Where Are We Now?

What happens when health replaces salvation, biological life replaces eternal life, and social distancing displaces community? These are theological as well as politi­cal questions, and Agamben has correctly brought them to our attention. * Postdigital Science & Education *
An on-the-spot study of the link between power and knowledge. -- Christopher Caldwell * The New York Times *
A fascinating intervention on the encroaching state of biosecurity we are witnessing before our very eyes. -- Colby Dickinson, Loyola University Chicago
Fear makes thinking harder, yet there is an urgent need to think and to question every aspect of our current situation. The philosopher, which Agamben truly embodies, is a figure that must be heeded. -- Nina Power, Roehampton University
Agamben's book title emphasizes a vital but all too often unappreciated question. By way of answer, he worries that we are collectively and individually in a very dangerous place that, contrary to popular opinion, has little to do with a virus or pandemic." -- T. Allan Hillman, University of South Alabama
Agamben is right that our rulers will use every opportunity to consolidate their power, especially in times of crisis. That coronavirus is being exploited to strengthen mass-surveillance infrastructure is no secret. -- Marco d'Eramo, New Left Review
Agamben’s work is finding new relevance among those who are beginning to question not only the gravity of the virus but also the legitimacy of state responses to it. Agamben is certainly not a ‘virus denier’. . . but he does question the use of ‘pandemic’ to legitimate a certain shift in governing paradigms that will have far-reaching consequences . . . When sitting on a park bench with a friend is technically a crime, we need a voice like Agamben’s to remind us what we have lost among all the so-called ‘gains.' -- David Jack, Australian Book Review