Grammar of the Multitude

Globalization is forcing us to rethink some of the categories -- such as "the people"-- that traditionally have been associated with the now eroding state. Italian political thinkerPaolo Virno argues that the category of "multitude," elaborated by Spinoza and for the most partleft fallow since the seventeenth century, is a far better tool to analyze contemporary issues thanthe Hobbesian concept of "people," favored by classical political philosophy. Hobbes, who detestedthe notion of multitude, defined it as shunning political unity, resisting authority, and neverentering into lasting agreements. "When they rebel against the state," Hobbes wrote, "the citizensare the multitude against the people." But the multitude isn't just a negative notion, it is a richconcept that allows us to examine anew plural experiences and forms of nonrepresentative democracy.Drawing from philosophy of language, political economics, and ethics, Virno shows that beingforeign, "not-feeling-at-home-anywhere," is a condition that forces the multitude to place its trustin the intellect. In conclusion, Virno suggests that the metamorphosis of the social systems in theWest during the last twenty years is leading to a paradoxical "Communism of the Capital."

Paolo Virno is the author of several books, including A Grammar of the Multitude (Semiotext(e), 2002).