We're stuck, almost conceptually, between two almost cliché ways of thinking about...
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Michael Hardt:
We're stuck, almost conceptually, between two almost cliché ways of thinking about revolution. On the one hand, we have the notion of revolution that involves the replacement of a ruling elite with another... better-in many ways-ruling elite. And that's sort of the form that many modern revolutions have taken and have posed great benefits for the people but they have not arrived at democracy. So that notion of revolution is really discredited and I think rightly so. But, opposed to that, is another notion of revolution, which I think is equally discredited but from exactly the opposite point of view, which is it's the notion of revolution that, in fact, hasn't been instituted, that thinks of revolution as just the removal of all of those forms of authority, state power, the power of capital, that stop people from expressing their natural abilities to rule themselves.
We're stuck, almost conceptually, between two almost cliché ways of thinking about revolution. On the one hand, we have the notion of revolution that involves the replacement of a ruling elite with another... better-in many ways-ruling elite. And that's sort of the form that many modern revolutions have taken and have posed great benefits for the people but they have not arrived at democracy. So that notion of revolution is really discredited and I think rightly so. But, opposed to that, is another notion of revolution, which I think is equally discredited but from exactly the opposite point of view, which is it's the notion of revolution that, in fact, hasn't been instituted, that thinks of revolution as just the removal of all of those forms of authority, state power, the power of capital, that stop people from expressing their natural abilities to rule themselves.
Transcript
00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:10.437
We're stuck conceptually, I think,
between two almost cliche ways
of thinking revolution today.
00:00:10.505 --> 00:00:13.044
On the one hand, we have...
00:00:13.508 --> 00:00:16.477
the notion of revolution
that involves...
00:00:16.544 --> 00:00:19.098
the replacement of a ruling elite...
00:00:20.998 --> 00:00:22.243
with another...
00:00:22.316 --> 00:00:24.058
better, in many ways, ruling elite.
00:00:24.652 --> 00:00:28.418
And that's in fact the form
that many of the modern
revolutions have taken...
00:00:28.489 --> 00:00:32.823
and have posed great benefits
for the people, et cetera,
but they have not arrived at democracy.
00:00:32.894 --> 00:00:37.297
And so that notion of revolution
is really discredited,
and I think rightly so.
00:00:37.365 --> 00:00:40.698
But opposed to that
is another notion of revolution,
00:00:40.768 --> 00:00:43.862
which I think is equally
discredited from exactly
the opposite point of view,
00:00:43.938 --> 00:00:48.102
which is the notion of revolution-
that, in fact hasn't been instituted-
00:00:48.176 --> 00:00:51.668
that thinks of revolution
as just the removal...
00:00:51.746 --> 00:00:55.546
of all of those forms of authority-
00:00:55.616 --> 00:00:58.997
state power, the power of capital-
00:00:58.119 --> 00:01:02.215
that stop people from expressing
their natural abilities to rule themselves.
00:01:05.393 --> 00:01:09.193
The question of human nature
has long been a thing
of political philosophy.
00:01:09.001 --> 00:01:14.053
In fact, I'm sure everyone had
some stupid evening in college
smoking way too much and talking,
00:01:14.602 --> 00:01:18.595
where you end up in a discussion
where, like, you decide you
disagree with your friend...
00:01:18.673 --> 00:01:20.999
because she thinks
that human nature's evil,
00:01:20.001 --> 00:01:23.955
you think human nature's good,
and you can't get any further.
00:01:23.998 --> 00:01:27.411
I mean, this is- I think
that kind of stupidity, I think,
00:01:27.482 --> 00:01:30.061
has affected a lot of the history
of political philosophy.
00:01:30.685 --> 00:01:33.848
And I think the relevant
fact for politics-
00:01:38.292 --> 00:01:41.489
Running aground.
00:01:43.631 --> 00:01:45.565
Shipwrecked.
00:01:50.999 --> 00:01:54.999
The relevant fact for politics is
really that human nature's changeable.
00:01:54.001 --> 00:01:59.541
Human nature isn't good or evil.
Human nature is, uh, constituted.
00:01:59.614 --> 00:02:02.139
It's constituted
by how we act, how we-
00:02:02.999 --> 00:02:07.994
The history- Human nature is, in fact,
the histoy of habits and practices...
00:02:07.155 --> 00:02:09.001
that are the result
of- of past struggles,
00:02:09.001 --> 00:02:13.988
of past hierarchies,
of past victories and defeats.
00:02:13.001 --> 00:02:15.999
And so this is, I think, actually-
00:02:15.696 --> 00:02:18.999
The key to rethinking revolution
is to recognize...
00:02:18.001 --> 00:02:21.999
that revolution...
00:02:21.999 --> 00:02:26.202
is not just about...
a transformation for democracy.
00:02:26.274 --> 00:02:28.999
It's really-
Revolution really requires...
00:02:28.809 --> 00:02:33.143
a transformation of human nature
so that people are capable of democracy.
00:02:37.518 --> 00:02:40.578
Democracy is one of those concepts
that seems to me has been...
00:02:40.655 --> 00:02:43.249
almost completely corrupted today.
00:02:43.001 --> 00:02:45.554
In some cases,
it's used to mean...
00:02:45.626 --> 00:02:49.999
simply periodic elections
with a limited choice of rulers.
00:02:49.999 --> 00:02:53.001
In other cases, when one thinks
especially in international affairs,
Clip duration: 174 seconds
Views: 83
Timestamp in movie: 00h 48m 08s
Uploaded: 22 October, 2021
Genres: documentary
Summary: In Examined Life, filmmaker Astra Taylor accompanies some of today's most influential thinkers on a series of unique excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them and their ideas.
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