Faculty

Paul Virilio

Professor of Philosophy at The European Graduate School / EGS.

Biography

Paul Virilio (b. 1932) is a philosopher, urbanist, and cultural theorist. He was trained as an artist at the Ecole des Metiers d’Art, which led him to an early career working with Henri-Emile-Benoît Matisse on stained glass windows in several Paris churches. Virilio later attended lectures in phenomenology by Maurice Merleau-Ponty at the Sorbonne as well as studied architecture there. He converted to Christianity in 1950 and fought in the Algerian War. Though he was not formally trained as one, Paul Virilio became an architect, and much of his work revolves around questions of architecture and urban spaces. His work is influenced by phenomenology, in particular the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Martin Heidegger, and Edmund Husserl. Two other evident influences on his work are the Italian futurist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and Albert Einstein.

In 1963, Paul Virilio became the president and editor of the Architecture Principe Group magazine. He was a teacher at the École Speciale de Architecture until 1968, becoming director of studies in 1973. That same year, he became the director of the magazine L’Espace Critique, published by Galilee, from Paris. In 1975, he co-organised the Bunker Archeologie exhibition at the Decorative Arts Museum of Paris and was made the general director of the ÉSA—becoming chairman of the board in 1989. In 1987, he won the Grand National Prize for Architecture Critique. In 1989, he became the director of the program of studies at the College International de Philosophie de Paris, under the direction of Jacques Derrida. Then in 1992, he became a member of the High Committee for the Housing of the Disadvantaged. Among other projects, he is presently working on metropolitan techniques of time organization and the building of the first Museum of the Accident. Since 1998, Paul Virilio has been retired from teaching; he currently devotes much of his time to writing projects and to an effort underway in Paris which provides housing for homeless people through private organizations.

“Velocity” is the key word of Paul Virilio’s thinking—the post-modern treasure, and the modern society capital. Reality is no longer defined by time and space but by a virtual world in which technology allows the existence of the paradox of being everywhere at the same time while being nowhere at all. The loss of the site, city, and nation in favor of globalization implies also the loss of rights and of democracy, as these are contrary to the immediate and instantaneous nature of information. In Paul Virilio’s view, Marshall McLuhan’s global village is nothing but a “World Ghetto.”

The Strategy of Deception (2000) is a collection of essays which discuss the various technological innovations on display during the war in Kosovo, as well as the shift in sensibilities that both flows from and brings about such innovations. By examining the role of information technologies—and the goal of “global information dominance”—Paul Virilio asks the reader to consider the qualities of what was billed as a “humanitarian war.” Rather than looking at the media’s image of the war as a heroic and tidy event, with few Allied casualties, Paul Virilio digs into the ethical issues surrounding what he calls a “secular holy war”:

“For want of being able to abolish the bomb, we have decided, then, to abolish the state, a nation state which is now charged with “sovereignist” vices and “nationalist” crimes, thereby exonerating a military-industrial and scientific complex which has spent a whole century innovating in horror and accumulating the most terrifying weapons, not to mention the future ravages of the information bomb or of a genetic bomb that will be capable not merely of abolishing the nation state, but the people, the population, by the “genomic” modification of the human race” (Strategy of Deception 57).

Paul Virilio’s critique looks beyond traditional weapons of war to interrogate the way that new technologies are being implemented to the same effect. He moves from missile to satellite, charting the effects of the assault rather than the appearance: “In both cases, what one is seeking to eliminate is only life, the opponents energetic vitality” (Strategy of Deception 52). He thus moves from nuclear war to information war. Paul Virilio recontextualizes globalized warfare, which is now fought—at the speed of light—through telecommunications, propaganda, and social controls, and perhaps, supplemented by traditional means. The ultimate triumph of such a war (of any war, really) is an immobilization of the populace and/or an annihilation of the government—with or without bombs.

The interrelations in Paul Virilio’s work between theory and practice extend in multiple directions, crossing the nexus of the postmodern metropolis. A central component of his work is Gestalt psychology, which influenced several of his architectural projects, such as the Thompson-Houston Aerospace Research Center (Villacoublay, 1969), as well as his concept of “oblique function.” In pushing beyond the early foundation for his work—Gestalt psychology and phenomenology—Paul Virilio came in his later works to develop his concept of “chronopolitics,” in part via the work of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari on the ‘deterritorialization’ of the late-capitalist metropolis.

The latest works by Paul Virilio focus on technoscientific questions regarding the relation between humans and technology, which he has elaborated into concepts such as “transplant revolution,” “the third,” and “polar inertia.” The influence of the technoscientific writings of physicist Albert Einstein can be seen in the concept of polar inertia. His book Polar Inertia (2000) explores the ways in which real space has been supplanted by real time due to the advances of electro-optical transmission technology. The speed of light has been realized as a technological reality in the post-industrial age, thereby obliterating spatial distances and reducing human perception to a kind of polar inertia. According to Paul Virilio, Howard Hughes in his state of isolation is the archetype of polar inertia.

Although guided by the work of poststructuralist thinkers, such as Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, and Félix Guattari, Paul Virilio is a practicing Christian and therefore does not share the anti-humanist positions of these thinkers. In spite of this, Paul Virilio has thought in some depth about questions of the post-human, in particular his concept of “the third” or “the transplant revolution,” in which the human body under the gaze of technoscience is becoming endo-colonized.

Paul Virilio is the author of dozens of books, many of which have now been translated into English: Speed and Politics: An Essay on Dromology (1977); War and Cinema: The Logistics of Perception (1989); Popular Defense and Ecological Struggles (1990); Lost Dimension (1991); The Aesthetics of Disappearance (1991); Bunker Archaeology (1994); The Vision Machine (1994); The Art of the Motor (1995); Pure War (1997); Open Sky (1997); Polar Inertia (1999); Politics of the Very Worst (1999); Strategy of Deception (2000); The Information Bomb (2000); A Landscape of Events (2000); Virilio Live: Selected Interviews (2001); Crepuscular Dawn (2002); Desert Screen: War at the Speed of Light (2002); Ground Zero (2002); Unknown Quantity (2003); Art and Fear (2003); Negative Horizon: An Essay in Dromoscopy (2005); The Accident of Art (2005); City of Panic (2005); The Original Accident (2007); and Art as Far as the Eye Can See (2007).

Works

Books

Terre Natale: Ailleurs Commence Ici, Virilio, Paul, Raymond Depardon, Diller Scofidio, and Mark Hansen. Terre Natale: Ailleurs Commence Ici. Actes Sud, 2010. ISBN: 2742789057

Nevers: Architecture principe, Claude Parent, Paul Virilio, Virilio, Paul. Nevers: Architecture principe, Claude Parent, Paul Virilio. Edited by Frédéric Migayrou. FHYX, 2010. ISBN: 2910385620

The Futurism of the Instant, Virilio, Paul. The Futurism of the Instant. Polity, 2010. ISBN: 0745648630

Der Futurismus des Augenblicks, Virilio, Paul. Der Futurismus des Augenblicks. Translated by Paul Maercker. Edited by Peter Engelmann. Passagen, 2010. ISBN: 3851659325

Grey Ecology, Virilio, Paul. Grey Ecology. Translated by Drew Burk. Edited by Hubertus von Amelunxen. Atropos Press, 2009. ISBN: 0981946275

Transgression Transfiguration, Virilio, Paul. Transgression Transfiguration. Une & l’autre, 2009. ISBN: 2357290161

Native Lands, Virilio, Paul, and Raymond Depardon. Native Lands. Thames & Hudson, 2009. ISBN: 0500976880

University of Disaster, Virilio, Paul. University of Disaster. Polity, 2009. ISBN: 0745645046

Le Futurisme de l’Instant: Stop-Eject, Virilio, Paul. Le Futurisme de l’Instant: Stop-Eject. Galilée, 2009. ISBN: 2718607882

Raymond Depardon: Manhattan Out, Virilio, Paul, and Raymond Depardon. Raymond Depardon: Manhattan Out. Steidl Photography International, 2009. ISBN: 3865217044

Cyberwelt: Politik des Fatalen, Virilio, Paul. Cyberwelt: Politik des Fatalen. Translated by Alexandre Plank and Elisa Barth. Merve, 2009. ISBN: 3883962686

Der Eigentliche Unfall, Virilio, Paul. Der Eigentliche Unfall. Translated by Paul Maercker. Edited by Peter Engelmann. Passagen, 2009. ISBN: 3851658744

Manhattan Out, Virilio, Paul, and Raymond Depardon. Manhattan Out. Steidl, 2008. ISBN: 3865217702

Prędkość i Polityka, Virilio, Paul. Prędkość i Polityka. Translated by Sławomir Królak. Wydawnictwo Sic! 2008. ISBN: 8360457506

L’Université du Désastre, Virilio, Paul. L’Université du Désastre. Galilée, 2007. ISBN: 271860722X

Art as Far as the Eye Can See, Virilio, Paul. Art as Far as the Eye Can See. Translated by Julie Rose. Berg, 2007. ISBN: 1845206118

The Original Accident, Virilio, Paul. The Original Accident. Translated by Julie Rose. Polity, 2007. ISBN: 0745636144

Panische Stadt, Virilio, Paul. Panische Stadt. Translated by Maximilian Probst. Edited by Peter Engelmann. Passagen, 2007. ISBN: 3851658213

City of Panic, Virilio, Paul. City of Panic. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. ISBN: 1845203585

Die Verblendung der Kunst, Virilio, Paul. Die Verblendung der Kunst. Translated by Maximilian Probst. Edited by Peter Engelmann. Passagen, 2007. ISBN: 3851658205

Strategy of Deception, Virilio, Paul. Strategy of Deception. Verso, 2007. ISBN: 9781844675784.

Válka a Film: Logistika Vnímání, Virilio, Paul. Válka a Film: Logistika Vnímání. Pavel Mervart, 2007. ISBN: 8086818381

Die Universität des Desasters, Virilio, Paul. Die Universität des Desasters. Translated by Paul Maercker. Edited by Peter Engelmann. Passagen, 2006. ISBN: 3851658671

המרחב הביקורתי/ ha-Merḥav ha-biḳorti, Virilio, Paul. המרחב הביקורתי / ha-Merḥav ha-biḳorti. Translated by Orit Rozen. Resling. 2006.

Urban Toys, Virilio, Paul, Nadim Karam, and Atelier Hapsitus. Urban Toys. Edited by Kaya Mussack. Booth-Clibborn, 2006. ISBN: 1861542917

Art and Fear, Virilio, Paul. Art and Fear. Translated by Julie Rose. Continuum, 2006. ISBN: 0826487963

Negative Horizon: An Essay in Dromoscopy, Virilio, Paul. Negative Horizon: An Essay in Dromoscopy. Translated by Michael Degener. Continuum, 2006. ISBN: 0826489559

アクシデント: 事故と文明 / Akushidento: jiko to bunmei, Virilio, Paul. アクシデント : 事故と文明 / Akushidento: jiko to bunmei. Translated by Masami Kobayashi. Seidosha, 2006. ISBN: 4791762452

The Accident of Art, Virilio, Pau,l and Sylvère Lotringer. The Accident of Art. Semiotext(e), 2005. ISBN: 1584350202

L’Art à Perte de Vue, Virilio, Paul. L’Art à Perte de Vue. Galilée, 2005. ISBN: 2718606878

Lo que viene, Virilio, Paul. Lo Que Viene. Translated by Miguel Lancho. Arena Libros, 2005. ISBN: 8495897318

The Information Bomb, Virilio, Paul. The Information Bomb. Translated by Chris Turner. Verso, 2005. ISBN: 1844670597

El cibermundo, la Política de lo Peor: Entrevista con Philippe Petit, Virilio, Paul. El cibermundo, la Política de lo Peor: Entrevista con Philippe Petit. Translated by Mónica Poole. Cátedra, 2005. ISBN: 8437615747

Desert Screen: War at the Speed of Light, Virilio, Paul. Desert Screen: War at the Speed of Light. Translated by Michael Degener. Continuum, 2005. ISBN: 0826479340

L’Accident Originel, Virilio, Paul. L’Accident Originel. Galilée, 2005. ISBN: 2718606592

Kelvin 40, Virilio, Paul. Kelvin 40. Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, 2004. ISBN: 2742747052

The Paul Virilio Reader, Virilio, Paul. The Paul Virilio Reader. Edited by Steve Redhead. Columbia University Press, 2004. ISBN: 0231134835

欺矇的戰略 / Qi meng de zhan lüe, Virilio, Paul. 欺矇的戰略 / Qi meng de zhan lüe. Mai tian chu ban, 2004. ISBN: 9867537629

解放的速度 / Jie fang de su du, Virilio, Paul. 解放的速度 / Jie fang de su du. Jiangsu ren min chu ban she, 2004. ISBN: 7214033887

Colour Memory and Other Informal Shadows: Olafur Eliasson, Virilio, Paul. Colour Memory and Other Informal Shadows: Olafur Eliasson. Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, 2004. ISBN: 8291430381

Unknown Quantity, Virilio, Paul. Unknown Quantity. Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporian, 2003. ISBN: 0500976252

Ville Panique: Ailleurs Commence Ici, Virilio, Paul. Ville Panique: Ailleurs Commence Ici. Galilée, 2003. ISBN: 271860591X

ネガティヴ・ホライズン: 速度と知覚の変容 / Negativu horaizun: sokudo to chikaku no henyō, Virilio, Paul. ネガティヴ・ホライズン : 速度と知覚の変容 / Negativu horaizun : sokudo to chikaku no henyō. Translated by Takahiro Maruoka. Sangyōtosho, 2003. ISBN: 4782801505

Amanecer Crepuscular, Virilio, Paul, and Sylvere Lotringer. Amanecer crepuscular. Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2003. ISBN: 9505575904

Estética de la Desaparición, Virilio, Paul. Estética de la Desaparición. Translated by Noni Benegas. Anagrama, 2003. ISBN: 8433400924

Enformasyon Bombası, Virilio, Paul. Enformasyon Bombası. Translated by Kaya Şahin. Metis, 2003. ISBN: 9753424132

瞬間の君臨 : リアルタイム世界の構造と人間社会の行方 / Shunkan no kunrin: riarutaimu sekai no kōzō to ningen shakai no yukue, Virilio, Paul. 瞬間の君臨 : リアルタイム世界の構造と人間社会の行方 / Shunkan no kunrin : riarutaimu sekai no kōzō to ningen shakai no yukue. Translated by Susumu Tsuchiya. Shinhyōron, 2003. ISBN: 4794805985

Ce qui arrive, Virilio, Paul. Ce Qui Arrive. Galilée, 2002. ISBN: 2718605693

Ground Zero, Virilio, Paul. Ground Zero. Translated by Chris Turner. Verso, 2002. ISBN: 1859844162

Crepuscular Dawn, Virilio, Paul, and Sylvere Lotringer. Crepuscular Dawn. Semiotext(e), 2002. ISBN: 158435013X

Virilio Live: Selected Interviews, Virilio, Paul. Virilio Live: Selected Interviews. Translated by John Amritage. SAGE, 2001. ISBN: 0761968598

Die Kunst des Schreckens, Virilio, Paul. Die Kunst des Schreckens. Translated by Bernd Wilczek. Merve, 2001. ISBN: 388396171X

消失的美學 /Xiao shi de mei xue, Virilio, Paul. 消失的美學 /Xiao shi de mei xue. Yang zhi wen hua shi ye gu fen you xian gong si. 2001. ISBN: 957818302X

Polar Inertia, Virilio, Paul. Polar Inertia. Translated by Patrik Camiller. SAGE, 2000. ISBN: 0761958037

Architecture Principe, 1966 und 1996, Virilio, Paul. Architecture Principe, 1966 und 1996. Translated by Claude Parent. Dölling & Galitz, 2000. ISBN: 2910735222

Information und Apokalypse, Virilio, Paul. Information und Apokalypse. Translated by Bernd Wilczek. Carl Hanser, 2000. ISBN: 3446198601

La Procedure Silence, Virilio, Paul. La Procedure Silence. Galilée, 2000. ISBN: 2718605227

Chambres précaires, Virilio, Paul, and Jacqueline Salmon. Chambres précaires. Translated by Bernd Schulz. Kehrer, 2000. ISBN: 3933257352

A Landscape of Events, Virilio, Paul. A Landscape of Events. Translated by Julie Rose. Introduction by Bernard Tschumi. MIT Press, 2000. ISBN: 0262720345

Information und Apokalypse / Die Strategie der Täuschung, Virilio, Paul. Information und Apokalypse / Die Strategie der Täuschung. Translated by Bernd Wilczek. Carl Hanser, 2000. ISBN: 3446198601

Dialektische Lektionen: Vier Gespräche, Virilio, Paul. Dialektische Lektionen: Vier Gespräche. Translated by Marianne Brausch. Hatje Cantz, 1999. ISBN: 3775706291

Stratégie de la Déception, Virilio, Paul. Stratégie de la Déception. Galilée, 1999. ISBN: 2718605243

Politics of the Very Worst: An Interview by Philippe Petit, Virilio, Paul. Politics of the Very Worst: An Interview by Philippe Petit. Translated by Michael Cavaliere. Edited by Sylvere Lotringer. Semiotext(e), 1999. ISBN: 1570270848

The Virilio Reader, Virilio, Paul. The Virilio Reader. Translated by Patrick Camiller. Edited by James Der Derian. Blackwell Publishers, 1998. ISBN: 155786652X

La Bombe Informatique, Virilio, Paul. La Bombe Informatique. Galilée, 1998. ISBN: 2718605073

Ereignislandschaft, Virilio, Paul. Ereignislandschaft. Translated by Bernd Wilczek. Carl Hanser, 1998. ISBN: 3446193006

Un Paysage d’Evénements, Virilio, Paul. Un Paysage d’Evénements. Galilée, 1997. ISBN: 2718604794

Pure War, Virilio, Paul, and Sylvère Lotringer. Pure War. Translated by Mark Polizotti. Semiotext(e), 1997. ISBN: 1570270783

Open Sky, Virilio, Paul. Open Sky. Translated by Julie Rose. Verso, 1997. ISBN: 185984880X

The Art of the Motor, Virilio, Paul. The Art of the Motor. Translated by Julie Rose. University of Minnesota Press, 1996. ISBN: 0816625719

Cybermonde, la Politique du Pire: Entretien avec Philippe Petit, Virilio, Paul. Cybermonde, la Politique du Pire: Entretien avec Philippe Petit. Textuel, 1996. ISBN: 2909317218

Architecture principe, 1966 et 1996, Virilio, Paul. Architecture principe, 1966 et 1996. Translated by Claude Parent. Editions de l’Imprimeur, 1996. ISBN: 1889629049

La Vitesse de Libération, Virilio, Paul. La Vitesse de Libération. Galilée, 1995. ISBN: 2718604581

The Vision Machine, Virilio, Paul. The Vision Machine. Indiana University Press, 1994. ISBN: 0253209013

Katoamisen Estetiikka, Virilio Paul. Katoamisen Estetiikka. Translated by Mika Määttänen. Gaudeamus, 1994. ISBN: 9516625851

Die Eroberung des Körpers, Virilio, Paul. Die Eroberung des Körpers. Translated by Bernd Wilczek. Carl Hanser, 1994. ASIN: B001T1Z8PG

Revolutionen der Geschwindigkeit, Virilio, Paul. Revolutionen der Geschwindigkeit. Translated by Marianne Karbe. Merve, 1993. ISBN: 3883961086

Krieg und Fernsehen, Virilio, Paul. Krieg und Fernsehen. Translated by Bernd Wilczek. Carl Hanser, 1993. ISBN: 3446172521

L’Art du Moteur, Virilio, Paul. L’Art du Moteur. Galilée, 1993. ISBN: 2718604263

O Espaço Crítico, Virilio, Paul. O Espaço Crítico. Translated by Paulo Roberto Pires. Editora 34, 1993. ISBN: 8585490160

Krieg und Kino: Logistik der Wahrnehmung, Virilio, Paul. Krieg und Kino: Logistik der Wahrnehmung. Translated by Enno Patalas and Frieda Grafe. Hanser, 1992. ISBN: 3446145109

Das irreale Monument: Der Einstein-Turm, Virilio, Paul. Das irreale Monument: Der Einstein-Turm. Translated by Hans-Horst Henschen. Merve, 1992. ISBN: 3883960918

Rasender Stillstand, Virilio, Paul. Rasender Stillstand. Translated by Bernd Wilczek. Hanser, 1992. ISBN: 3446162488

Bunker Archäologie, Virilio, Paul. Bunker Archäologie. Translated by Bernd Wilczek. Hanser, 1992. ISBN: 3446171622

The Aesthetics of Disappearance, Virilio, Paul. The Aesthetics of Disappearance. Translated by Philip Beichtman. Semiotext(e), 1991. ISBN: 1570270414

The Lost Dimension, Virilio, Paul. The Lost Dimension. Translated by Daniel Moshenberg. Semiotext(e), 1991. ISBN: 093675673X

Sehen Ohne zu Sehen, Virilio, Paul. Sehen Ohne zu Sehen. Bern, 1991. ISBN: 3716506621

L’Ecran du Désert, Virilio, Paul. L’Ecran du Désert. Galilée, 1991. ISBN: 2718603984

L’inertie polaire, Virilio, Paul. L’Inertie Polaire. Christian Bourgois, 1990. ISBN: 2267008874

Popular Defense and Ecological Struggles, Virilio, Paul. Popular Defense and Ecological Struggles. Translated by Mark Polizzotti. Semiotext(e), 1990. ISBN: 0936756055

Die Sehmaschine, Virilio, Paul. Die Sehmaschine. Translated by Ronald Voullié and Gabriele Ricke. Merve, 1989. ISBN: 3883960691

Der Negative Horizont, Virilio, Paul. Der negative Horizont. Translated by Brigitte Weidmann. Carl Hanser, 1989. ISBN: 3446150056

War and Cinema: The Logistics of Pereception, Virilio, Paul. War and Cinema: The Logistics of Pereception. Translated by Patrick Camiller. Semiotext (e), 1989. ISBN: 0860919285

La Machine de Vision, Virilio, Paul. La Machine de Vision. Galilée. 1988. ISBN: 2718603410

La Machina che Vede, Virilio, Paul. La Machina che Vede. Translated by Giancarlo Pavanello. Sugarco Editioni, 1988.

Speed & Politics, Virilio, Paul. Speed & Politics. Translated by Mark Polizzotti. Semiotext(e), 1986. ISBN: 0936756330

Ästhetik des Verschwindens, Virilio, Paul. Ästhetik des Verschwindens. Translated by Marianne Karbe and Gustav Roßler. Merve, 1986. ISBN: 3883960527

L’Espace Critique: Essai, Virilio, Paul. L’Espace Critique: Essai. C. Bourgois, 1984. ISBN: 2267003635

Guerre et Cinema I: Logistique de la Perception, Virilio, Paul. Guerre et Cinema I: Logistique de la Perception. Cahiers du Cinema Livres, 1984. ISBN: 2866420144

L’Horizon Négatif, Virilio, Paul. L’Horizon Négatif. Galilée, 1984. ISBN: 2718602716

Der Reine Krieg, Virilio, Paul, and Sylvère Lotringer. Der Reine Krieg. Translated by Marianne Karbe and Gustav Roßler. Merve, 1984. ISBN: 3883960365

La Guerre Pur, Virilio, Paul, and Sylvère Lotringer. La Guerre Pur. Manuscript. 1983.

Geschwindigkeit und Politik, Virilio, Paul. Geschwindigkeit und Politik. Translated by Ronald Voullié. Merve, 1980. ISBN: 3883960101

Esthétique de la Disparition, Virilio, Paul. Esthétique de la Disparition. Balland, 1980. ISBN: 2715802862

Défense Populaire et Luttes Ecologiques, Virilio, Paul. Défense Populaire et Luttes Ecologiques. Galilée, 1978. ISBN: 2718601086

Fahren, Fahren, Fahren, Virilio, Paul. Fahren, Fahren, fahren. Translated by Ulrich Faulff. Merve, 1978. ISBN: 3883960004

Vitesse et Politique, Virilio, Paul. Vitesse et Politique. Galilée, 1977. ISBN: 2718600799

L’Insécurité du Territoire, Virilio, Paul. L’Insécurité du Territoire. Stock, 1976. ISBN: 2234004993

Bunker Archéologie, Virilio, Paul. Bunker Archéologie. Centre Georges Pompidou, 1975. ISBN: 2858500010