The field of vision is comparable, for me, to the terrain of an archaeological dig. To see is to be on guard, to wait for what emerges from the background, without any name, without any particular interest: what was silent will speak, what is closed will open and will take on a voice.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of observation and awareness in uncovering deeper truths.
Paul Virilio's quote draws a parallel between observing one's surroundings and the meticulous process of an archaeological dig, suggesting that true understanding requires patience and vigilance. By attentively watching the world, we can reveal hidden aspects of life and meaning that may initially go unnoticed, transforming silence into voice and obscurity into insight.
In practice
Using this quote in a lecture about the importance of careful observation in art and science.
When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck; when you invent the plane you also invent the plane crash; and when you invent electricity, you invent electrocution...Every technology carries its own negativity, which is invented at the same time as technical progress.
Dissents are appeals to the brooding spirit of the law, to the intelligence of another day.
If I blow the conch and they don't come back; then we've had it. We shan't keep the fire going. We'll be like animals. We'll never be rescued." "If you don't blow, we'll soon be animals anyway.
Night's candles have burned out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountaintops." Hope tinged with melancholy - like life.
So the unwanting soul sees what's hidden, and the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants.
...skepticism can never provide firm ground under a man's feet. And perhaps, after all, we need firm ground.
The right of a nation to kill a tyrant in case of necessity can no more be doubted than to hang a robber, or kill a flea.
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