Adapt!: On a New Political Imperative

Barbara Stiegler's book, Adapt! offers a fresh genealogy of our neoliberal moment, uncovering the prehistories of Darwinism and American liberalism and recovering powerful resistances to the rhetoric of adaptation across the twentieth century. She argues that humans are by nature lagging and require biopolitical and disciplinary management to enforce adaptation. Stiegler also reorients Foucault's genealogy of neoliberalism by emphasizing the Darwinian rhetoric of adaptation, as it arose in the Lippmann–Dewey Debate, and deftly handles the question of human nature in a way that re-enlivens this traditional concept.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 17 May 2022
Publisher: Fordham University Press

Winner of the French Voices Award, this book has become a crossover hit in France, offering a fresh genealogy of our neoliberal moment. The resounding words "We must adapt!" echo almost everywhere, permeating every aspect of our lives. But where does this pervasive sense of falling behind originate? How can we explain the gradual colonization of the economic, social, and political fields by this biological vocabulary of evolution? In her insightful account, Barbara Stiegler delves into the prehistories of today's ubiquitous rhetoric, tracing its roots back to Darwinism and American liberalism. At the same time, she uncovers powerful resistances to the rhetoric of adaptation across the twentieth century.

One prominent American theorist of this new liberalism was Walter Lippmann, who believed that democracy was not well-suited to the demands of globalization. According to Lippmann, only a government of experts could force society to evolve. He found himself in a debate with John Dewey, the towering figure of American Pragmatism. Both Lippmann and Dewey recognized the need for adaptation, but they approached it from different perspectives. Lippmann, distrusting society's ability to adapt on its own, advocated for the intervention of experts who would impose the necessary changes. Dewey, on the other hand, believed that the necessary adaptation could only come from below and should proceed in a democratic fashion.

Adapt! by Stiegler takes a deep dive into readings of Michel Foucault, Walter Lippmann, and John Dewey, providing a pathway for renewed insights into neoliberalism's history, essence, characteristic forces, and impacts. Through her examination, Stiegler explores whether humans are inherently lagging and require biopolitical and disciplinary management to enforce adaptation. This thought-provoking genealogy offers an intriguing new perspective on the development of neoliberalism, raising important questions about the role of government, expertise, and democracy in shaping our contemporary world.

Weight: 348g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780823299294