Entropic Affirmation by Igrek Apple Zefelius;

Author:Igrek, Apple Zefelius;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lexington Books

Chapter 5

Entropic Refraction

The most troubling paradox of bio-power, according to Foucault, is that it destroys life on a massive scale even as its primary objective is to defend and reinforce it. If the predominant form of modern power is life-enhancing, then we have a hard time explaining its connection to genocide, warfare, and the proliferation of nuclear weaponry throughout the twentieth century. Foucault’s answer is that this connection makes sense only when we see it in the light of biological racism, which means that a break is introduced into the overall domain of life and vitality. If, that is to say, we posit ourselves as superior to another group or population, it becomes possible to destroy life without violating the principles of bio-power. While this formulation of the problem and its solution is unique to Foucault, its underlying logic is very common and very influential. The predominant view expressed throughout Ernest Becker’s Escape from Evil is that our quest for immortality is conducive to major conflicts and violence since we have a tendency to scapegoat others in order to prove to ourselves, ironically and tragically, that we are indeed superior.1 And if we think of the reinforcement of self-identity on par with the strengthening of life, then it is clear that Kelly Oliver is pursuing the same line of thought in Witnessing: Beyond Recognition when she writes, as a major premise of her book, that our conceptions of ourselves as self-identical help us to justify the oppression of others when they are seen as different and inferior.2

But what if there is no desire to be immortal? What if we seek self-identity only insofar as it is a mode of difference, otherness, and singularity? What if the power mechanisms at work in bio-power, discipline, and security are never only productive but also counterproductive? If this were the case, as I have argued in a variety of ways, then there would be no paradox of bio-power. The fact that we pursue courses of action that seem to undermine the possibility of a fully integrated social system, according to which we would seek out peaceful relationships whenever possible, would no longer be all that surprising. We would likewise need to rethink the argument of scapegoating. In Foucault’s case the attribution of inferiority to other groups gets us nowhere. If bio-power seeks to enhance life as much as possible, whenever possible, then forging social ties with a variety of populations would bring this about much more effectively than war. There is some degree of vitality in all social groups, so it makes sense that if desire is instrumental and productive that it would seek to unite its own enhancement with that of others, regardless of national or cultural boundaries. Scapegoating, then, is not something that arises when we pursue only those things that are positive, productive, and life-enhancing. It cannot arise this way since the latter kind of pursuit doesn’t exist. It follows that if our desire is to avoid unnecessary wars and conflicts,

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