inate 9i- the
Tal to do/inate had the sa/e violence and
the sa/e energ% as the re-usal to &e do/inated+
the
drea/ o- revolution ,ould have
disap2
peared long ago:. Intelligence cannot+
can never
&e in po,er &ecause intelligence
consists o- this
dou&le re-usal. I- I could thin8 that there
,ere
a -e,
people ,ithout an% po,er in the
,orld+
then I ,ould 8no, that all is not lost4
9Elias
>anetti:.
The 0etaph%sical Illusion
The
rea&sorption o- critical negativit%
is echoed
&% an
even /ore radical -or/ o- denial:
the denial
o- realit%.
In si/ulation+
%ou /ove &e%ond true and
-alse
through
parod%+ /asMuerade+ derision to -or/
an
i//ense
enterprise o- deterrence.
Deterrence
-ro/ ever%
historical re-erence+ -ro/ all
realit%
in
the
passage into signs. This strateg% o-
desta&iliAa2
tion+ o-
discrediting+ o- divest/ent
-ro/
realit% in
the
-or/ o- parod%+ /oc8er%+ or
/asMuerade
&eco/es
the ver% principle o-
govern/ent+
is also
a depreciation o- all value.
The
Muestion is no longer o- a po,er
or a
political4
po,er >Onnected to a histor%+ to
-or/s
o-
representation+ to contradictions and a
critical
alternative.
"epresentation has lost its principle
and
the de/ocratic illusion is co/plete3not
as
/uch
&% the violation o- rights as &% the
si/ulation
@values+ general uncertaint% and the derealiAation
; @ all realit%. Ever%one is caught in the signs o-
$ser that occup% the entire space3and that are
Xiicd &% ever%one co//unall% 9ta8e -or
e'a/ple 0 resigned+ e/&arrassed co/plicit% in
the rigged 8gs o- the political sphere and
polls:.
. 8onni there+ the s%ste/ ,or8s e'ponentiall%:
Knot startin' +ro# (alue. but +ro#
t&e liLui/ dation o+ (alue)
Knot t&rou'& re*resentation. but
t&rou'&
Me liLuidation o+ re*resentation)
Knot +ro# reality but +ro# t&e liLuidation
o+ n8a"ity)
:Xcr5niiing in the na/e o- ,hich do/ination ,as
X $r'ised is ter/inated+ sacri-iced+ ,hich should
gIN:all% lead to the end o- do/ination. This is
dNX_D the case+ &ut -or the sa8e o- hege/on%.
The s%ste/ doesn.t care a -ig -or la,sL it unleashes
deregulation in ever% do/ain.
K;ere'ulation o+ (alue in s*e-ulation)
K;ere'ulation o+ re*resentation in t&e
(arious +or#s o+ #ani*ulation and *arallel
net0or,s)
K;ere'ulation o+ reality t&rou'&
in+or#a/ tion. t&e #edia and (irtual
reality)
Hro# t&at *oint on8 total i##unityKone -an
no
'entsia t&at &as dedi-ated
itsel+ to
t&e
longer counter the s%ste/ in the na/e o- one.! osophical and technical
edi-ication
o-
o,n
principles since the s%ste/ has a&olished >it%. But ,hat can this
concept /ean+
not
the/. The end o- all critical negativit%. >losure outside the hu/an race
9it is
irrelevant -or
o- ever% account and all histor%. The reign o- &e ani/al+ plant or cos/ic
real/s+
the inhu/an
&e'e#ony) On t&e -ontrary. sin-e it is no lon'er 'eneral) but also in t&e
#aCor
-ultures or&er
re'ulated by re*resentation. or its o0n -on-e*t. or 6an our o0n
(ar-&ai-. traditional
or Eastern or
the i/age o- itsel-+ the s%ste/ succu/&s to the 7in2Eastern
that do not even have
a ter/ -or it: or
-inal te/ptation: it &eco/es h%persensitive to its in our
o,n societies outside
the civiliAed and
-inal conditions and casts itsel- &e%ond its o,n XItreated
classes ,here
hu/anis/ and
universal
end according to the in-le'i&le decrease o- thV
>IUlDes have &eco/e hereditar%.
@hat does the
rates o+ reality) ersal
/ean in the e%es o- i//igrants+
popu2
The /ost serious o- all -or/s o- sel-2denial3 I-:ions le+t
+allo0. entire Jones o+ +ra-ture
and
not onl% econo/icall% or politicall% &ut /etaph%s2 XXAlusion in our o,n overdevelope
d4
societies]
icall%3is the denial o- realit%. This i//ense even in the
privileged -ringe+ the
high2tech
enterprise o- deterrence -ro/ ever% historical it%+ ,hat
dOV!
the universal
/ean -or all the
re-erence+ this strateg% o- discrediting+ o- divesting corporate people+4 all the
high per-or/ance
+ro# reality in t&e +or# o+ *arody. #o-,ery. or #as/ 6ou*s or
individuals
according to &oth a
glo&al
Muerade+ &eco/es the ver% principle o- govern/ent. T an
increasing
l% corporate+ isolationist+
pro2
The ne, strateg%3and it trul% is a /utation3is +
onist evolution]
t&e sel+/i##olation o+ (alue. o+ e(ery syste# o+ N 6ontrary to 0&at %##anuel
Oant
said. t&e
(alue. o+ sel+/denial. indiFerentiation. reCe-tion
s,y lau'&s at t&is
uni(ersal
la0. but so does
and nullit% as the triu/phant co//and.
&eart o+ &u#an,ind8 riot only
living
&eings
t&e (ast #aCority o+ &u#ans
ri=Ver
obeyed it)
And t&ose 0&o
-lai# Moreo(er. t&e -on-e*t o+ t&e uni(ersal is t&e 9 eir
sin'ular *assions
to o&e% it happil% put
&e-ore an% other ideal
speci-ic product+ ,ithin the hu/an race+ o- a 1ualit%3this is no
dou&t+ despite the concept+
a
certain civiliAation called @estern+ and ,ithin are
authentic ,a% to &e
hu/an.4 ;O t&ey
that culture+ o- a privileged /inorit%+ a /odern
!VR#t(!
&elieve in this ideal -inalit%]
No one
8no,sL the onl% sure thing is that the% clai/ to
/a8e others o&e%.
The discourse o- the universal descri&es a
tautological spiral: it is held &% the species that
considers itsel- superior to all others and ,ithin
this species+ &% a /inorit% that considers itsel-
the holder o- /oral and universal ends+ -or/ing
a verita&le+ de/ocratic4 -eudalit%.
@hatever the case /a% &e+ there is a /a5or
inconsistenc% in continuing to use a discourse o-
the universal as a discourse o- re-erence ,hen it
has no /eaning or e--ect an%,here3neither ,ith
glo&al po,er nor in opposition to it.
To relativiAe our concept o- the universal: ,ith
the increasing glo&aliAation o- the ,orld+ dis2
cri/ination &eco/es /ore -erocious.
The cartograph% should not con-use these
Aones &e%ond realit% ,ith those that still give
signs o- realit% in the sa/e hege/onic s%ste/ o-
glo&al2 iAation+ even though the% do not
-unction in the sa/e ,a%. @e could even sa% that
the gap separating the/ is gro,ing and
so/ething that ,as onl% a cultural singularit%
in a non2uni-ied ,orld &eco/es real
discri/ination in a glo&aliAed uni2 verse. The
/ore the ,orld is glo&aliAed+ the ,orst the
discri/ination.
The t,o universes+ the h%perreal and the
in-rareal+ see/ to interpenetrate &ut are light %ears
a,a% -ro/ each other. The deepest /iser% and
>#A!
O- lu'ur% coe'ist in the sa/e geographic
Gpace 9ta8e+ -or e'a/ple the oil
condo/iniu/s
ii !audi
Ara&ia and the -avelas o- "io+
&ut these
V[tte/e
cases:. In -act+ the entire
planet is
6irgLiniAed
on the principle o- de-initive
discri/2
0ention &et,een t,o universes3,hi
ch no
longer
h/;e an% 8no,ledge o-
each other. Elo&al
po,er
integral
conrrol over the other
,orld+
And has
all the /eans necessar% -or
its
e'ter/ina2
tion. It is
the tear in the universal.
As -or the
OtnseMuences
o- this tear+ the
upheaval it
can
9:t6&1te, ,e
have no idea3e'cept -or ,hat is
alread%
5nesent toda
% 9although it is onl% the &eginning::
Ie onl%
response to this increasingl%
violent
discri/ination
is an eMuall% violent -or/+
ter2
R[t-ls/. An
e'tre/e reaction to this situation
o-
ii'ipossi&le e'change.
@hich leads
us to Europe. In its current
-or/+
Europe is
a nonevent. It ,as -irst an idea
9/a%&e
darting in
the 0iddle Ages+ a realit% &e-ore an
-lea]:. o,
it is no longer an idea or a
realit% &ut
X#irtual realit% re-erring to a /odel o-
si/ulation
to ,hich
it /ust adapt.
-
ro/ the perspective
o-
pro5ection at
an% price+ the ,ill o- the people
is an
o&stacle or at
least an indi--erent para/eter
or an
1%li;. The
%es4 vote co/es -ro/ on high+
and ,e
c/ no,
see that the people are Europe.s s8eleton
iW the closet.
ii Ts regard. It is the &est e'a/ple o- a vital or
This virtual Europe is
po,er. It ,ants to -ind
order+ to represe
nt an
a -ari-ature o+
'lob9l
its
ni-&e in
t&e 0orld e-ono#i-
*o0er t&at
rivals the
ridiculous i/age o-
its A/eric
an Big
Brother.
Europe is organiAed
according to the
sa/e
li&eral principles+ and other
than a
-e, last
gasps O- senti/enta
l
socialis/+ is
aligned
,ith
the /odel o- -lu'
and
glo&al
deregulation.
It is
incapa&le
o- inventing a ne,
rule +or t&e
'a#e
/sceraD reaction in de-ense against the consensual
:Xc8/aiD o- the Ces+4 against the re-erendu/.s
9,hich is also the struggle o-
the
national level:.
5e+t on
t&e
ld/atu/ in disguise. There is no need to have a
political conscience to have this re-le': it is the
@ithout its o,n political
structure or histori2
cal
reason+ Europe can onl%
desire e'pansion and
proli-eration into thV VOld
through inde-inite
aro/atic re8indling o- negativit% in the -ace o-
c'N:essive positivit%+ to the coalition o- divine4
Europe+ the Europe o- good conscience+ the one
de/ocratic4
anne'ation+ 5ust
li8e glo&al po,er.
in the right side o- universalit%3,ith all others
O- course+ all o- the periphera
l
countries
,ant IO
cost into the shado,s o- histor%.
5oin this
&%2prOduct o- glo&aliAatio
n+
Cust
as
The -orces o- Eood ,ere co/pletel% ,rong
Europeans
drea/
o- reaching the
glo&al
level.
Europeans
have the sa/e relationship
to
A/erican glo&al p
o,er
as other countries
9li8e
$d#<!t the perverse e--ects o- an e'cess o- Eood and
die unconscious lucidit% that tells us to never side
,iI those ,ho are alread% right.4 A good e'a/ple
Tur8e%+ -or e'a/ple:
have to Europe.
Tur8e%.!
it a response to hege/on% that is not the ,or8 o-
entr% into Europe+
outside
an% political consider2
ations+ /a% &e revealing
in
ter/s o- this
parado':
'lie negative or the result o- critical thought 9the
political reasons o- the o4 are no &etter than
Europeans -ro/ &irth4
are
not reall% 1T1Odt6*&1
il#<se o- the Ces4:. It is a response in the -or/ o-
eitherL
the% have not trul% entered
h%per2
/odernit%.
The%
are in -act resisting it+
and in
ever% countr%
there is so/Vthin
g
that
resists g
enerallAed
e'change+
the vertigo o- universal
e'change.
a pure and si/ple challenge to the saturation o- the
s%ste/+ the i/ple/entation 9once again+ &e%ond
5XiliticaD considerations: o- a principle o- reversion+
o- reversi&ilit% against the hege/onic principle. A
Is it
good or &ad? Does
Europe
have to &e
giXZd e'a/ple o- the paralla' o- Evil.4
@e have here the pro-ile o- the ne, t%pe o- con2
-rontation characteriAing the era o- Hege/on%. It
is not a class struggle or a -ight -or li&eration on
the glo&al level 9since the li&eration4 o- e'change
and de/ocrac%+ ,hich ,ere the counterpoint to
do/ination+ are the strategies o- hege/on%. Ta8e+
-or e'a/ple+ England.s presence in JanAi&ar: &%
-reeing the slaves in the late nineteenth centur%+
England ,as a&le to ta8e control o- East A-rica:.
It is an irreduci&ilit%+ an irreduci&le antagonis/ to
the glo&al principle o- generaliAed e'change.
In other ,ords+ a con-rontation that is no
longer precisel% political &ut /etaph%sical and
s%/&olic in the strong sense. It is a con-rontation+
a divide that e'ists not onl% at the heart o- the
do/inant po,er+ &ut at the heart o- our
individual e'istence.
April 2005
THE @HITE TE""O" O7 @O"BD O"DE"
or&ing the negative continues to &e the
&le/. @hen the e/ancipated slave internaliAes
/aster+ the ,or8 o- the negative is a&olished.
/ation &eco/es hege/on%. Ko,er can sho,
positivel% and overtl% in good conscience
co/plete sel-2evidence. It is unMuestiona&le
glo&al. But the ga/e is not over %et. 7or ,hile
slave internaliAes the /aster+ po,er also inter2
the slave ,ho denies it+ and it denies itsel-
che process. egativit% ree/erges as iron%+
ing and auto2liMuidation internal to po,er.
is is ho, the slave devours and canni&aliAes the
er -ro/ the inside. As po,er a&sor&s the
tive+ it is devoured &% ,hat it a&sor&s. There
ce in reversi&ilit%.
A catastrophic dialectic has replaced the ,or8
Ie negative. cal thought+ or an% atte/pt
artac8 the s%ste/ -ro/ the inside+ is in a co/plete
aporia.
A-ter voluntar% servitude+
,hi>h
,as the
hege/on% is a /eta3sta&le -or/ &ecause it has
secret
8e% to e'ercising do/ination+
one could
a&sor&ed the negative3&ut &% the sa/e to8en+
no, spea8 instead o-
involuntar% co/plicit%+
consensus
and connivance ,ith thV
@orld Order
-uc8ing the possi&ilit% o- dialectical &alance+ it
re/ains in-initel% -ragile. Its victor%+ there-ore+ is
&%
ever%thing that see/s tO
OUD<=O!V
even
radical2critical ones+ are still a
cri/e
the% denounce+ al&eit
an
one.
@hat is the i/pact o- a
-il/
it)
I#a'es.
*art o+
t&e
in(oluntar
y
onl% apparent+ and its total positivit%+ this
resorption o- the negative+ anticipates its o,n
dissolution. It is there-ore &oth the t,ilight o-
critical thought and the agon% o- po,er.
7ightmare,
,hich
denounces
racial
discri/inat
ion
Through a reverse e--ect+ ho,ever+ the s%ste/
in
TanAania? It ,ill tour the
@estern ,orld and
enters a catastrophic dialectic. But this dialectic
rein-orce
the endoga/%+ the
cultural and political
autar8% o-
this separate ,orld through
i/ages
and
the consu/ption o- i/ages.
And %et &% the sa/e to8en all
critical
negativit%+
all
thV @Or8 o- the negative
is a&olished+
devoured
by si'ns and si#ula-ra)
In
the conte't o-
hege2
is a -ar cr% -ro/ the 0ar'ist dialectic and the
/leological role o- negation.
7or this strateg% o- develop/ent and gro,th
in -atal. As it entirel% -ul-ills itsel-+ in a -inal
achieve/ent that no negativit% can hinder+ it
tX''i/es incapa&le o- surpassing itsel- up,ards4
#ony. t&e &istori-al
0or,
t&e relations&i* o+
+OH6=S
radical su&5ectivit% against
o- critical thought+
against oppression+
alienation are all
ebung) and initiates a process o- sel-2annihilation
. rbi* ng in the sense o- dissolution:.
7or the s%ste/ 9in the conte't o- glo&al po,er:+
((irtually) in t&e *ast) Si#*ly
&ecause
this ne,
d'is strateg% o- develop/ent and gro,th is -atal.
hege/onic
con-iguration 9,hich
is no longer
The s%ste/ cannot prevent its destin% -ro/ &eing
the
con-iguration o- capitalis/
at all: has itsel-
a&sor&ed
the negative and used it
-or a leap -or,ard
through the
/eanders o- c%nical
reasoning or
the tric8s o- histor%.
The
a&solute negative 9terroris/+
internal
deterrence:
responds to the a&solute
positive o-
/plished+ integrall% realiAed+ and there-ore
driven into auto/atic sel-3destruction &% the
e'tensi&le /echanis/s o- its reproduction.
Its shape is si/ilar to ,hat is called tur&o2
capitalis/.4 The ter/ tur&o4 should &e ta8en
literall% in this e'pression. It /eans that the s%s3
positiviAed hege/on%+ p9: p%. @hen do/ination
&e>O-ltt(!
negativit%
&eco/es
terroris/.
Thus
teras a ,hole is no longer driven
&% historical -'irces &ut is a&sor&ed
&% its -inal conditions3
hastened to its de-initive end 9li8e a tur&o engine
suc8ing in the space in -ront o- it+ creating a vac2
uu/ and the -orce o- attraction o- a vacuu/:. It is
persed
in an un&ridled circulation
that &rings
die ver%
concept o- e'change to an
end?
Having lost its rational principle+
the principle
not a progressive+ continuous evolution+ even i- it
O #dlue+ e'change
&eco/es total 5ust as realit%+
is con-rontational and contradictor%. Instead+ it is
a vertiginous+ irresisti&le attraction to its o,n end.
I- negativit% is totall% engul-ed &% the s%ste/+ i-
there is no /ore ,or8 o- the negative+ positivit%
having lost
lts realit% principle+ &eco/es
total
realit%.
h /a% &e the -atal destinatio
n
o+ -a*ital
to 'o to
-( >?TDd O-
e'change3to,
ard
a total
-onsu#*tion
o- realit%. In an%
case+ ,e are &ound -or this
gen2
sa&otages itsel- in its co/pletion. At the height o- craliAed
e$-&an'e. t&is
+reneti6
-o##uni-ation
its hege/on%+ po,er canni&aliAes itsel-3and the
,or8 o- the negative is replaced &% an i//ense
,or8 o- /ourning.
@e can even -orget a&out capital and capitalis/.
Didn.t the% reach the point ,here the% ,ould
destro% their o,n conditions o- e'istence? >an ,e
still spea8 o- a /ar8et4 or even o- a classical
econo/%] In its historical de-inition+ capitalis/
and
in-or/ation that is the sign o-
hege/on%.
The
di/ension o- hege/on% is di--erent
-ro/
diat o-
capital and di--erent -ro/
the di/ension
Ni- po,er
in its strictl% political de-inition. It is no
longer a Muestion
o- political po,er tied
to a his2
"or% and a -or/ o- representation.
"epresentation
el-
has lost its principle and the
de/ocratic
illusion is
co/pDI]te. Ot through the
violation o-
9 0Tts
&ut through the si/ulation
o- values
and
dle
derealiAation o- all realit%. The
/asMuerade
presided over the /ultiplication o- e'changes again+ ever%one caught
in t&e si'ns o+
*o0er
under the auspices o- value. The /ar8et o&e%s the
la, o- value and eMuivalenc%. And the crises o-
capital can al,a%s &e resolved &% regulating value.
This is no longer true -or the -inancial -lo,s
and international speculation that -ar surpass the
la,s o- the /ar8et. >an ,e still spea8 o- capital
Od co//uning in the
ri''ed un+oldin' o+
t&e
political stage.
the
election o- Arnold !ch,arAenegger
as
e/or o-
>ali-ornia+ ,e are deep in the
,hen -aced ,ith an e'ponential strateg% that #asLuerad
e.
,here
politics is onl% a ga/e
o-
pushes capital &e%ond its li/its in a ,hirl,ind o-
e'changes ,here it loses its ver% essence and is
idolatry and
/ar8eting. It is a giant step to,ard
Ie end ) thV
!:Qste/ o- representatio
n.
This is the
destin% o- conte/porar% politicians3those ,ho
live &% the sho, ,ill die &% the sho,. This is true
-or &oth citiAens4 and politicians. It is the
i//anent 5ustice o- the /edia. Cou ,ant the
po,er o- the i/age] Then %ou ,ill die through its
repla%. The carnival o- the i/age is also 9sel-:
canni&aliAation through the i/age.
One should not conclude too hastil% that the
degradation o- A/erican political practices is a
decline in po,er. Behind this /asMuerade+ there is
a vast political strateg% 9certainl% not deli&erateL it
,ould reMuire too /uch intelligence: that &elies
our eternal de/ocratic illusions. B% electing
!ch,arAenegger 9or in Bush.s rigged election in
())):+ in this &e,ildering parod% o- all s%ste/s o-
representation+ A/erica too8 revenge -or the
disdain o- ,hich it is the o&5ect. In this ,a%+ it
proved its i/aginar% po,er &ecause no one can
eMual it in its headlong course into the de/ocratic
/asMuerade+ into the nihilist enterprise o- liMui2
dating value and a /ore total si/ulation than
even in the areas o- 7inance and ,eapons. A/erica
has a long head start. This e'tre/e+ e/pirical and
technical -or/ o- /oc8er% and the pro-anation o-
values+ this radical o&scenit% and total i/piet% o-
a people+ other,ise 8no,n as religious+4 this is
,hat -ascinates ever%one. This is ,hat ,e en5o%
even through re5ection and sarcas/: this pheno/2
enal vulgarit%+ a 9political+ televisual: universe
&rought to
the Aero degree o- culture. It is also
the
-ret o- glo&al hege/on%.
I
sa% it ,ithout iron%+ even ,ith ad/iration:
this
B hO(
A/erica+ through radical si/ulation+
do/i2
-tales the rest o- the ,orld. It serves as a
/odel
&e ta8ing
its revenge on the rest O- the ,orld+
,hich
is in-initel% superior to it in s%/&olic
ter/s.
The
challenge o- A/erica is the challenge o-
des2
0#$rate
si/ulation+ o- a /asMuerade it i/poses on
i-?
test O- the ,orld+ including the desperate
simu(
-XrrX/ o- /ilitar% po,er. >arnivaliAation o-
po,er.
And that
challenge cannot &e /et: ,e have neither
a -inalit% or a counter2-inalit% that can oppose it.
In its
hege/onic -unction+ po,er is a virtual
con-iguration
that /eta&oliAes an% ele/ent to
serve
its o,n purposes. It could &e /ade
o-
countless
intelligent particles+ &ut its opaMue
5uncture
,ould not change. It is li8e a &od% that
changes its cells constantl% ,hile re/aining
the
R /e.
!oon+ ever% /olecule o- the
A/erican
nation ,ill
have co/e -ro/ so/e,here else+
as
i-
&v
trans-usion. A/erica ,ill &e Blac8+ Indian+
Hispanic+
and Kuerto "ican ,hile
re/aining
A/erica. It ,ill &e all the /ore
/%thicall%
A/erican in that it ,ill no longer &e
authentical2
l%. A/erican. And all the /ore -unda/entalist
in
diat it ,ill no longer have a -oundation
9even
Iough it never had one+ since even the 7ounding
7athers ca/e -ro/ so/e,here
else:. And all the
/ore &igoted in that it ,ill have &eco/e+ in -act+
/ultiracial and /ulticultural. And all thV lTlO*
i/perialist in that it ,ill &e led &% the descendants
o- slaves. That is the su&tle and unassaila&le logic
o- po,erL it cannot &e changed.
This glo&al /asMuerade o- po,er passes
through several phases. 7irst+ in the na/e o- uni2
versals+ the @est i/poses its political and
econo/ic /odels on the entire ,orld along ,ith its
principle o- technical rationalit%. That ,as the
essence o- its do/ination &ut not %et its
Muintessence. Be%ond econo/ics and politics+ its
Muintessence relies on the hold o- si/ulation+ an
operational si/ulation o- ever% value+ ever%
culture3that is ,here hege2 /on% toda% asserts
itsel-. o longer through e'porting techniMues+
values+ ideologies &ut through the universal
e'trapolation o- a parod% o- these values.
$nderdeveloped countries 8eep align2 ing
the/selves on a si/ulacru/ o- develop/ent and
gro,thL the% get their independence -ro/ a
si/ulacru/ o- de/ocrac%+ and ever% endangered
culture drea/s o- a staged reha&ilitation3all -asci2
nated &% the sa/e universal /odel 9o- ,hl>h
A/erica+ ,hile &ene-iting -ro/ it+ is the -irst
victi/:. Thus+ a-ter i/posing its do/ination
through Histor%+ the @est is no, i/posing its
hege/on% through the 7A">E o- Histor%. Elo&al
po,er is the po,er o- the si/ulacru/.
: I values through consensus or -orce.
A-ter the sacri-ice o- value+ a-ter the sacri-ice o-
representation+ aher the sacri-ice o- realit%+ the
@est is no, characteriAed &% the deli&erate
sacri-ice o- ever%thing through ,hich a hu/an
&eing 8eeps /i/e value in his or her o,n e%es.
The terrorists. potlatch against the @est is their
death. Our potlatch is indignit%+ i//odest%+
o&scenit%+ degradation and a&5ection. This is the
/ove/ent o- our culture3,here the sta8es 8eep
rising. Our truth is al,a%s on the side o-
unveiling+ i8su&li/ation+ reductive anal%sis3
the truth o- die repressed22222e'hi&ition+ avo,al+
nudit%3nothing is nue unless it is desecrated+
o&5ecti-ied+ stripped
ci- its aura+ or dragged onstage.
Indi--erentiation o- values &ut also indi--erence
ii ourselves. @e cannot involve our o,n death
liecause ,e alread% are dead. @e thro, this indi-2
8:rence and a&5ection at others li8e a challenge:
Ie challenge to de-ile the/selves in return+ to
In% their values+ to strip na8ed+ con-ess+ ad/it3
a giant pro5ect /eant to s%/&olicall% liMuidate
to respond ,ith a nihilis/ eMual to our o,n. @e
tr% to ta8e it all -ro/ the/ &% -orce: through the
hu/iliations o- A&u Ehrai&+ prohi&iting veils in
school. But it is not enough -or our victor%: the%
have to co/e on their o,n+ sacri-ice the/selves on
the altar o- o&scenit%+ transparenc%+ pornograph%
and glo&al si/ulationL the% have to lose their
s%/&olic de-enses and ta8e the path o- neoli&eral
order+ total de/ocrac% and integrated spectacle.
In this sense+ ,e can+ ,ith Boris Ero%s+ con2
ceive o- the h%pothesis o- a dou&le potlatch: the
@estern potlatch o- nullit%+ sel-2degradation+
sha/e+ and /orti-ication opposed to the terrorist
potlatch o- death. But the deli&erate sacri-ice &%
the @est o- all its values+ o- ever%thing through
,hich a culture holds value in its o,n e%es+ in
this prostitution o- the sel- thro,n into the -ace
o- the Other as a ,eapon o- /ass deterrence3
seduction through e/ptiness and challenge to
the Other 9Isla/+ &ut also the rest o- the ,orld:
to prostitute itsel- in return+ to unveil itsel-+ to
give up all its secrets and lose all sovereignt%3
does this i//ense sel-2i//olation constitute a
verita&le s%/&olic response to the challenge o- the
terrorists] 9Bet.s not spea8 o- ,ar or a -ight
against evil+. ,hich are ad/issions o- a total
ina&ilit% to respond s%/&olicall% to the
challenge o- death.:
Kotlatch versus potlatch3does one &alance
the other? One /ight sa% that one is a potlatch &%
/cess
9the potlatch o- death: and the other
a
potlatch &% de-ault 9sel-2/oc8er% and sha/e:. In
diat case+ the% do not /atch each other eMuall%
Od One should spea8 o- an as%//etrical
potlatch.
Or should one thin8 that+ in the end+ no -or/+
not even the challenge o- death+ o- e'tre/e sacri2
-ice+ can &e considered superior+ nor can the ter2
rorist challenge &e seen as superior to rhe inverse
@estern
challenge+ and there-ore send each one
&ac8 to its respective deliriu/?
@hat is at sta8e in glo&al con-rontation is this
provocation to generaliAed e'change+ the
un&ridled e'change o- all di--erences+ the
challenge -or other cultures to eMual us in
deculturation+ the de&ase/ent
W- values+ the adhesion to the /ost disenchanted
/odels. This con-rontation is not Muite a clash o-
crviliAations+4 &ut it is not econo/ic or political
cicher+ and toda% it onl% concerns the @est and
Isla/ in appearance. 7unda/entall%+ it is a duel+
and its sta8es are s%/&olic: ph%sical and /ental
liMuidation+ a universal carnivaliAation i/posed &%
tile test at the cost o- its o,n hu/iliation+
its
s5 ir&olic e'propriation3against all o- the singu2
larities that resist it. >hallenge versus challenge?
K&tlatch
versus potlatch] Does the slo,2death
"rateg% or s%ste/atic /orti-ication eMual the sta8es
o- a sacri-icial death? >an this con-rontation
co/e
cc an end and ,hat could &e the conseMuences i-
one or the other ,ins?
T&e res*onse to do#ination is 0ell
,no0n8 sla(e re(olt. -lass stru''le. all t&e
&istori-al
+or#s
o+ re(olt and re(olutionK
t&e #eta#or*&oses
o+
t&e
0or, o+ t&e
ne'ati(e) History. as 0e ,ne0 it
and
re0rote it alon' its e(olution to an
ideal
end)
T&e res*onse to &e'e#ony is not as
si#*le8
irredentis# . dissiden-e. anta'onis#.
(iolent
abrea-tionKbut
also +as-ination and total
a#bi(alen-e) Hor 0e all are *art and
*ar-el
o+
t&is &e'e#ony (unli,e t&e
-lear
distin-tion
bet0een do#inants and do#inated))
3&en-e bot& a (ital. (is-eral
resistan-e
to
'eneraliJed
e$-&an'e. to
total eLui(alen-e
and
-onne-tion.
to (ast
*rostitution and a (erti'i/
no
us attra-tion
to t&is te-&nolo'i-al
+air. t&is
s*e-ta-ular
#asLuerade. t&is nullity) At botto#
it is
-lear t&at t&is a*o'ee o+ 'lobal *o0er
is
also
t&e
a*ot&eosis o+ t&e ne'ati(e. t&e
triu#*&
o+
resi'nation.
o+ t&e
renun-iation by t&e s*e-ies
o+
its o,n
values. There is nothing /ore
e'citing
than this
vertigo3no longer the ,or8 o-
the
negative
&ut
the vertigo o- denial and arti-ice? @hence this
dual+ insolu&le postulate:
opposing
this
glo&al po,er and losing onesel- in it. An
a/&ivalence that ,e all e'perience at each
/o/ent
and ,hich is the /irror in each one
o-
us o- the glo&al antagonis/.
T&is &e'e#oni- si#ulation. a
-onA'uration t&at -#s triu#*&ant and
unyieldin'. &as its re(erse.
8s re(ulsi(e eFe-ts) By (irtually yieldin'
to t&is
'lobal dyna#i- and e$a''eratin' it
in se(eral 0ays. all o+ t&ese 0ould/be
e#er'in' -ountries '#dually be-o#e
sub#er'in' instead) T&ey slo0ly 0ade t&e
3estern s*&ere. not on a -o#*etiti(e
,(el. but li,e a 'round s0ell)
T&is in(asion o--urs in #any 0ays. li,e
a (iral ililtration) It is t&e *roble# o+
'lobal. #ore or %ess -landestine
i##i'ration (His*ani-s are literally
#nnibaliJin' t&e <nited States)) But also in
t&e -onte#*orary +or#s o+ terror. a true
+ilterable (irus. #ade u* o+ terroris# and
-ounterterroris#. and 0&i-& is a (iolent
abrea-tion to 'lobal do#i/ #utton.
destabiliJin' it +ro# t&e inside) T&e 'lobal
order is -annibaliJed by terror)
Ho0e(er. t&ere are ot&er. #ore *oliti-al
+or#s
Pir t&ese tenden-ies &ostile to 3estern
#odels) All o+ t&ese -ountries t&at 0e
0ant to a--ulturate by ,?-e 0it& t&e
*rin-i*les o+ *oliti-al and e-ono#i-
#-ionality. 0it& t&e 'lobal #ar,et and
de#o-ra-y. 0it& a uni(ersal *rin-i*le and
a &istory t&at is not t&eir o0n. o+ 0&i-&
t&ey &a(e neit&er t&e ends nor die #eans
Kall o+ t&ese -ountries 0&i-& #a,e u* die
rest o+ t&e 0orldKt&ey 'i(e us t&e
i#*ression (in BraJil +or e$a#*le) t&at
t&ey 0ill ne(er be a--ultured to t&is
e$o'enous #odel o+ -al-ulation #d
'ro0t&. t&at t&ey are dee*ly aller'i- to it)
And
in -act do ,e+ @esterners+ /asters o- the ,orld+
still have its ends and /eans? Do ,e still /easure
up to this universal underta8ing o- /aster% that
no, see/s to surpass us in ever% do/ain and
-unction li8e a trap o- ,hich ,e are the -irst
victi/s] Histor% itsel- is a product -or @estern
e'port.
@e du/p on others a desire -or histor% 9through
national con-licts+ international institutions+ access
to the glo&al /ar8et: ,hile -or us+ in realit%+ histo2
r% is over+ in the sense that it un-olds on its o,n+
and
si/ultaneousl% resist it. A dou&le
contradictor%
State#ent o+
0&i-& Tur,ey is a
line
e$a#*le8 to
Coin
Euro*e +or t&e Tur,s
#eans lea(in'
an ar-&ai-
#u-ture to enter
/odernit%+ to &eco/e a part
o-
Me technological
universe o- consu/eris/
and
si#ulation. o+ the
cos/opolitan e'change o-
signs
Qod the -or/al
li&ert% to use the/ at one.s
leisure.
$! !lllTle
ti/e+ it /eans parta8ing in a
radical
critiMue o- this political econo/%+ a
denunciation
W- the culture that
-ascinates the/ and re/aining
on auto/atic pilot and /ore o-ten than not in a deepl% allergic to
the principle o- e'change and
loop. 7or us+ the /irror o- histor%+ the continuit%
o- histor% is shatteredL ,e live in an instant and
disincarnate currentness in ,hich ,e ta8e no /ore
trou&le+ according to Dosto%evs8%.s phrase+ than to
prolong histor% or rather the end o- histor%+
i//ersed in the euphoric &analit% that Heidegger
called the second 7all o- hu/anit%. But the others+
those ,ho did not e'perience this historic stage+
this /irror stage+ can onl% ,ant to en5o% it the/2
selves3drea/ing o- the @estern po,er in ,hich
ever%thing that too8 the -or/ o- histor% cul/i2
nates+ and perhaps drea/ing to destro% its s%/&ols
and ta8e a stand against it. It is a strange situation
,herein all these peoples ,ho at the sa/e ti/e
drea/ o- entering histor%+ or rather toda% in the
paci-ied+ securiAed+ e'traterritorial+ e'tranational
Aone o- universal -ree trade+ in the @orld Order o-
undi--erentiated
e'change that reMuires the sacri 3
-i>t: O- their distinctive cultural
traits.
In the
end+ i- ,e loo8 closel%+ ir.s the
sa/e situa2
tion ,e are
in as individuals at the heart
o- /odern
/cieties3,e
all e'perience an irresisti&le urge
-or
!O>iet%
o- signs and si/ulacra that is at the
end
ci- histor%
and a deep resistance to this
voluntar%
Attitude)
So #u-& so t&at 0e #i'&t
retros*e-ti(ely
Tlde-
@hether all this histor%+ all
o- this
@estern
rationality
and #odernity
really too,
*la-e or
,hether
this is all a
parod% o- an event
that had
,i**ened.
lea(in'
us to s&are its spoils. T&is
0ould
I$ the
-arce4 o- histor% that 0ar'
/entions and
ii
,hich ,e
involved as acco/plices those
,ho did
at e(en beneAt +ro# it)
Hlstor% that
repeats itsel- turns to -arce.
But a
tree that repeats itsel-
ends up /a8ing a histor%.
@el-are o- ,hich A/erica is o&viousl% the /odel+
This /eans that &%
repeating and dou&ling
t&e#sel(es u*.
e(en si#ula-ra end u*
+or#in'
our
#aterial
destinyKt&e only
day o+ re-,onin'
0e
have the right to
no,.
9And /a%&e the onl% retro2 spective truth o-
histor% that+ in
this h%pothesis+ did
not
even ,ait to
&e repeated to
beCOlTl
a -arce.:
@e
can in this sense spea8 o-
the ephe/eral+
insta&le
and reversi&le character o-
/odernit%
9and o-
realit% in general:+ and a
di--erent rate o-
universaliAation
o- rational values and the
principle
o-
realit% that presides over
the/.
One
should not &elieve that
realit% is eMuall%
distri&uted
over
the sur-ace o- the glo&e
as i- ,e
,ere
dealing ,ith an o&5ective
,orld that
eMual
-or ever%one. :O&l,, Vntire
continents
have
not seen the
appearance o- realit% and
its principIe:
the% are
underdevelope
d
in this generic sense that
is #ore *ro+ound t&an t&e
econo/ic+
technical or
*oliti-al) T&e 6&est. a+ter
passing through a
9his2
toric: stage o- realit%+ entered
the 9virtual:
stage o-
ultra2realit%.
B%
contrast+ a /a5orit% o- the
rest o+
the ,orld4
have not even reached
the
stage
o+
reality
and (e-ono#i-. *oliti-al.
et-))
rationalit%.
Bet0eeR
t&e t0o. t&ere are
Jones o- realit%+
interstices+
alveoli+ shreds o-
realit% that
survive in
the heart
o- glo&aliAation and
the
h%per2realit%
o-
net,or8s3a
&it li8e thV !hreds
o- territor%
that
-loat to the sur-ace o- the /ap
in
BorgVs.
-a&le.
One
could spea8 o- an inde' o-
realit%+ a rate o-
realit% on the planet that could
&e
/apped out li8e
&irthrates or the levels o- at/ospheric pollution.
Fhat ,ould the /a'i/u/ rate o- realit% &e?
It re/ains to &e seen ,hether this underdevelop2
/ent is a curse+ i- the non2access to the real and
Ie rational is an a&solute traged%+ or its contrar%.
One can as8 this Muestion ,hen considering the
advanced Aones+ the h%per3/odern Aones li8e
our o,n that are alread% -ar -ro/ realit%+ that have
lost rinciple+ that have devoured it in a ,a%+ in the
space o- t,o centuries+ li8e an% /ineral -uel or
natural deposit 9/oreover+ the e'hausting o-
realit% goes hand in hand ,ith the e'hausting o-
natural resources: . H%per2real Aones+ still su&2
lunar &ut alread% e'traterrestrial+ at once
glo&aliAed and
deterritorialiAed.
Opposition to glo&al hege/on% cannot &e the
/ine as opposition to traditional oppression. It
inn onl% &e so/ething unpredicta&le+ irreduci&le
to the preventive terror o- progra//ing+ -orced
circulation+ irreduci&le to the @hite terror o- the
,orld order. !o/ething antagonistic+ in the literal
use+ that opens a hole in this @estern agon%.
!o/ething that leaves a trace in the /onoton% o-
Ie glo&al order o- terror. !o/ething that rein3
troduces a -or/ o- i/possi&le e'change in this
generaliAed e'change. Hege/on% is onl% &ro8en
/% this t%pe o- event+ &% an%thing that irrupts as
an une'changea&le singularit%. A revolt+ there-ore+
t&at tar'ets syste#ati- dere'ulation under
t&e -o(er o+ +or-ed -on(i(iality. t&at
tar'ets t&e total or'aniJation o+ reality)
The high point o- the struggle against
do/ination ,as the historic /ove/ent o-
li&eration+ &e it political+ se'ual or other,ise3a
continuous /ove/ent+ ,ith guiding ideas and
visi&le actors.
But li&eration also occurred ,ith e'changes
and /ar8ets+ ,hich &rings us to this terri-%ing
parado': all o- the li&eration -ights against
do/ination onl% paved the ,a% -or hege/on%+
the reign o- general e'change3against ,hich
there is no possi&le revolution+ since ever%thing
is alread% li&erated.
Total revolt responds to total order+ not 5usr
dialectical con-lict. At this point+ it is dou&le or
nothing: the s%ste/ shatters and drags the uni2
versal a,a% in its disintegration. It is vain to
,ant to restore universal values -ro/ the de&ris
o- glo&aliAation. The drea/ o- rediscovered uni2
versalit% 9&ut did it ever e'ist]: that could put a
stop to glo&al hege/on%+ the drea/ o- a reinven2
tion o- politics and de/ocrac% and+ as -or us+ the
drea/ o- a Europe &earing an alternative /odel
o- civiliAation opposed to neoli&eral hege/on%3
this drea/ is ,ithout hope. Once the /irror o-
universalit% is &ro8en 9,hich is li8e the /irror
stage o- our /odernit%:+ onl% -rag/ents re/ain+
scattered -rag/ents. Elo&aliAation auto/aticall%
Ottails, in the sa/e /ove/ent+
-rag/entation
and
deepening discri/ination3and our -ate is -or
a universe that no longer has an%thing universal
a&out it3-rag/entar% and -ractal3&ut that no
dou&t leaves the -ield -ree -or all singularities:
the
0orst and t&e best. t&e #ost (iolent and
t&e #ost *oeti-)
8#ontreal, 2ctober 9&&,
HE " E EOO D E"O@!
0ar': :ntil noin philosopher, ere
content uiith interpreting the orld. 7o
it has to e changed.
Against 0ar': Today transforming the orld
is not enough. ;t mill happen no matter iuhat.
that rue urgently need today is to interpret
this transformation8so that the iuorld does
not do it iuith&#t <,, /nd ends :p being a
t orld ithout <,.
e current revolution is di--erent than previous
istorical revolutions3it is a trul% anthropological
olution: a revolution in the auto/atic per-ection
technical devices and in the de-initive disMual2
cation o- hu/an &eings+ o- ,ho/ the% are not
en a,are. At the hege/onic stage o- technolog%+
o-
,orld po,er+ hu/an &eings have lost their
-reedo/+ &ut the% have also lost their i/agina2
tion. The% have &een /ade une/plo%ed in a
,a% that goes -ar &e%ond ,or8: it is a /ental
and
e'istential une/plo%/ent+ replaced &%
do/inant /achines. These technical la%o--s
suggest the opposite o- ,hat the ter/ usuall%
/eans:
the
/achines are not de-ectiveL the% are
so e--icient that there is nothing le-t to do ,ith
one.s li-e+
,hose ver% reproduction has &eco/e auto/atic.
The
o&solescence o- hu/ans has reached its ter/i2
nal phase. Their -ate is de-initivel% &e%ond
their
reach. In the end+ hu/an &eings ,ill onl%
have
&een an in-antile illness o- an integral
technological
realit%
that has &eco/e such a
given that ,e are no longer a,are o- it+ e'cept in
its transcendental di/ensions o- space and ti/e.
This revolution is not econo/ic or political. It
is
an anthropological and /etaph%sical one. And it
is
the -inal revolution3there is nothing &e%ond it.
In
a ,a%+ it is the end o- histor%+ although not in
the
sense o- a dialectical surpassing+ rather as the &egin2
ning o- a ,orld ,ithout hu/ans. @hile histor%
had
a su&5ect+ there is no su&5ect o- the end o-
histor%. o /ore ,or8 o- negative or historical
-inalit%. .
It is the -inal stage o- a ,orld that ,e have
given up interpreting+ thin8ing or even i/agining
in -avor o- implementing it+ instru/entaliAing
it
o&5ectivel%+ or+ &etter %et: launching ourselves
into
Ie uni/agina&le venture o- per-or/ing it+
turning into a per-or/ance+ per-ecting it3at
,hich point D` naturall% casts us out.
This ,orld no longer needs us. The &est o- all
possi&le ,orlds no longer needs us.
Ker-or/ance. Divestiture o- hu/ans and their
-reedo/. DisMuali-ication o- hu/ans in -avor o-
auto/atis/+ a /assive trans-er o- decision2/a8ing
to co/puteriAed devices. A s%/&olic capitulation+
a de-eat o- the ,ill /uch /ore serious than an%
ph%sical i/pair/ent. Sacrifi*io dellintelletto, della
mluntii, delli mmagina*ione.
Eiinther Anders gives a stri8ing e'a/ple o- this
divestiture during the Korean @ar. 0acArthur
,anted to use the ato/ic &o/&+ &ut the politicians
roo8 the decision a,a% -ro/ hi/ in -avor o- a
&atter% o- co/puters that calculated the o&5ec2
tive4 &ene-its o- the operation in political and eco2
no/ic ter/s3and that -inall% decided against
using the &o/&.
uclear con-lict ,as avoided+ &ut as E. Anders
notes+ s%/&olicall%+ /etaph%sicall%+ this a&dication
o- hu/an ,ill+ no /atter ,hat the conseMuences+
-or an i/personal concatenation+ this ;=idnapping o-
hu/an intelligence in -avor o- arti-icial intelligence
,;as a -ar ,orse disaster than nuclear devastation.
It /ar8s the point ,here hu/ans de-initivel%
renounced their destin% in -avor o- technological
authorit% and its unMuestiona&le superiorit%. It is
not a trans-er to a
divine
transcendence+ or an
ad5ust/ent o- the
,ill in -avor o-
chanceL it is a pure
and si/ple
capitulation o-
thought in the -ace
o- its technological
dou&le+ reducing it
to a voluntar%
servitude -ar /ore
pro-ound than the
servitude o- a
people &e-ore their
t%rant. The passage
to electronic
calculation+ to
engineering and
co/puterising is
disastrous: /ore
than a -ailure o- the
,ill+ it i/plies the
disappearance o-
ever% su&5ect+ &e it
the su&5ect o- po,er+
8no,ledge or
histor%+ in -avor o-
operational
/echanics and the
total
deresponsi&iliAation
o- hu/an8ind.
Toda%+ po,er
itsel- is an
e/&arrass/ent and
there is no one to
assu/e it trul%.
@e can no longer
/atch the per-ection
o- our tech2
nological devices.
@hat ,e produce is
&e%ond our
i/agination and our
representation.
Hu/anit%+
con-ronted ,ith its
o,n diviniAed
/odel+ ,ith the
realiAation o- its o,n
ideal+ collapses.
Our a&ilities+ &oth
in the do/ain o- the
i/agi2 nation and
responsi&ilit% and in
the register o- desire
and pleasure+ are
co/pletel%
surpassecB Those
,ho &elieved in the
unli/ited
/orphological and
anthropological
adapta&ilit% o-
hu/an8ind and its
a&ilit% to change at
,ill ,ere ,rong.
Toda%+ hu/an
&eings have &eco/e
the ,ea8 lin8 in
technological
processes+ in the
orld(proces,ing(
The
onl% choice
le-t is &et,een
disappearing
or
Yeing
hu/anengineeriA
ed.4 And the
/ore the
per-or/ance gap
gro,s+ the /ore
hu/an
&eings
co/pensate -or
this -ailure &%
e'panding
their
technological par8+
even e'tending it
to !loterdi58.s
hu/an
par84 and
the &iological
/odeling o- the
les. Asha/ed o-
their
inco/pleteness+
hu/ans
have
turned
the/selves into
e'peri/ental
&eings.
@e
are+ in our
Kro/ethean
e'cesses+ the
onl%
culture to have
invented the
perspective o-
ideal 1D@th+ O-
total
per-or/ance+ up
to the supre/e
!tage o- realit%.
But ,e can no
longer
/easure
`tll-!elves against
this vertiginous
di/ension.
0odernit%
9the
a#est: can no
longer respond to
its tlivn values o-
unli/ited
progress and
gro,th.
Krogra//ing
has trans-or/ed
progress+ ,hich
,as an idea+ a
great historical
idea+ into a
technolog2
ical
operation o- the
,orld in real ti/e.
And in-init%+ cXice
an ideal a&straction+
is /aterialiAed as
,ell
in
iilnite
gro,th+ the
i//ediate vertigo
o- pro-usion.
And ,e are no,
prisoners o- this
irreversi&le
di/ension3una&le
to reinvent a -inite
universe.
Econo/ic
thin8ing
has al,a%s
,agered on
in-inite
natural
resources+ on an
incalcula&le
horiAon
o-
/aterial
energies
3the /odern
de-initio n o-
energ% &eing that it onl% de/ands to &e
li&erated. 9the li&eration4 o- hu/an &eings and
all o- their -aculties -ollo,s the sa/e /odel:.
@ith the threat o- crises and the depletion o-
natural resources+ econo/ic thought has &een
touched &% the grace o- ecolog% and is rethin8ing
its postulates on the possi&ilit% o- in-inite gro,tK
But it is not rethin8ing the other postulate on
the
in-inite availa&ilit% o- hu/an &eings to increasing
a/ounts o- happiness and pleasure. This anthro2
pological illusion /a% &e even /ore serious
than the li/its on resources. Hu/ans are also
li/ited
in their potential. @e i/agine that needs+
desires and de/and are all endless and ,e have
vigorousl% endeavored 9especiall% since D=(=: to
convince the/ to respond ,ith e'ponential
de/and to the e'ponentialit% o- gro,th. This is
,here the &rea8
co/es in: hu/ans &rea8 do,n. Their li&idinal
and ps%chic resources4 are drained. Although
hu/an &eings can &e e'ploited at ,ill on the
level o- per-or/ance and production+ on the
level o- aspirations and pleasure+ the% have
li/its. These li/its dra, an i/passa&le line o-
resistance to the internal /achine o- gro,th.
o one can stand this e'crescence+ this in-inite
proli-eration3including the proli-eration o- the
species ,ith its si' &illion hu/an &eings.
"o-usion is a 8ind o- -atalit%3especiall% ,hen
people are over,hel/ed+ li8e the sorcerer.s appren2
tice.. Thee% are not overco/e &% the /aliTciTous
-orces diat the% have unleashed+ &ut &% the &est
things
Ie% have created+ the -orces o- Eood that the% have
unleashed.
This parado'ical situation is not a contradic2
tion &et,een ends and /eans+ &et,een science
and /oralit%+4 or a lac8 o- &alance &et,een desire
and the /eans to -ul-ill it. On the contrar%+ it is
Ie h%perrealiAation o- desire &e-ore it has even
had ti/e to appear that is the true curse.
It is not onl% happening on the individual and
collective level+ &ut on the level o- the species as
,ell. The entire species is passing through a
/o/ent o- panic in the -ace o- this overe'posure
to happiness and o- this e'travagant /aster% o-
Ie ,orld.
!tarting ,ith the irruption o- reason+ at the
da,n o- /odernit%+ hu/an8ind launched itsel-
on an escape tra5ector% outside itsel-+ dra,n
&e%ond its possi&ilities. !pace travel is onl% an
e'tre/e /etaphor o- this ta4=eoff, this escape
-ro/ /ental territories.
This distortion+ this e'cess leads to a gro,ing
depression+ a deco/pensation+ not -ro/ an inacces2
si&le ideal+ &ut -ro/ a -or/ o- e'cess grati-ication.
8
The rule o- the ga/e -or the species+ the
s%/&oli>
rule o- the ga/e+ is displaced.
The trans-or/ation is too -ast -or hu/an
&eings to evolve and /ove -ro/ one -or/ to
another. @e are losing the secret o- all vital
energ%+ ,hich is never to go all the ,a%+ or to go
&e%ond
the
possi&le. @e are in the process o-
sacri-icing this s%/&olic reserve o-
inco/pleteness in -avor
o-
a totaliAation o- li-e through technolog%
and a
depletion o- all desire. It is the org%.4 But
,hat
happens a rr the orgyi> It &eco/es a
schiAo2
phrenic
-arce+ as >eronetti said. Or rather the
or'y turns into an ordeal. a Cud'#ent
o+
>od.
decreeing thar ,e are incapa&le o-
-ul-illing
our
+ ro#et&ean a#bitions)
So-ialiJation itsel+ is in Luestion) T&e
*resent
crisis+ o- ,hich the disintegration o- the banlieiia
is
onl% the spectacular -or/+ is the crisis o-
general
disintegration in the -ace o- the ideal de/ands
o- socialit%. The distur&ances in the
/argins
conceal the -act that societ% as a ,hole is resisting
the s%ste/atic coloniAation o- socialiAation.
The
&ar o- total invest/ent in li-e through societ%
and
econo/ics has &een set too high.
@hen did ,e discover that the deepest
de/ands ,ere social and econo/ic+ that the
onl% horiAon ,as the horiAon o- integration
and
calculation] >apital.s coup de force .is to /a8e
ever%thing dependant on the econo/ic order+ to
su&5ect all /inds to a single /ental di/ension.
Ever% other issue &eco/es unintelligi&le. The
displace/ent o- all pro&le/s into econo/ic and
per-or/ance ter/s is a trap: the &elie- that ever%2
diing is granted us virtuall%+ or ,ill &e+ &% the
grace o- continual gro,th and acceleration3
including+ &%; e'tension+ a universal li-ting o-
prohi&itions+
Ie availa&ilit% o- all in-or/ation and+ o- course+
Ie o&ligation to e'perience jouissance.
$ntil no,+ ever%thing ,as organiAed &% the
tension &et,een desire and its -ul-ill/ent+
&et,een needs and their satis-action. This critical
situation ,as the source o- all o- our historical
con-licts: protests+ revolts+ revolutions. Toda%+
i//ediate consu/ption has /oved -ar &e%ond
Ie -aculties o- nor/al hu/an &eings to
e'perience pleasure. othing tells us that people
,ill no, &e a&le to &ear insatia&le desire a-ter a
/illenniu/ o- shortages3nothing tells us that
the% are read% -or total li&eration. othing is less
certain.
This is the true &rea8+ not a social -racture &ut
a s%/&olic one: in the advent o- an integral realit%
Iat a&sor&s all aspirations to,ards drea/ing+
surpassing or revolt.
8The despair of having everything.
8Th5 de,pair of being nothing.
8The despair of being everybody.
8 The despair of being nobody.
current
political events+ including the /ost
vio2
It is hard -or us+ ,ith our reductive 9econo/ic and
rational: anthropolog%+ to i/agine that &eing can
shrin8 or revolt &ecause it has &een given too
/uch. I- lac8 and servitude characteriAed earlier
societies+ opulence and -ree /ar8ets characteriAe
our societ%+ ,hich has entered its ter/inal phase
and is read% -or intensive care.
@e are not succu/&ing to oppression or
e'ploitation+ &ut to pro-usion and unconditional
care3to the po,er o- those ,ho /a8e sovereign
decisions a&out our ,ell2&eing. 7ro/ there+ revolt
has a di--erent /eaning: it no longer targets the
-or&idden+ &ut per/issiveness+ tolerance+ e'cessive
transparenc%3the E/pire o- Eood. 7or &etter or
3O&solescence o- the Other.
3O&solescence o- realit%.
3O&solescence o- death.
In
-act+ to descri&e this
anthropologi
cal
&rea8+
,.here all
old values are o&solete and ,here all
events ta8e
on another /eaning+ ,e ,ould
have to
introduce the idea o- a non(Euclidean
space3the
space o-
hege/onic ,orld po,er+
,ith its
unprecedented
/achiner%+ &ut also the space o-
another
t%pe o- eveIDt!3Even ts o- another
order
chan
historical
events3unpredict
a&le
events+
,ithout
continuit% or re-erence3and ,hich
are
Ie
radical sign o- a counter2po,er at
,or8.
,orse. The o&solescence
o- Histor% opens a space
o, %ou /ust light against ever%thing that
,ants to help %ou.
e, challenges+ ne, conte't. Ho,ever+ the general
at/osphere surrounding this ne, era+ this ne,
con-iguration is the o&solescence o- hu/anit% and
its values.
3O&solescence o- "eason and the Enlighten/ent.
3O&solescence o- $niversals and ideologies.
3O&solescence o- Histor% and ,or8.
3O&solescence o- desire and i/agination.
3O&solescence o- the individual.
ever%thing
that ,as historical or
political3
including
revolutions3has &eco/e .fair.> All
f st events, ,hich
&ear ,itness to a &%gone histor%
is onl%
the shado, o- itsel` In 7rance+
,e see
it toda%
in /elodra/atic -ashion. But
the o&soles2
cence o-
histor% and the political
stage &rings
/erging events
at the sa/e ti/e+ events
that I
,ould call+
&% analog% ,ith rogue
states+ rogue
#ent8itnesses to the i/possi&le
revolution.
The onl%
i/possi&le revolution+ sa%s
>eronetti
in su&stance+
one that is even
inconceiva&le
to rea2
/+ ,ould &e the revolution
against
/achines3
and
this i/possi&ilit% turns all other
revolutions
into a schiAophrenic -arce.
Ho,ever+ there are no, traces o- thls i/possi&le
revolution
in the 9potentiall% terrorist:
seMuence
of rogue event, in the ne, non2Euclidean
space.
Ever%thing
that ,as On the ordVE O- thV Tleg2
ative
and the ,or8 o- the negative
has no,
&eco/e
parod%3a counter2cop% or trans-er
o-
the overall
process. There is no return on
that
side.
The critical threshold has &een
reachedL
there
is no possi&ilit% o- returning to
>anetti.s
&lind spot3no
nostalgic trans-erence o- the
situa2
tion.
#Fe are in a di--erent space+
the non2
Euclidean space o- po,er3a chaotic+
stochastic+
e'ponential+ catastrophic and -ractal
universe o-
outsiAed e--ects 9/etaleps%:+ o- the
reversal o-
causalit% and realit%.
B$T:
i- this non2Euclidean universe is no,
the
uni(erse o+ *o0er. it &as also be-o#e t&e
uni(erse
o+
-ounter/*o0er) T&is re(ersion is
#u-&
#ore
radi-al
t&an a ne'ationS t&e
anta'onis# is
-a*able
o+
turnin' t&e
0ea*ons o+ t&is ne0 *o0er
a'ainst
it.
and
es*e-ially o+ turnin' t&e 0ea*ons o+
*o0er
a'ainst t&e#sel(es)
T&e
rules o+ &e'e#ony are turned
a'ainst
it.
through
a -orce that contests it
radicall%+ in
accor2
dance ,ith its o,n principles
9and not onl%+
li8e
0ar' in his ti/e+ according to historical
contra2
dictions
,hile i/plicitl% re/aining -aith-ul to the
principle o- realit% and econo/ic principles3to
,hich his theor% ends up succu/&ing:.
That is ,h% this is not a historical revolution
&ut a 8ind o- anthropological /utation+ and ,hile
there is no revolution thin8a&le in the conte't o-
the current hege/onic po,er+ there is nothing
&e%ond this non2Euclidean4 counter3po,er.
An astounding illustration o- this non2Euclidean
space is !epte/&er DD+ ,hich itsel- ,as an arche2
t%pal rogue event.
In the events o- !epte/&er DD+ the /ost terri-%ing
aspect ,as not the /aterial destruction o- the r,in
to,ers &ut the passage into so/ething ,hich+
,hile inconceiva&le as realit% 9%ou can.t &elieve
%our e%es+ it.s i/possi&le:+ is not -iction at all.
This -iction 9-ro/ disaster /ovies+ etc.: is part
o- our i//une s%ste/L it protects us -ro/ realit%
&% /eans o- its dou&le i/aginar%. It a&sor&s our
-an2 tasies. And the attac8 /ade our -antasies
real3 li8e a drea/+ li8e -ul-illing a desire.
Indeed+ it ,as literall% unliva&le and the terror
,as there+ in the inconceiva&le passage into
realit%3or rather in so/ething that goes -ar
&e%ond the real.
The real onl% e'ists to the e'tent that ,e can
intervene in it. But ,hen so/ething e/erges that
,e cannot
change in an% ,a%+ even ,ith
the i/ag2
ination+
so/ething that escapes all
representation+
then it si/pl% e'pels us.
In the
collapse o- the t,o to,ers+ as
opposed IO
the
ordinar% destruction o- &o/&ard/ent+
,here
horiAontal
territor% is struc8 -ro/ a vertical
po!itlO7B+
here the
vertical di/ension ,as struc8
head2on &%
the horiAontal. A su&version o- the usual
orthogonal
space3it is
another
topolog%
pre-igured &%
the
verticali
v
o- the to,ers+ ,hich
,as
ver% di--erent
than
the E/pire !tate
Building+ -or
e'a/ple.
The
E/pire !tate Building still
represented
t&e
Kro/ethean verticalit% o- capital and
,ealth+
o+
rivalr% and do/ination.
The T,in To,ers+
ho,eve`+ precisel% &ecause the% ,ere
t,ins3
,hich did =ot
o- course+ &ut especiall% &ecause the% did not
&elong to that space 9&% analog% ,ith hege/on%+
,hich cannot &e -ought in the traditional space o-
relationships o- -orce and violence+ &ecause it no
longer &elongs to that space:.
The% had to &e crashed into and /ade to
i/plode 9not e'plode: in their o,n space.
The /asterstro8e o- the terrorists ,as to -ind a
riposte &e%ond traditional con-rontations+ in this
ne, e'traterritorial di/ension+ a riposte eMual to
this ne, po,er. It is a ne, virtual po,er+ in the
sense in ,hich it reigns and /oves a&out in a
space ,ithout re-erence+ e'cept to itsel-. An e'po2
nential po,er in the sense in ,hich it is not
/easured &% accu/ulation or ordinar% verticalit%+
happen
&% chance3could onl%
&e
against
the/selves: the% /irrored
each
/easured
other in
&ut &% an or&ital structure that escapes deter/ina2
tion on the ground4 and the constraints o- realit%.
their
sel-2re-erentialit%
.
Their ho/o
vp%
sealed tht]
This or&ital and e'or&itant -or/ is the ver%
per-ection o- po,er that
,as no longer
-or/ o- hege/onic po,er and it can onl% &e -ought
Kro/ethean3I ,ould call it Ouro&orean+ in
the
sense that
it is enclosed in itsel- and
de-ines
a
sea/less 9and ,indo,less
: h%perspace.
@e can
,onder ,hat ,ould have
happened i-
onl%
one o- the/ -ell. I/possi&le.
The death
o+
one could
onl% lead to the death o- the
other+ by
s%/&olic conta/ination.
It ,as
5ust as i/possi&lV IO destro%
the/ &% a
&o/&
in the &ase/ent+ using the
nor/al tO>OlO
9the D==Y
attac8 ,as a -ailure:+ -or technical
reasons+
,ith other rules that co/e -ro/ radical alterit%.
Keople ,ere a/aAed &% the povert% o- the
/eans used to o&tain such a /a'i/al result in this
artac8. But this ne, space is also the space o-
s%/&olic actsL it leads to chaotic+ eccentric e--ects+
e--ects ,ith no co//on /easure ,ith the causes
and e--ects o- Euclidean space.
The e'tre/e originalit% o- this s%/&olic act
,as not onl% to pervert the /ost evolved
technolog% &% out-lan8ing it+ &ut to guess the
possi&ilities o- a
di--erent
strategic space. It ,as no longer
a head2on
con-lict3all
-rontal
oppositions are caught
des ltV
the/selves
in a dia&olic curve3&ut a
true as%/2
/etric con-lict that i/plied+ &e%ond
relationshi
ps
o- -orce+ a
change in the rules o- the
ga/e. A duel+
,ith its
o&liMue i/pact+ that has all the
character2
istics o- a
/artial art 9o- detour+ o- -ailure
o- the
other and the
diversion o- its energ%: and
that is
no,
traversing
and desta&iliAing the
entire politi2
cal
or geopolitical universe o-
glo&aliAation.
Ever% e'tension
o- hege/on% is also
an e'tension
o- terror. Bet.s &e clear:
Be%ond
spectacular terroris/+ terror
should
seen as
an in-iltration+ an internal
convulsion+
a
-or/
o- po,er -ighting itsel-.
Ko,er itsel-+
-ro/ the
inside+
secretes an antagonistic po,er
that
/aterial2
iAes in one ,a% or another3it could &e
Isla/ or it
could &e so/ethllT ;,C?
altogether. Ever% -or/ is
possi&le+
&ut+ -or the /ost part+
terror
is a -or/ o-
reversion3it is not necessaril%
violent+
although in
its /ost
e'tre/e -or/ it necessaril%
i/plies
death.
The death
o- its victi/s+ &ut -irst and
-ore/ost
tile
death o- the
terrorists. !epte/&er DD put
the spot2
light on the
s%/&olic use o- death as an
a&solute
,eapon. The death
o- a terrorist is not a suicide:
it
/ultiple -or/s throughout histor%. 7ro/ the sa&o2
tage and destruction o- /achines &% Buddites in
DO() to Blac8s &urning their o,n neigh&orhoods
in A/erica in the D=Y)s+ -ro/ general stri8es to
hostage ta8ing and suicide attac8s+ ,e have gone
increasingl% -arther into unilateral sacri-ice+ in
suicidal violence ,ithout /erc% or possi&le
response3into the une'changea&le.
!epte/&er DD2st%le terroris/ has no trul% o&5ec2
tive causes or conseMuences3&ut it does have /ore
pro-ound ones. It is not a political eventL it is a s%/2
&olic event. It does not give shape to a ne, ,orld.
It does not &elong to the ,or8 o- the negative+
and there-ore does not have a political destination.
@e 8no, that terroris/ ,ill not overthro, the
,orld order. Its i/pact is /uch /ore su&tle: a viral
and elusive -or/ that it shares ,ith ,orld po,er.
This is ,hat /a8es the Muestion o- terror so
co/ple': it is increasingl% detached as a -or/
-ro/ its visi&le actions and actors.
@orld po,er does not e'actl% need political
po,er to ensure its hold. It e'ercises it in a ver%
di--use /anner+ through the /ental diaspora o-
net,or8s 9,hich is ,h% political actors and
people in po,er are no longer part o- it+ even
though the% thin8 the% govern the ,orld:.
Terror does not e'actl% need terrorists no,
is an e--ig%
in-licts on
o-
the virtual death that tht(
,y,tC?1T1
itsel-.
7ro/ revolt to revolt+ it ta8es
either. It is latent+ in-iltrating and virulent ever%2
,here. It spreads in an ende/ic+ interstitial+
#ole-ular
state) All 'lobal -ulture is
-annibaliJe
d
by terror.
by t&e dis-ourse o+
terror)
All in,o
r#a/
tion and
#edia
'ra(itate around it)
T&e rest
be-o#e
se-ondary)
T&e 'lobal su##it
in Riyad&
on -o#batin'
terroris# ri(aled t&e
one in
;a(os
on -o##er6e
or t&e one in
Oyoto
on '
lobal
0ar#in'S
sa#e
-o#bat. sa#e unani#ity.
all
'i##i-s.
o+ -ourse. but 0it&
no
ot&er alternati(e)
Terroris#
&as be-o#e a leitmotiv ,
a
uni(ersal +o-al
*oint. a
nebulaKnot a
*oliti-al or
strate'i-
reality.
but
a bla-, &ole. a blind
s*ot)
Ha(in' inAltrated all o+ t&e
net0or,s o+
i#a'/
ination
and
in+or#ation. it #i'&t
only
e$ist as a
s*eeder)
I+. a--ordin' to
Mar$.
t&e
specter o- co/2
this principle has no, &een raised to the level o-
a glo&al governing strateg%. !ecurit% is Muietl%
ta8ing hold as a ,hite terror4 draining the s%s2
te/ o- its @estern values: -reedo/+ de/ocrac%+
hu/an rights. This is the dia&olical trap laid &%
the terrorists+ -orcing de/ocracies4 to sa&otage
the/selves progressivel%.4
A *ri#e e$a#*le o+ t&ese ro'ueKe(ents.
0&i-& are bot& +ar-i-al and terri+yin'. is
t&e re-ent bird Gu s-are (0&ere t&e
terrorists 0ere 0ild du-,sT))
T&ere is no 'reater #asLuerade t&an t&is
'lobal *ani-. t&an t&e sa-red union in
*ani-) T&e inter/
#unis# &aunted Euro*e.
today
terror
haunts the entire planet.
the specter o- national -o##unity be-o#es &e-ti- and
e*ile*ti-
+ro# t&e (irus o+ terror and t&e terror o+
(iruses)
Even i- there ,ere no /ore
living
terrorists.
t&e
'lobal
*sy-&osis 0ould re#ain
t&e
sa#e) In any
-ase. Bin
5aden does not
need
tO b=
ali(e or to dO
Terror is #ulti*lied by t&e 'rotesLue
*ro+usion o+
se-urity #easures t&at end u* -ausin'
*er(erse autoi##une eFe-ts8 t&e
antibodies turn a'ainst
anyt&in'S &e only
needs
a *&anto# (ideo
+ro#
t&e body and -ause #ore da#a'e t&an
t&e (irus)
ti#e to ti#e) T&t S)2St="T"
itsel+ e$*loits t&e
&y t+/
i#a'ination o+ terror)
3it&out real solidarity bet0een
nations. t&e
s*e-ter o+ Absolute E(il #ust be raised u*
as an
Terror is li,e a ru#or8
sel+/
*ro*&esy
in'.
sel+
/
er5atz <ni(ersal. an e#er'en-y solution
to sy#/
realiJin') On-e
it #o(es IO <S Ot&er side. and
'ro0s #ore (iolent t&an
(iolen-e.
it be-o#es
autono#ous +or#
0it&out ori'inK
li,e E(il itsel+)
It is
irre*ressible as 0ell. be-ause
e(ery
+or# o+
U(i'ilan-eB
a''ra(ates t&e s*e6t6Tr O+
terror)
t&e *arado$ o+ e(ery *rin-i*le o+
*re-autio
n. and
boli- #isery) 3&en traditional
-ontra-ts and
sy#boli- *a-ts. t&e uni(ersal and t&e
*arti-ular no lon'er +un-tion. a +or# li,e a
-ons*ira-y ta,es brutal s&a*e. a *lot in
0&i-& e(eryone is in(olun/ tarily in(ol(ed)
1arta,in' in t&e -ons*ira-y is not based
on anyt&in'. on any (alue. ot&er
t&an
delirious
sel-2de-ense+
in response to the
total loss
o- the
i/aginar%s i//unit%. . . In -act+
the virus
a ruse mentale>
and
conta/inatio
n
happens !O
Muic8l% &ecause the
/ental i//unit%
+ the s%/2
&olic
de-enses are long lost.
A
panic space can ta8e
hold in this liMuidation+
one
to ,hich the entire
glo&al
in-or/ation s%ste- D %l,O
&elongs -or another
reason+
the s%ste/ o- net,or8s
and
instant di--u2
solution -ound to -ight the &ird -lu ,as seMuestering
ani/als and vaccinating /igrator% &irds?:.
Isn.t the hu/an species a carrier o- countless ger/s
and shouldn.t it there-ore &e urgentl% euthaniAed4?
And /ad co, disease] Are ,e not+ as the
hu/an species+ li8e these poor /ad co,s] Aren.t
sion3a
non2Euclide
an space ,he->
all rational+ ,e &eing /ade to s,allo,+ on ever% level+ a
preventive+ p
roph%lactic
counter/eas
ures
are
strange &one /eal3all o- these ground2up /es2
al#ost auto#ati-all
y
turned
a'ainst
through
their o,n e'cesses.
!ecurit%
/ediu/ -or terror.
t&e#sel(
es
is t&e
btSt
sages+ all o- this /eal o- advertising and /edia
production+ this giant+ /illed 5un8 heap o- the
ne,s that ,e are stu--ed ,ith3li8e the /eal
/ade
Cet ,e should also
e'a/ine the conditions
-or o- &one+ corpses and carcasses that ,e stu-- our
the
e/ergence o- this virus
these ne,
pathologies3
not
and th> ,O1lTCt6,
O*
onl% in the ani/al
co,s ,ith3it is all &ringing our species closer to
spongi-or/ encephalopath%.
,orld &ut in hu/an societ%
in general. . . One
/ight
guess that the% are
the result o- con-ine2
/ent+ pro/iscuit%+ concentratio
n
and
/onstrous The depths o- terror are insepara&le -ro/ the
overe'ploitar
ion. The inevita&le
industrial
prOcV!!V!. There is
no
seMuels O-
di--erence
e'tension o- -arce. The terror o- the Eood /uch
/ore than o- Evil+ ,hich onl% -ollo,s li8e a shado,.
&et,een
ani/al and hu/an
environ/en
ts:
sa/e
conditions produce the sa/e
viral
in-ectious ano/alies.
t&
e
an
d
The parod% o- the sacred union is ta8ing hold
ever%,here+ under the sign o- a -ull preventive ,ar
against the slightest in-ectious /olecule3&ut also
I-
,e ta8e -or e'a/plV the
ingestion
o- &one
/eal leading
to /ad co, dlsVase+ there
is a -or/
o-
against the least ano/al%+ the least e'ception+ the
least singularit%.
deregulation here+ an incestuous
,ould
&e a&surd to atte/pt
tO
con-usion that it
resolve &% e'cess
The &iting iron% o- this counter2terror+ o-
,hite terror+ is that it esta&lishes a vast autoi//une
control and
concentration
2ca/p
/easures 9the &est
s%ndro/e+ sel-2destruction through e'cess protection+
,hich leads to cri/es against hu/anit% under the
denounced
as a terrorist act. It co/es
as rio surprise
sign o- the e'pulsion o- Evil+ cri/es co//itted &%
hu/anit% to get rid o- itsel- co/pletel%+ to cast
that
natural distur&ances have
&eco/e
tion against the ,orld order.
an in-rac2
itsel- out o- an unliva&le setting.
A -e, ,ords no, on these singular events and their
curious seMuences that do not -ollo, historical con2
The violence
o- natural disorders
increases ,ith
the
intensi-ication o- technological
violence.
Deregulation
gro,s at the sa/e rate as
e'cesses in
>Ontrol and
calculation. It is as i- ature
,ere
e'acting
revenge
in the na/e o- all o- the peoples
tinuit% at all. @e cannot spea8 o- an A'is o- Evil4 sacri-iced and
diso,ned. A s%/&olic &ac8lash
o-
9the e'pression is a&surd: there is onl% an A'is o-
Eood:+ &ut ,e can spea8 o- a convergence o-
di--er2
en
W ur
es
o- events ,ith eMuivalent -or/s o-
terror. In recent %ears+ a-ter !epte/&er DD+ ,e
have seen several e'a/ples: natural -orces are
con-used ,ith terrorist attac8s as part o- the sa/e
is o- Evil.4 Is
it international terroris/ that ta8es the shape o- a
natural disaster or is the tsuna/i the sa/e as a ter2
rorist attac8? Bird -lu+ /ad co, disease+ at%pical
pneu/onia+ the &lac8out in e, Cor8+ the heat
,ave are all a&nor/al events+ all terrorist
pheno/en:r The con-usion is e'ploited in &oth
directions: one group clai/s an accidental crash to
&e an attac8+ and another disguises an attac8 as an
accident. >ondoleeAAa "ice hersel- didn.t hesitate
in calling the tsuna/i a ,onder-ul opportunit%4
-or a ,illing or coerced coalition o- energies to
light the -orces o- Evil.4 The do/inant order itsel-
-orces us to have this unli/ited conception o-
terroris/+ since the slightest in-raction+ the
slightest cri/e is
insupporta&l
e
hege/on%+ o- the technological
arraigning to
,hich ature responds in the
terrorist
-or/ o-
earthMua8es and eruptions. In the
insurrec2
tion o-
natural ele/ents+ there is a hint
o- reprisal.
Evil is
no, ever%,here and it /usr
&e eradi2
cated.
EvVr%
V[tTe/e pheno/enon is Evil. It is
the
per-ect ali&i
-or the totalitarian e'tension
o- the
&ird -ltl::
.;ti a pandemiC. that should
rue dot
Bush.s
response: ; sue a terror alert? In
this ,a%
,e can
understand ho, so/e in Isla/ic
countries
called on
Eod to proclai/ that the
ravages o-
Hurricane Katrina
,ere a terrorist act -ro/
the
heavens stri8ing
the A/erican sanctuar%.
A terrorist
group
could even la% clai/ to an
earthMua8e.
Because terror
no longer &elongs to
an%one+ no
/ore than
,orld po,er doe . And
&ecause ,orld
po,er
escapes
ever%one+ it is no,
inscri&ed in
things and in their o&5ective
un-olding.
One #i'&t obCe-t
t&at
/a5or
disasters 9and
partic2
indiFerent or #ar'inal and t&ey see# to
obey an
ularl% the /ost recent
ones. t&e tsuna#i
and
internal lo'i-8 t&eir o0n es-alation) T&ey are
&y*erK
Katrina:
see/ to -avor
the
/ost
disen
-ranchise
d
sensiti(e to ea-& ot&er and si'nal ea-& ot&er
beyond
populati
ons3dis
cri/inati
ng
Cust as
Aer-ely
as
glo&aliAatio
n.
It is true+
&ut the%
also reveal
this
discri/inat
ion. The% spea8
and reveal Evil.
t&e nor#al Go0 o+ ne0s)
Even the
attac8
in !har/ el2!hei8h
targeting @orld po,er eludes ever%one &ecause it is no
internation
al touris#
is re(elatory
)
3e -an
under/
stand &o0 t&is uni(
ersal
touris/+
&ringing
,ith it
the genera
l
e'chang
e
o-
all cultures+
the
hu/an
eMuivalent
o- thV -lO@!
o-
capital+ the
o&np'ious
in-iltratio
n
and
/odern
avatar o+
-oloniJatio
n and
,ar+ could
&t( ,T1 &% the
terrorists as
an in-arnation
o- all the
values the%
a&hor+
as a
viral
inAltrationK
,hich is+
in -act+
,hat it
is.
Touris/
itsel- is terri2
l%ingL it
is a -or/
O- terror
and can
onl% attract
terror in return.
A -on(e-tio
n
-urrent o+
atta-,s and
technolog2
longer the e--ect o- a do/inating ,ill &ut o- an
auto/atic and irreversi&le /echanis/. As a result+
the /echanis/ o- disaggregation o- this po,er
also escapes ever%one and cannot &e stopped. This
s%ste/ should ,orr% /uch less a&out revolution
than a&out ,hat is developing in the void+ at the
heart o- the anthropological -racture.
The /ore intense this hege/onic process o-
-orced integration and integral realit% is+ the /ore
singularities ,ill rise against it. There ,ill &e
/ore rogue states43states 9li8e Iran+ Kalestine:
ical and natur
al disasters
has
-or/ed
carr%i
ng a that deli&eratel% e'clude the/selves -ro/ the
touch
o- Evil3the s/allest
accidents
nO,
ta8e
th>:
s%/&ol
ic
turn o- a secret
counter2-
inalit%.
Just as
net,or
8s
connect
all points on the
1lO&>
and all
#ar,ets in real
ti#e t&rou'
&
uni(ersal el=6/
tronic
interactions
+
events enter
a n
et0or, or
+ollo0
international co//unit% ,ithout ,aiting to &e
e'cluded+ that e'clude the/selves -ro/ the uni2
versal and pla% their o,n ga/e+ at their o,n ris8
and peril. There ,ill &e /ore rogue events4 and
/ore re-usal o- societ% &% individuals.
each other in
a s%/&oli> h%perspac
e+
noo
#atter
One could sa%+ inverting Hiilderlin+ that
0&at t&eir nature)
Atta-,s.
disasters.
a--ident
s
epide/ics
all go in the
sa/e direction+
to,ards a
dis#antlin
' o+ t&e 'lobal
order)
And the% can 5oin
in a
chain reaction
&ecause
their
o&5ective causes are
@here Eood gro,s+ there gro,s the Eenie o-
Evil+4 9Da+ rna des %ute iuiichst, iu chst auch
der %enius d6, @iisen>). This /ore or less
clandestine insurrection o- antagonistic -orces
against the
integrist
violence o- the s%ste/
is less
the /ind+
the ,ill or even
the desire
o- hu/:DDD
that separates the t,o ,orlds throughout the
planet3the eMuatorial line o- a ne, violence that
&eings than the
evil genius o- the
@O-ld ltsVl- In
re-using glo&aliAation.
To
-ind the onl% adversar%
@hO @DDD
-ace this
all2
po,er-ul hege/on%+
,e /ust loo8 -Or thO!V
&VDTD
that are strangers to
,ill+ e'iled -ro/
dialogue
and
representation+
e'iled -ro/
8no,ledge
and histor%.
3e #ust loo, +O" t&=
U <SS/d=iIdV
t&an/us)
,e can see in the i/ages o- &ar&ed ,ire in 0elilla+
the ,all on the $!20e'ican &order or the one in
Israel3the ,all that contains and provo8es a
hu/an ,ave+ a &ac8lash o- discri/ination.
The $niversal is not -or ever%one. Onl% dis2
cri/ination is universal.
In the past+ totalitarian po,ers ,ere the ones
,ho enclosed the/selves &ehind ,alls 9the &est
historical e'a/ple &eing the Berlin @all: to
escape
This
e'pression co/es
**olTl
t&e
astoundi
n'
the ,ave o- de/ocrac%.4 o, these de/ocra2
state#ent
by 1&ili**e Muray
addressin'
Ci&adists
a-ter
!epte/&er
DD
. He thought that the
ga/e
,as
pla%ed out and that this
terroris/ had
no -uture. And he told the/+ in
the
,ill de-eat %ou &ecause
,e
are
deader than %ou.4
cies4 are &uilding protective ,alls to preserve the
correct use o- -reedo/ -ro/ the hordes o- i//i2
grants or -anatics. I- oppression ,as onl% possi&le
&ehind the !oviet Iron @all+ toda%+ -reedo/ is
onl% possi&le &ehind the iron ,all o- de/ocrac%.
This
e'pression assu/es
that so/e people in
Ho,ever+ ,e can &e sure that an% ,all3even a
the ,orld
are
less dead than others+
that ot
hers in transparent one3is the sign o- a dictatorship or a
the ,orld
are less
dead than us 9the
@V!t:. ThV totalitarian s%ste/. @e /ust there-ore recogniAe
h%pothesis
re/ains
that i- the @est is dead+
there
/ust e'ist
9even
in the lest: an opposing
po,er
,ith a singularii%
+ in all its -O`/Z+ that
counter&al2
ances thls
hege/onic po,er. Against the
e/pire
o-
Eood+ a spar8 o-
E#iD.
The
less2dead2than2us4 &elong to
those
0&o
are
that the @est has &eco/e a totalitarian space3the
space o- a sel-2de-ensive hege/on% de-ending
itsel- against its o,n ,ea8ness. A ,all is al,a%s
suicidal: as soon as co//unis/ raised the Berlin
@all+ it ,as virtuall% lost. It could onl% cru/&le in
the end li8e the ,all that it erected against itsel-.
The sa/e is true o- the Israelis and their secu2
rit% -ence. An% protection onl% leaves the -ield
on the
other side o- the
s%/&olic ,all+ t&e 0all
open -or deadl% i/pulses -ro/ the insid e.
But this e'odus to the #Festern ,orld through
the ,all o- discri/ination is also a canni&alistic
in-iltration that passes through all &arriers that
oppose it. In an% case+ even in the @est+ ,e are
all alread% virtuall% e'iled+ e'tradited+ e'pulsed+
-iltered out.
I- nothing else can 5usti-% the violence carried
out in the na/e o- the $niversal e'cept the idea
that ever%one can one da% have access to it+ then
,e /ust ad/it that the vast /a5orit% ,ill never
reach it+ and that ,e+ the civiliAed nations o- the
@est+ are -ar o-- the /ar8. Ta8e as evidence the
distur&ances caused &% all o- the rogue events.
that have ta8en place here. These transpoliticalS
events should not &e interpreted in econo/ic or
political ter/s+ ,hich ,ould return the/ to the
nothingness o- the political scene and its ridicu2
lousness. @e should interpret the/ as s%/pto/s
o- the schiAophrenic -arce no, &eing pla%ed out.
April (D+ ())(+ the o4 vote on the European
re-erendu/+ the riots in the su&ur&s and the social
/ove/ent against the >KE 9-irst e/plo%/ent
contract:. >on-ronted ,ith their o,n o&5ectives
9,hen the% e'ist:+ the% are insigni-icant3the Aero
degree o- an i/possi&le revolution. But i- ,e
interpret the/ on a glo&al level+ in the -ra/e,or8
o- this glo&al antagonis/+ then the% &eco/e
/icro
rogue2events+ 4 an al/ost instinctive
a&re2
action+ no
/atter ,hat their ideolog%+
to the
deregulator%
/achine o- ,orld po,er.
In
so/e ,a%s+ the o4 on the re-erendu/+
the
illogical and
une'plaina&le o+4 or the revolts
in
thV !u&ur&!
'olTle -ro/ the sa/e de/and. It is
not
a de/and
to &e integrated.4 On the contrar%+
it is
a de/and
not to &e integrated at all+ or
tethered
or
anne'ed or ta8en hostage &% an% /odel 9espe2
ciall%
an ideal one?:+ &ecause it al,a%s
hides an
a&solutel%
deadl% totalitarian arrange/ent+
an
unMuestioned
-unda/entalis/. And in this sense+
/a%&e the% are less3dead2than3oth
ers.4
@herever
this glo&al con-rontation ,ill
lead+
nothing
is %et decided and the suspense
re/ains
total.
THE "OOT! O7 E#IB
>hronic.art: Fn recent years, your texts have
developed a nets central idea, the idea ofEvil and
more prrci ely absolute Evil. Ahat B, this absolute
EvilC 0Dhat does it representC 0Dhat is itsplace in
our society todayC
Jean Baudrillard: The notion o- Evil is al,a%s ver%
a/&iguous. I ,ould distinguish &et,een at least
t,o versions o- Evil. There is relative Evil+ ,hich
is Evil as it is generall% understood. This Evil onl%
e'ists in &alance ,ith Eood+ in eMuili&riu/ and
per/anent opposition ,ith Eood. But no, there
is also an a&solute Evil+ a depressive or catastrophic
version o- this relative Evil. There is no longer an%
sharing or antagonis/ here &et,een Eood and
Evil. This a&solute Evil co/es -ro/ an e'cess o-
Eood+ an unchec8ed proli-eration o- Eood+ o-
technological develop/ent+ o- in-inite progress+ o-
totalitarian /oralit%+ o- a radical ,ill to do good
,ithout opposition. This Eood turns into its
opposite+ a&solute Evil. Traditionall%+ relative Evil
,as onl% in oppositionL it did not have its o,n
essence or root and there-ore+ in particular+ it did
not have its o,n -inalit%. In contrast+ this a&solute
Evil has a -inalit%: as Eood+ it has an ideal -inalit%3
to do good3&ut this ideal -inalit% turns cata2
strophic+ and turns into a&solute Evil. It is an
a&solute+ irrepara&le+ ine'ora&le /ove/ent. @e
-ind here again the idea o- reversi&ilir%. Ordinaril%+
this is a d%na/ic vector+ &ut in this tautological
operation+ Eood turning catastrophic has severe
conseMuences. In our discourse+ Evil is 5ust a /as8
that ,e contrast ,ith the Eood that ,e are sup2
posed to de-end. The 8e% concept is the A'is o-
Evil.4 This a'is ,as discovered as a /alevolent
incantation+ and not onl% a /oral rite this ti/e. It
/a% even &e an o&scure a,areness o- the unhapp%
destin% o- the enterprise o- Eood. It is a t%pe o-
e'orcis/+ ,ith the -ore&oding that Eood is
doo/ed+ &ut also+ &e%ond this unconscious+ auto2
/atic and convulsive pro5ection+ it is a strateg%
consisting o- pro5ecting Evil ever%,here+ o&vious2
l% as a per-ect ali&i -or doing Eood. One positions
an A'is o- Evil ,here there is none. Eood is direc2
tive+ directionalL it has a -inalit% in principle and
there-ore constitutes an a'is. Evil is /ore o- a
paralla'. It is never directional+ and is not even
opposed to Eood. There is al,a%s so/e 8ind o-
diversion+
a deviation+ a curve. As Eood goes
straight
ahead+ Evil deviates. It is a deviance+ a
perversion. Cou never 8no, ,here Evil is going+ or
ho,. It cannot &e /astered. In al/ost
topological
ter/s+ it is /erel% a deviation. Onl% Eood
could
la% clai/ to &eing an a'is. But this a'is is
pro5ected
on
EvilL an i/aginar% A'is o- Evil is created
to
5usti-% the A'is o- Eood. This is a strategic /is2
ta8e. @hen %ou tr% to target Evil in its
un7inda&le a'is+ ,hen %ou -ight it /ilitaril%+
,ith a -rontal attac8+ %ou can onl% /iss it.
@ecause
this /xi, 2fE:il B, ithin the order of dis(
course. ;t only exists in the months of AE+,tern
leader,
and serves as self(legitimi*ation. the ones
ho speal=
i=tb&tit
th6 /xi, ofEvil need to shorn that
they icon==for %ood and for everyones happi# 5,, in
order to exist. 7o individualfights in the name
ofEvil.
O- course. To a certain e'tent+ the i/putation
o-
Evil
al,a%s co/es -ro/ the EOOd+ -ro/ the sanc2
tuar%
that+ in principle+ houses the rules o- the
ga/e+ the la,+ the truth. But Evil is inde-ina&le+
and
therein lies its po,er. Cet through a t,isting
or
retaliation o- Evil against Eood+ those ,ho de-end
EOOd -eel the/selves o&liged to de-ine this
inde2
-ina&le Evil. It is not a 0anichean position3I
pre-er
0anichaeis/3 &ecause
Eood and Evil are not
pla%ing
the sa/e ga/e. On the one side+ there is
the Eood+ ,hich has sole clai/ to the truth e--ect+
the realit% e--ect. On the other+ Evil causes a crac8
in this identi-ication+ ,hich disrupts the auto/atic
,riting o- the ,orld &% Eood. In the na/e o-
Eood+ people tr% to give shape to Evil+ -or
e'a/ple in the terroris/ that the% see ever%,here.
In the discourse o- Eood+ terroris/ and Evil
&eco/e one and the sa/e thing+ to such an e'tent
that nature+ 5ust li8e -unda/entalis/+ can &e seen
as a terrorist. Terror ta8es shape. But it is the shape
o- a delusion. The era o- terror is not the irruption
o- an Evil that ,as ,aiting -or its ti/e to co/e. I
/a% &e naive or c%nical+ &ut D do not see Evil as an
identi-ia&le a'is e/&odied &% /en or
organiAations to &e -ought+ &ut as an
irrepressi&le drive -or revenge on the e'cesses
o- Eood. It is a ,ild and deviant revenge against
an unaccepta&le state o- things+ vengeance+ a
retaliation that e'ercises and e'presses a violent
necessit% -or re&alancing+ at least s%/&olicall%.
Can rue say that in order to eFB,t and develop,
these forces of %ood have tal=en so much poer, had
,<Ch an impact on the entire iuorld, created such
dise1ui( librium, that Evil appears, or explodes on
the planet li4e a time bombC
@e live in a virtuall% &analiAed+ neutraliAed ,orld
,here+ &ecause o- a 8ind o- preventive terror+
nothing can ta8e place an% longer. There-ore
ever%thing
that &rea8s through is an event. The de-inition o-
an
event is not re &e unpredicta&le &ut to &e pre2
destined. It is an irrepressi&le /ove/ent: at one
/o/ent+ it co/es out+ and ,e see the resurgence
o-
ever%thing that ,as plotted &% the Eood. It
/a8es a &rea8+ it creates an event. It can &e on the
order o- thought or o- histor%. It /a% ta8e place in
art. And+ o- course+ it assu/es the -or/ o- ,hat is
called terroris/. But+ again+ it is not a -rontal
opposition+ &ut /ore li8e a reversal in the heart o-
@OOd. The event co/es -ro/ Eood+ not -ro/ Evil+
and in it Eood turns into its opposite. B% ta8ing
the curvature o- Evil+ Eood is degradedL it deco/2
poses+ it sel-2destructs. Elo&al po,er+ the po,er o-
the @est3/ore than 5ust the $nited !tates+ ,hich
is its archet%pe3has no s%/&olic response to ter2
roris/ &ecause terroris/ ,agers its o,n death in
its acts o- suicidal destruction. Elo&al po,er can2
not respond to this desire -or death &% ,agering its
o,n death. It responds through ph%sical+ /ilitar%
e'ter/ination in the na/e o- Eood against the A'is
o- Evil. Elo&al po,er has no s%/&olic response
&ecause it consists o- a,eso/e s%/&olic po,er2
lessness. 7or a&out a centur%+ the @est has ,or8ed
at the degradation o- its o,n values+ eli/inating
and a&olishing the/. A&olishing ever%thing that
gives
value to so/ething+ so/eone or a culture.
!i/ulation and si/ulacra participate in this phe2
no/enon. This process o- a&5ection+ hu/iliation+
sha/e+ sel-3denial+ this -antastic /asMuerade has
&eco/e the strateg% o- the @est and is a/pli-ied &%
the $nited !tates. The @est+ having destro%ed
its
o,n values+ -inds itsel- &ac8 at the Aero degree o-
s%/&olic po,er+ and in a turna&out+ it ,ants to
i/pose the Aero degree on ever%one. It challenges
the rest o- the ,orld to annihilate itsel- s%/&olicall%
as ,ell. It de/ands that the rest o- the ,orld enter
into its ga/e+ participate in the generaliAed+
planetar% e'change and -all into its trap. Then an
e'traordinar% potlatch co/es into pla% &et,een
glo&al po,er and the po,ers opposing it+ &et,een
those ,ho ,ager their o,n death and those ,ho
cannot ,ager it &ecause the% no longer control it.
The ga/e does not end there. There is a /oral and
philosophical con-rontation+ al/ost a /etaph%sical
one+ &e%ond Eood and Evil. Isla/] The $nited
!tates? It doesn.t /atter? There is a con-rontation
&et,een t,o po,ers. It is an as%//etrical potlatch
&et,een terroris/ and glo&al po,er+ and each side
-ights ,ith its o,n ,eapons. Terroris/ ,agers
the
death o- terrorists+ ,hich is a gesture ,ith tre/en2
dous s%/&olic po,er and the @est responds ,ith
its co/plete po,erlessness. But this po,erlessness
is also a challenge. >hallenge versus challenge.
@hen people /a8e -un o- the carnival+ the /as2 ;
Muerade o- the elections in A/erica ever% -our %ears+
the% are &eing too hast%. In the na/e o- critical
thought+ o- ver% European+ ver% 7rench thought+
,e do a conte/ptuous anal%sis o- this 8ind o-
parod% and sel-2denial. But ,e are ,rong+ &ecause
the e/pire o- si/ulation+ o- si/ulacra+ o- parod%+
&ut also o- net,or8s+ constitutes the true glo&al
po,er. It is /ore -ounded on this than on
econo/ic control. The essential is in the
e'traordinar% trap set -or the rest o- the ,orld so
that ever%one goes to the Aero degree o- value+ a
trap that -ascinates the rest o- the ,orld.
In this light+ the stor% o- the Italian hostage in
IraM ,as a -ascinating one. @hen the Italian secret
services agent that -reed her -ro/ the terrorists ,as
8illed &% $! soldiers+ it ,as Eood assassinating
Eood+ Eood doing Evil in the na/e o- Eood. It
,as a total con-usion o- the t,o+ ,here ,e could
see ho, the E/pire o- Eood is also an E/pire o-
Evil+ &ecause it sel-2destructs. !uch is the -atal
destin% and the curse o- the E/pire o- Eood ,hen
it ,ants to -inish its ,or8. This stor% ,as a
concrete e'a/ple+ and a ver% enlightening one. @e
8no, that ever%2 thing that reaches its a&solute end
is reversed. That is e'actl% ,hat happened. The
A/erican soldiers -inished the ,or8. Toda%+ there
are /an% stories li8e that one+ and ,e could
co/pile a &lac8 &oo8 ,ith all o- these reversals o-
things.
$inding Evil on your oiun ,idE+ because it is no
longer identifiable elsehere, Bs that the ultimate
stage of ielf(deitru tiGnC
I o-ten spea8 o- canni&aliAation4: po,er canni2
&aliAes itsel- in the sense that it devours itsel-. I
also thin8 o- it in ter/s o- canni&aliAing4 a car or
selling it -or spare parts. The car cannot &e used as
a car+ &ut %ou can do so/ething ,ith the parts. A
culture can &e canni&aliAed in the sa/e ,a%+ ,ith
the negotiation and sale o- its values as spare parts.
But the ,hole ,ill never ,or8 again.
The attraction of the empire of simulation, the
orlds dE,B 5e to live in such a mas1uerade, the
aspi( ration for the void but also the empires mill to
extend it, d&main over the entire planet, are they the
neiu forms ofdominationC
@e /ust distinguish &et,een do/ination and
hege/on%. $ntil no,+ ,e ,ere dealing ,ith do/i2
nation+ a /asterFslave relationship+ a s%/&olic one
i- %ou li8e+ a dual relationship ,ith the possi&ilit%
o- e'plosion+ revolution+ alienation and disalien2
ation. This do/ination has /ade ,a% -or
hege/on%+ ,hich is so/ething else altogether.
There is no longer a dual relationship. Ever%one is
an acco/2 plice. And hege/on% uses this
co/plicit% to lo,er individuals even /ore+ pla%ing
on ever%one.s desire to lo,er the/selves in this
,a%. Hege/on% ,or8s &% devaluing ever%one.
There are no longer do/i2 nants and do/inated+
&ut a 8ind o- total anne'ation 9,ith (( net,or8s:.
Ever%one is caught up in the
net,or8 and su&/its to this hege/on%. @ho
&ene-its? @e can no longer calculate in ter/s o-
&ene-its -or one po,er or another. @e can no
longer
go &ac8 in histor% to -ind out ,ho is
responsi&le
-or the do/ination. @e are &oth vic2
ti/s and acco/plices+ guilt% and not responsi&le.
Hege/on% is ,ithin us. It is the ne't phase o-
do/ination. I thin8 it is ,orse+ &ecause hege/on%
&rings do/ination+ and there-ore alienation+ to an
end. @e are no longer alienatedL alienation is no
longer the pro&le/. And %et ,e su--er. @e have
-allen into an irreversi&le vertigoL ,e are dra,n to
the &lac8 hole. @e can sense the strateg% &ut there
is no one &ehind it. The &lac8 hole is ,hat I call
integral realit%. And this integral realit%+ the signa2
ture o- this ne, hege/on%+ is -rightening &ecause
,e cannot resist it. I- ,e ,ant to resist hege/on%
and escape it using the /eans ,e once used
against do/ination 9revolt+ critical thought+
negative thought+ etc.:+ there is no hope.
;n a text published earlier this year in Bi&Vration
H.Iebonds, > $ebruary BD, 9&& i) you mention the
<olocaust
and the tsunami as ne examples of thi,
Evil that the force, of %22d mti,t ,tigmati*e as Evil
in order ta exist. ;s this part of the same logirC
T&e
tsuna#i and t&e rea-tions it
eli-ited
t&rou'&out t&e 0orld 0ere t&e startin'
*oint +or
/% te'tL the Holocaust ca/e in later. The E/pire
o- Eood -ound a great opportunit% in the
Dece/&er ())6 tsuna/i to do good in the e%es
o- the ,orld+ to e'pand Eood and e'tend its
e/pire. In doing so+ it -ound Evil in a place
,here+ in principle+ according to rational thought+
it should not and should never &e: a natural dis2
aster. It /a% see/ li8e an archaic pro5ection to
thin8 that natural disasters are Evil+ although
-ro/ the point o- vie, o- the glo&al order+ it is
co/pletel% 5usti-ia&le to light the/ as a -or/ o-
terroris/. In this te't -or 3ib6ration, I said that
Eod hi/sel- had &eco/e a terrorist. othing can
no, &e seen outside o- this light.
/nd iuhat is the relationship to the <olocau,t C&7;(
memoration,C
The Holocaust connection is a little /ore co/2
plicated+ &ut it participates in the sa/e s%ndro/e.
The idea o- /a8ing the Holocaust into such an
a&solute re-erence point and no longer ta8ing it
as ,hat it is+ as a tragic historical event ,ith
antecedents and conseMuences+ a possi&ilit% o-
anal%sis. . . A-ter the *)th anniversar% in D==*+
the Y)th anniversar% o- the Holocaust ,as
co//e/o2 rated. Bet,een the t,o+ I noticed
disparities and a change o- perspective: all at
once+ this tragic event ,as trans-or/ed into a
/%tholog%. It had alread%
&egun+ &ut it &eca/e visi&le and glo&al at that
point. Ever%one ,as concerned+ including coun2
tries and cultures that had nothing to do ,ith it.
It ,as trul% the ela&oration o- an ali&i. 0oreover+
i- %ou do not assert that the Holocaust is the
a&solute cri/e+ %ou are i//ediatel% on the side
o- Evil. I 8no, ,hat I./ tal8ing a&out+ &ecause I
a/ not a stranger to this t%pe o- accusation. Ten
%ears ago+ no one ,as tr%ing to trans-or/ it
into a glo&al /%th &% /%thi-%ing and there-ore
/%sti-%ing it. This trans-or/ation o- event into
/%th evacuates the Muestion o- Evil all the /ore
in that it perpet2 uates the con-usion &et,een
Evil and /is-ortune Uli&el and malheurJ. The
Holocaust is Evil. Cet it is possi&le+ even desira&le+
to have an intelligence o- this Evil+ &ut not i- ,e
con-use the Holocaust and malheiir. I- ,e do+ it
can &e negotiated li8e an% value+ it &eco/es the
o&5ect o- pathos that is /uch stronger &ecause the
/is-ortune is a&solute. This /is-ortune is shared
and can onl% &e shared in its /ost pathetic -or/.
To &e happ% or unhapp% i/plies a pathetic
a--ect. Evil has nothing to do ,ith a--ect. It is
&e%ond /oralit%+ &e%ond 5udg/ent. To an
astounding degree+ the co//e/oration con2
-ronted us ,ith this pathetic i/age repla%4 o-
a&solute+ disconsolate /is-ortune. The pro&le/ is
that &% /a8ing a historical event into a&solute
/is-ortune+ there is no roo/ le-t to distance our2
selves and to gain an% intelligence o- Evil.
B, this thefir,t timEK that rue have seen the
mythifica( tion ofan eventC
o+ o- course not. There have &een operations li8e
this in ever% culture. But it so happens that our
culture is &ased precisel% on the /aster% o- these
operations+ and this is a dangerous relapse. @hen
so/eone li8e DieudonnV calls this co//e/ora2
tion /e/orial pornograph%+4 he is co/pletel%
right. But people /a8e it sound li8e he is sa%ing
that the Holocaust is pornographic+ and that
a/alga/ does not ,or8. But it is the a/alga/
/ade &% the /edia that is scandalous. I sa% the
sa/e thing+ in a di--erent ,a%. Is it /ore su&tle] I
don.t 8no,.
Especially since it is you, fean @audrillard, iuho is
,aying it.
Ces. But I did not get an% response -ro/ the arti2
cle that appeared in 3ib6ration. Ever%one sta%ed
Muiet. @hat should I do+ cause a scandal? That is
not /% st%le. It ,ould 5ust prolong a pointless
controvers%.
@ut there is something very poerful behind the
neiu in#th and the ab,&lute misfortune that are
ronf<,EKd iuith E<il. ;,<t thB, C&nfusion beteen the
tiuo intentionalC
@e are supposed to &e a&le to light /is-ortune+
and ,e even atte/pt to theoriAe it su&5ectivel%
toda%: ra/pant victi/alit% at ever% level and
recri/inations. @e are in /is-ortuneL ,e
ac8no,ledge it and enact it. The e'act sa/e
thing happens ,ith /is-ortune as ,ith @estern
culture enacting its o,n degradation. The
identit% re-le' is -ound in /is-ortune itsel-.
@hich &rings us &ac8 to hege/on%. In a
s%ste/ o- do/ination+ ,hen %ou are a slave or
even a salaried ,or8er+ %ou are in an% case on
the losing side+ &ut %ou e'ist as such and not as
a victi/. And that is ,h% %ou can go on stri8e
or revolt. In a hege/onic regi/e+ on the
contrar%+ ,e are not slaves &ut hostages. @e are
there-ore all victi/s+ all in /is2 -ortune. In
Eree8+ the ,ord hege/on4 signi-ies the person
,ho governs+ ,ho leadsL it is gover2 nance and
there-ore has the sa/e /eaning as c%&er+4
,hich et%/ologicall% /eans the art o-
piloting4 or governing.4 The era o- hege/on%
is the era o- the c%&er s%ste/. It governs+ it
regu2 lates+ &ut it does not do/inate. There are
no longer an% e'ploited or do/inated. There is
so/ething else+ so/.ething /uch harder to
over2 ta8e &% surprise. It is harder to critiMue as
,ell+ &ecause critical thought is devitaliAed in this
case. It is a&sor&ed+ li8e a victi/ conde/ned to
e'pressing hi/2 or hersel- in the void+ or to e/p2
t%ing hi/2 or hersel- o- all su&stance. There is
the
i/pression that Histor% is no longer driven &%
develop/ent &ut &% an indeter/inate and
uncontrolla&le gro,th. An invasion has ta8en
place. It is li8e a tur&o: it is a tur&o2s%ste/ dra,n
&% the vacuu/ that it creates &e-ore it. !o/ething
reall% happened in the last -ive or ten %ears+
&et,een the t,o co//e/orations o- the
Holocaust. !epte/&er DD occurred and started a
/utation. ot in ter/s o- political+ econo/ic or
strategic conseMuences+ &ut there ,as a phase
inversion in the s%ste/. !epte/&er DD ,as a pre2
destined event. It ,ould not have had the sa/e
resonance i- it had not concretiAed or s%/&olicall%
/aterialiAed so/ething that had &een real -or a
long ti/e: this loss o- value in a sel-2devouring+
canni&alistic culture. o one realiAed it+ it could
have gone on inde-initel%+ &ut then+ suddenl%+ the
i/age -roAe. Inside this disintegrating po,er+ at
least virtuall% threatened &% itsel-+ so/ething ,as
violentl% /aterialiAed &e-ore the e%es o- the entire
,orld. This is the ver% de-inition o- an event:
,hen an illegi&le+ long2running process &eco/es
legi&le at a given /o/ent &% the -orce o- an
unprecedented act.
Lou mention clones several times in >ool 0e/ories
:. Ahat does this figure represent in the Empire of
%ood as you describe itC
>lones are the possi&ilit% o- perpetuating the
species arti-iciall%. The Muestion is ,hether ,e
attach a strong s%/&olic value to the hu/an species
as such. I- so+ then clones are deviant+ perverted.
The% negate the s%/&olic di/ension o- a species
that i/plies the disappearance o- each individual to
continue to evolve. But here+ people are see8ing
i//ortalit%. The% do not ,ant to disappearL the%
,ant to /a8e the disappearance disappear? @hat
the% do not ,ant to see+ ho,ever+ is that this desire
-or cloning is 5ust another ,a% o- disappearing+ and
a sha/e-ul one. It is a technological disappearance
into arti-icial survival+ corresponding to the eli/i2
nation o- the hu/an as hu/an. And this process o-
disappearance has alread% &egun.
Does this objective bother you morallyC
Ethicall%+ I a/ against it. But I a/ against ethical
positions in general. Bet us sa% that I oppose it in
s%/&olic ter/s.
$or you, clones, lil=e integral realit)i, are an image of
the absolute perfection that isj'5e,ented &, &
d6,B5ible perfection, iuhile they are only something
el,E+, lil=e an acceptable namefor the death of the
species.
I- %ou atte/pt to &ring an end to se'ualit% and
death+ ,hat rules are %ou contravening] Ba,s+
the% do not interest /e+ &ut s%/&olic rules] @hat
happens i- %ou eli/inate the truth that all singu2
larities i/pl% their o,n disappearance? Cou
appear+ %ou disappear. I- %ou eli/inate disappear2
ance+ there is no /ore singularit%. And that see/s
"eading the
te't+ I -ound it -unn% to see
ho, ,e
/a% &e
deteriorating+ passing -ro/ the ani/al
to
the plant
stage+ and Eod 8no,s ,here it
,ill end.
@h% plants
a-ter all? It could &e ver%
good+ -or
&etter or ,orse. I ad/ire
trees. I a/ not praising
to &e the onl% thing that can resist+ that cannot &e the plant stage+ &ut
there is an anthropological
reduced to the integral+ total+ totalitarian hold o-
insur/ounta&le realit% @ith clones+ this
singularit% e'plodes. Cou could call it progressL it
all depends on the point o- vie,. >lones are 5ust
one e'a/ple a/ong others. I also include the
ordination+4 co/puteriAation4 and digitaliAation
o- the ,orld in this process.
/rtificial intelligence as ellC
Ces. I ,as recentl% reading a praise o- plants and
vegetation that o--ered a surprising point o- vie,:
,hat distinguishes ani/als -ro/ plants is se'ualit%
and death+ &ecause plants are i//ortal in a cer2
tain ,a% due to their /ethod o- reproduction &%
scissiparit%. In our advanced+ scienti-ic and tech2
nological culture+ ,e are ta8ing the path o-
plants. @e are &eco/ing vegetal. $sing our tech2
nolog%+ ,e are tr%ing to neutraliAe se'ualit%
9including &% generaliAing it: and neutraliAe
death. @e are entering the s%ste/ o- unli/ited
/etastasis o- the plant. et,or8s+ the Internet
and all o- these things are unli/ited /etastasis?
/utation i-
not an ontological one.
@here are
Eood
and Evil in this conte't] The
Muestion o-
Eood and
Evil is not as8ed here. There is
a /uta2
tion+ that
/uch is clear. The right
Muestion is
there-ore:
ho, -ar ,ill ,e go] @ill ,e go &ac8 to
the al/ost
inorganic state o- the protoAoa?
This
can alread%
&e -ound in 7reud ,ith the death
drive. Is
that ,hat is involved here? Or is
there a
propulsive
/o/entu/ leading us to another
-or/ o-
disappearance+ &ecause in an%
case ,e
,ill
disappear] But ,e ,ill disappear in a 8ind o-
illu/ination and not s%/&olicall%.
Lou say that
artificial intelligence is both the
death
of
ur3at e
reject in the machine, both
intelligence
and
consciousnessC
Arti-icial
intelligence is the reign o-
hege/on%.
The &rain
has &eco/e the &iological
version o-
hege/on%L
ever%thing is su&ordinated to the
&rain+ as
the i/age o- order+ o- the
co/puter.
Ever%thing
is governed+ c%&ernetiAed+
&rought
ba-, to
t&e
orderin' *o0er o+ t&e
brain)
Ever%thing else+ th>:
&od%+ is le-t aside. Other
cul2
tures disdained the
&rain.
7or the Eree8s+ it
did
not even e'istL it ,as
useless
(is-era) Hor us.
t&e
&rain rules ,ith a -or/
o- digital+ &inar%
intelli2
'en-e in t&is -ase t&at is
not at all the
sa/e
thing.
As +or
-ons-iousnes
s.
0&at
place
,ould it have in
this
digital universe? It
is a -or/
o- intelligence+
&ut
it does not thin8+
as
Heide''er
0ould say. it
re/ains internal to integral realit%. Kerhaps there
are so/e ,ho can penetrate the crac8s in this
c%&ernetic universe] I /ust sa% that I do not 8no,
the internal rules o- the ga/e -or this ,orld+ and I
do not have the /eans to pla% it. This is not a
philosophical or /oral disavo,al or pre5udice on
/% part. It is 5ust that I a/ situated so/e,here
else and I cannot do other,ise. 7ro/ the outside+ I
can see that ever%thing ,or8s and that the
/achine
calculates. It is a positi#V intelli'en-e) T&e
ne'a/
allo,s ever%thing to -unction. Bet us allo, that
tive
is co/pletel% lV-t Ollt
a'ain) T&ere is no
0or,
o- the negative here.
;n the
cybernetic
u
niverse
u+here everything i, calcu(
table, cant Evil in the senie ef
disorder
a
integral reallt)j 2f
lend that hat hac4ers
s%ste/ to proceed nor/all%3or a&nor/all%3
until it runs its courseL let us leave to the /achine
,hat &elongs to the /achine ,ithout tr%ing to
hu/aniAe it or /a8e it an anthropoid o&5ect. 7or
/e+ I ,ill al,a%s have an e/pt%+ per-ectl% non2
-unctional and there-ore -ree space ,here I can
e'press /% thoughts. Once the /achine has
e'hausted all o- its -unctions+ I slip into ,hat is
Accidents are invol#ed+
certainl%
.
Kaul #irilio
le-t+ ,ithout tr%ing to 5udge or conde/n it.
s*ea,s
o+ t&is #u-& better
t&an I
-an) But
0&at I
a#
sayin' is o+ anot&er order8
it is
un*redi-tab
le) It
is po,er
turning against
itsel-.
It is not ne-essarily
the
apocal%pse &ut it is a
disaster
in t&= S6TH5se o+ a
-or/
/ade
irrepressi&l
e regardless
o+ t&e 0ill o+ t&e
actors
and their negative actions
or sa&ota'e)
6ertainly.
#any ne'ati(e t&in's -an
&a**en to t&e
s%ste/+ &ut it
,ill
al,a%s &e an o&5ective
or
obCe-/
taD negativit% related tO
the
technolog% itsel-+ not a
Judg/ent is -oreign to the radicalit% o- thought.
This thin8ing has nothing scienti-ic+ anal%tic or
even critical a&out it+ since those aspects are no,
all regulated &% /achines. And /a%&e a ne, space
3 ti/e do/ain -or thought is no, opening?
s%/&olic irruption. I
a/
a-raid that this ga/e
semiotext(e) intervention series
O 1: Te !nvisible "ommittee: Te "oming !nsurrection
O #: "risti$n %$r$&&i: Te 'iolence of (in$nci$l "$)it$lism
O *: +uy ,oc-uengem: Te Screwb$ll Asses
O .: Ti--un: !ntro/uction to "ivil 0$r
O 1: +er$l/ 2$unig: A Tous$n/ %$cines
O 6: 3e$n 4$u/rill$r/: Te Agony of Power
Ko,er itsel- /ust &e a&olished3and not solel%
&ecause o- a re-usal to &e do/inated+ ,hich is at
the heart o- all traditional struggles3&ut also+ 5ust
as violentl%+ in the re-usal to do/inate.
Intelligence cannor+ can never &e in po,er &ecause
intelligence consists o- this dou&le re-usal.
Semiotext(e) 5
/istribute/ by Te %!T Press
!S4671*: 89:7171:.*17;8#7