Abstract
Peter Sloterdijk’s book was published in German in 2005 and only relatively recently was it (wonderfully) translated into English. The book presents a sweeping theoretical narrative on globalization and its impact on the contemporary world system.
The book is divided into two intertwined parts made up of 42 short chapters. In the first part, ‘On the Emergence of the World System,’ the author asserts unequivocally that only by pursuing grand philosophical narratives (p. 3) can one find true meaning behind the inner workings of world history and globalization. By arguing in favor of the philosopher’s gaze, the author categorically asserts that most, if not all, contemporary social science is adherent to ‘journalism by morose means’ (p. 7) because ‘they’ – political scientists and sociologists – have distorted meaning. This sort of polemical position on the analytical powers of ‘other’ interpretations of reality is fundamental to the book’s main idea: the modern world – symbolized by London’s Crystal Palace (built in 1851) – is sharply divided by those who inhabit the ‘Palace’ and those left outside. By utilizing the iconic figure of the ‘Palace,’ and a sharp distinction between philosophy and all other forms of (post)modern social theory, Sloterdijk succeeds in raising an interesting point regarding whether ‘we’ need a satisfactory universal history to understand the contemporary condition. This point also represents a deliberate literary dramatic turn aimed directly at the reader, thus setting the stage for the rest of the book.
And indeed Part I presents a powerful story of the discovery of the globe by Europeans, an event that, according to the author, was catalytic to the formation of the modern world system. History, he argues, can only be seriously considered if one takes account of the ‘events between 1492 and 1945’ because ‘the existence of peoples and cultures before and after this does not display historical qualities – though the exact dates remain open for debate’ (p. 157). In almost cinematic fashion, the story of European conquest unfolds utilizing concepts and factual accounts borrowed from geography, history, and fiction. In addition, the author reflects upon his own previous work, on the nature of the ‘sphere’: once humanity became convinced that the world was not flat, the sea was discovered – and romanticized – and all geographical spots across the globe became mapping spaces. The ‘orbital’ ‘spherological’ thesis is one of the main concerns of the author, which to the reader unfamiliar with German is not referentially accessible because it has not been translated until now. Nevertheless, the grand tour is presented in unambiguous fashion in the sense that it accounts for European seafarers. It may be understandable that from a European writer’s perspective there is a strong impulse to relate the sea to European conquests and the making of the world, but in theoretical terms it generates more problems than it solves. By overemphasizing sea expansion from 1492 onwards, history is strongly linked (and therefore reduced) to the idea of finding a trade route to India. However, this position is theoretically, if not factually, odd: How and why is ‘the sea’ the only criterion for world conquest? And how do we account for the many subtle configurations and changes characterizing notions of ‘space’ and geography over the course of human history?
Part II argues, in no uncertain terms, that the result of European conquest is the contemporary world system. It is at this point that the author uses the powerful image of the ‘Crystal Palace’ (p. 169) as a symbol of the modern condition. The transformation of the globe into a ‘gigantic hothouse of relaxation’ (p. 171) means that ‘we,’ the inhabitants of the Palace, are sharply separated from ‘them,’ who live outside its gates. The Palace incorporates five contours, or ‘floors of relief,’ as the author has it. Each of these layers is related to the degree of ‘comfort’ the Palace offers its inhabitants, from income allocation to consumption to distribution to welfare provision (pp. 216–218), and finally, to the role of the media and the public sphere. For Sloterdijk, these realms are seen as almost decadent forms that contribute to human misery and have the effect of ‘boredom’ due to the ‘pampering nature’ of consumer capitalism (p. 211).
Aside from the unsubstantiated references to the ‘parasitic poor’ and the notion of ‘justice’ (p. 229), this section of the book projects a more personal portrait of the current state of the world. The author is deeply concerned about issues such as overproduction and wasteful consumption, the limits of the welfare state, and the role of superpowers such as the United States. Thus, in philosophical terms, it becomes increasingly unclear what sort of questions are posed and answered in this section. Are we witnessing a theory that puts forward new sets of ideas about timeless issues such the nature of truth or rationality, or a practice of inward-looking reflexivity? Most important, how are we to understand ‘reality’ if we position ourselves ‘outside’ Sloterdijk’s world? If, for example, we assume that we take the perspective of a nonwhite female Eastern inhabitant of the Palace, how would the concepts the author proposes be interrogated? The crucial point here is the distinction between opinion and an openness to analytic principles that are not based on the assertion of universal beliefs and truths. This distinction is blurred in this part of the book, especially if we look into the author’s description of world affairs: The modern hegemon (i.e., the United States) is the global regulator of the ‘great hothouse’ and therefore ‘world politics is nothing other than the administration of the crystal palace – policing measures, security services and disposal methods included’ (p. 247). This argument, taken to its logical conclusion, would mean that the world is run by one state, something that is clearly not the case in current global affairs.
Overall, this book deserves to be read because of the somewhat arbitrary nature of its claims. It generates interest in rethinking and discussing some of the fundamental ideas on the nature of globalization and the role that historical philosophy may have in shedding light into the cultural processes that are embedded in it. The book should be studied for yet another purpose, and that is it provides students of philosophy and history with the necessary literary context to look deeper into contemporary cultural configurations.