Production (First Issue)

Author: Wang Min'an, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Production is an irregular publication, and this book is a collection. The purpose of Production is to critique and reflect on the condition of the contemporary world and the task of intellectuals, inheriting the critical tradition since Marxism. This issue includes three themes: "The Politics and Ethics of War," "Michael Hardt and Empire," and "Benjamin and The Arcades Project," along with one article each on Hegel and Derrida, as well as an interview with the artist Wang Guangyi. The focus on "production" stems from the Marxist tradition, as it was in the process of production that Marx discovered the secret of capital accumulation. After Marx, "production" acquired richer connotations; in the cultural sphere, it is the production of knowledge; in the spiritual sphere, it is the production of desire; in the political sphere, it is the production of power, and society becomes a massive production machine—while the so-called "consumer society" is merely an ironic note on it. "Production" has become the key term for diagnosing contemporary society. On the other hand, the word "production" holds a special meaning for modern Chinese people: we once found ourselves trapped in the cage of "production," and now, we hope that this word, lost in the depths of history, will regain vitality. Of course, words have their own fate, and all we can do is extend an invitation. Finally, it should be noted that the intrinsic semantics of "production" is generation, flux, and vitality, which aligns with the temperament of contemporary intellectuals: ceaselessly thinking and critiquing. In this sense, "production" is the fundamental characteristic of critique and thought.