Biopolitics: An Advanced Introduction

2. Life as an Object of Politics

23 2 Life as an Object of Politics Ecological Biopolitics In the 1960s and early 1970s, the meaning of biopolitics assumed another form. It was not so much focused on the biological foundations of politics but rather disclosed life processes as a new object of political reflection and action. In light of the ecological crisis that was increasingly being addressed by political activists and social movements , biopolitics now came to signify policies and regulatory efforts aimed at finding solutions to the global environmental crisis. These efforts received an important stimulus from the Report to the Club of Rome (Meadows et al. 1972), which demonstrated through scientific modeling and computer simulations the demographic and ecological limits of economic growth. The report demanded political intervention to halt the destruction of the natural environment. Along with growing awareness of the limits of natural resources and anxiety about the consequences of a “population explosion,” apocalyptic scenarios also multiplied. It was postulated that nothing less than life on the planet and the survival of the human species were at stake. In this context, the concept of biopolitics acquired a new meaning . It came to stand for the development of a new field of politics and political action directed at the preservation of the natural environment of humanity. This was clear, for example, in the six-volume series Politik zwischen Macht und Recht (Politics between Power and Law) by the German political scientist Dietrich Gunst, who, in addition to writing about the German constitution and foreign policy, also dedicated a volume to biopolitics. According to Gunst, 24 Life as an Object of Politics biopolitics embraces “anything to do with health policy and the regulation of the population, together with environmental protection and questions concerning the future of humanity. This political arena in its comprehensive form is comparatively new and takes into consideration the fact that questions about life and survival are increasingly relevant” (1978, 9). The individual chapters of the book focus on the political and social problems that result from a growing world population, starvation and difficulties securing proper nutrition in many countries, air and water pollution, the depletion of natural resources, and dwindling energy supplies. The organization of health care, biomedical innovations , and the “manipulation of life and death” (ibid., 21) play only a marginal role in the book. After an overview of the fields of action and the political challenges they pose, Gunst comes to the general conclusion that these worsening problems will be solved only through a “life-oriented politics” (ibid., 12). What the author means by this phrase are those measures and initiatives that would help to achieve an ecological world order. It will be necessary, he believes, to align economic structures (consumption, production, distribution, etc.), as well as political activities at local, regional, national, and international levels, with biological exigencies (ibid., 165–183). The concept of biopolitics was linked to ecological considerations and became a reference point for various ideological, political, and religious interests. One of the most curious responses to the “ecological question” is the idea of a “Christian biopolitics” put forward by theologian Kenneth Cauthen in his book Christian Biopolitics: A Credo and Strategy for the Future (1971). The author asserts the emergence of a “planetary society,” which comes into existence once the biological frontiers of Earth are exceeded. The book explores the dangers arising from and the opportunity for a fundamental change in consciousness that would be caused by such a development. According to Cauthen, a transformation in ideas, goals, and attitudes is necessary in order to bring about the desired transition, and this Life as an Object of Politics 25 is where theology and the church have a special role to play. “Christian biopolitics” consists in developing “a religio-ethical perspective centered on life and the quest for enjoyment in a science-based technological age. This ecological model requires an organic understanding of reality. Such an understanding interprets man as a biospiritual unity whose life is set within cosmic nature, as well as within human history” (Cauthen 1971, 11–12). More specifically, Cauthen aims at promoting “a movement toward an ecologically optimum world community full of justice and joy in which the human race can not only survive but embark on exciting new adventures of physical and spiritual enjoyment” (ibid., 10). However, authors motivated by religious beliefs were not the only ones to use emerging environmental debates for their own ends. Many representatives of...