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Conspiracy theories are neither delusions nor lies, neither
simplistic fallacies nor psychological quirks: rather, they are a
political problem. They are not so much about truth as about
power. Rather than seeking to debunk conspiracy theories as
the work of fringe groups and cranks, Donatella Di Cesare develops
an original account that portrays conspiracy as the spectre of a
shattered community. With the proliferation of conspiracy theories,
the distrust of politics and politicians turns into a boundless and
pervasive suspicion. Who is behind the scenes? Who is
pulling the strings? The world, which seems increasingly confusing
and impossible to read, must have a hidden side, a secret realm,
that of the Deep State and the New World Order, where plans are
hatched, information is gathered and thoughts are
controlled. It is no longer a matter of a one-off plot or
intrigue. Conspiracy is the very form in which citizens who
feel condemned to a frustrating impotence, helpless before a
techno-economic juggernaut and manipulated by a faceless power,
relate to the world. This is why conspiracy, which exposes the
emptiness of democracy, proves to be a fearsome weapon of mass
depoliticisation.
Conspiracy theories are neither delusions nor lies, neither
simplistic fallacies nor psychological quirks: rather, they are a
political problem. They are not so much about truth as about
power. Rather than seeking to debunk conspiracy theories as
the work of fringe groups and cranks, Donatella Di Cesare develops
an original account that portrays conspiracy as the spectre of a
shattered community. With the proliferation of conspiracy theories,
the distrust of politics and politicians turns into a boundless and
pervasive suspicion. Who is behind the scenes? Who is
pulling the strings? The world, which seems increasingly confusing
and impossible to read, must have a hidden side, a secret realm,
that of the Deep State and the New World Order, where plans are
hatched, information is gathered and thoughts are
controlled. It is no longer a matter of a one-off plot or
intrigue. Conspiracy is the very form in which citizens who
feel condemned to a frustrating impotence, helpless before a
techno-economic juggernaut and manipulated by a faceless power,
relate to the world. This is why conspiracy, which exposes the
emptiness of democracy, proves to be a fearsome weapon of mass
depoliticisation.
A stimulating and profound portrayal of the epochal event that has
already left its mark on the twenty-first century. Immunodemocracy
offers a stimulating and profound portrayal of the epochal event
that has already left its mark on the twenty-first century. Moving
from the ecological question to the rule of experts, from the state
of exception to immunitarian democracy, from rule by fear to the
contagion of conspiracy theory, from forced distancing to digital
control, Donatella Di Cesare examines how existence is already
changing--and what its future political effects may be. In her own
personal style, the author reconstructs the dramatic phases of what
she calls the breathing catastrophe. Coronavirus is a sovereign
virus that skirts its way around the walls of patriotism and the
sovereignists' imperious frontiers. And it reveals in all its
terrible crudeness the immunitarian logic that excludes the weakest
and hits the poorest. The Cordon sanitaire of disengagement risks
expanding beyond all proportion. The disparity between the
protected and the helpless--a challenge to any idea of justice--has
never been so blatant. The virus has not introduced, but merely
brought out into the open the ruthlessness of the capitalism that
is now wrapping us in its devastating spiral, in its compulsive,
asphyxial vortex. Is it our final warning? The violent global
pandemic shows that it is impossible for us to survive if we don't
help each other. We will need to protect ourselves from protection
and the specter of absolute immunization. When breathing can no
longer be taken for granted, we need to rethink a new way of living
together.
Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900-2002), one of the towering figures of
contemporary Continental philosophy, is best known for Truth and
Method, where he elaborated the concept of "philosophical
hermeneutics," a programmatic way to get to what we do when we
engage in interpretation. Donatella Di Cesare highlights the
central place of Greek philosophy, particularly Plato, in Gadamer's
work, brings out differences between his thought and that of
Heidegger, and connects him with discussions and debates in
pragmatism. This is a sensitive and thoroughly readable
philosophical portrait of one of the 20th century s most powerful
thinkers."
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