The Revenge of the Real - Politics for a Post-Pandemic World

The future of politics after the pandemic COVID-19 exposed the pre-existing conditions of the current global crisis. Many Western states failed to protect their populations, while others were able to suppress the virus only with sweeping social restrictions. In contrast, many Asian countries were able to make much more precise interventions. Everywhere, lockdown transformed everyday life, introducing an epidemiological view of society based on sensing, modeling, and filtering. What lessons are to be learned? The Revenge of the Real envisions a new positive biopolitics that recognizes that governance is literally a matter of life and death. We are grappling with multiple interconnected dilemmas—climate change, pandemics, the tensions between the individual and society—all of which have to be addressed on a planetary scale. Even when separated, we are still enmeshed. Can the world govern itself differently? What models and philosophies are needed? Bratton argues that instead of thinking of biotechnologies as something imposed on society, we must see them as essential to a politics of infrastructure, knowledge, and direct intervention. In this way, we can build a society based on a new rationality of inclusion, care, and prevention. The Revenge of the Real envisions a new positive biopolitics that recognises that how populations govern themselves is literally a matter of life and death. We are grappling with multiple interconnected dilemmas - climate change, pandemics, the tensions between the individual and society - all of which have to be addressed on a planetary scale. Even when separated, we are still enmeshed. Can the world govern itself differently? If so, what models and philosophies are needed? Bratton argues that, instead of thinking of technology as something that happens to society, we must see how it can form the basis of a politics of infrastructure, knowledge, and direct intervention. He urges us to reconsider questions of'surveillance'in the face of necessary testing and care. He asks what did the'mask wars'reveal about the destructive nature of individualism as the basis of sovereignty? The book proposes that it is time to transform how we live, work and thrive. Rethinking governance means rethinking how we interact with each other as a global population, and how we ensure our obligations to each other. For this, we should build a society based in a new rationality of inclusion, care and foresight. Technology, Politics, Freedom: How Will The Coronavirus Crisis Impact On Our Everyday Lives? How Has The City And The Regimes Of Control Changed As A Result Of The Lock Down? Bratton Argues That The Crisis Makes Apparent The Symptoms That Were Already Affecting The City. But We Have To Rethink How We Might Challenge Them. This Involves The Question Of Surveillance, The Future Of Quarantine, The Development Of A Political Consensus. This Will Have An Impact On Our Everyday Lives At The Most Profound Level. Will The Wearing Of Masks Every Time We Go Out Change The Way We Interact? Will We Have To Accept State Surveillance As The New Normal? Will Automation Take Over The Tasks We Can No Longer Perform Due To Fears Of Contagion? Will The Experience Of Quarantine Became A Regular Part Of Our Planning? How Do We Deal With Experts In The Age Of Populism? Bratton Argues That The Global Contagion And The Varied Responses By Different Societies Have Exposed Ideologies And Traditions As Ineffective, Fraudulent, And Suicidal. We Must Face This Challenge Or Prepare For A Condition Of Permanent Emergency. "COVID-19 exposed the pre-existing conditions of the current global crisis. Many Western states failed to protect their populations, while others were able to suppress the virus only with sweeping social restrictions. "The Revenge of the Real" envisions a new positive biopolitics that recognizes that governance is literally a matter of life and death. Bratton argues that instead of thinking of technology as something that happens to society, we must learn how it can create a politics of infrastructure, knowledge, and direct intervention. In this way, we can build a society based on a new rationality of inclusion, care, and prevention"-- Provided by publisher. **The future of politics after the pandemic**__The Revenge of the Real__