Paul
Virilio addresses the phenomena of how the sense of natural distance
has been altered by technology. He writes, modeling his thoughts on Benjamin
and citing the painter Paul Klee in this instance:
| The painter Paul Klee expressed the point exceptionally well when he
noted, "Defining the present in isolation is tantamount to murdering it."'
This is what technologies of real time are achieving. They kill "present"
time by isolating it from its presence here and now ... § |
| Paul
Virilio, "The Third Interval: A Critical Transition." In Re-thinking
Technologies, Chapter 1. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota
Press, 1993. |
Chase the links to Virilio's text, if you wish. For now though it might
be best if everyone who has read this page, slows down and makes sure that
they have their own working knowledge of concepts like, "distance," "presence,"
and "history". Please e-mail me your thoughts on these topics.
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