The Information Bomb

“Civilization or the militarization of science?” With this typically hyperbolic and provocative question as a starting point, Paul Virilio explores the dominion of techno-science, cyberwar and the new information technologies over our lives ... and deaths. After the era of the atomic bomb, Virilio posits an era of genetic and information bombs which replace the apocalyptic bang of nuclear death with the whimper of a subliminally reinforced eugenics. We are entering the age of euthanasia. These exhilarating bulletins from the information war extend the range of Virilio’s work. The Information Bomb spans everything from Fukuyama to Larry Flynt, the Sensation exhibition of New British Art to space travel, all seen through the optic show more of Virilio’s trenchant and committed theoretical position. show less

First encountered this book one bored afternoon spent in the college library. What attracted me was the book's appearance. It's a beautiful book. So I opened it and the ideas were interesting, but the tone and the style of the prose is more interesting. Frenetic. Hectic. Apocalyptic. Can't remember much, but I remember a lot of neologisms and words I haven't encountered before. It's an example of those books that is somewhat beyond my understanding to totally appreciate.