Except for Latouche’s hypothesis, which is the concept of post-
development.^12 The paradigm of postdevelopment is the discovery that
modern history is based on prejudice – conceptual, political, psychic,
mental – according to which we must expand the mass of consumers
and the mass of production.GM:So in fact, you are basically saying that the idea of postdevelopment is
a questioning of what has been an economic vision of politics?Bifo:That is, the domination of economy over society.GM:And what do you think? That is, do you think it is possible to go back-
ward – or maybe forward – with respect to the last three or four centuries?Bifo:I don’t know if it’s possible, but I am certain that it is in-
dispensable.GMBecause Guattari spoke about this in The Three Ecologies, with great
foresight!Bifo:Yes, when he allied himself with the Greens in the 1980s, he was
absolutely right in doing so, on the philosophical level. It was coherent
with his history and his general engagement. I never questioned this,
and I fully shared his philosophical predilection for the Greens.
However, what seemed to be a bit useless – and in fact, it amounted to
nothing, I must say – was his militant generosity for which, at the time
he was elaborating this idea, he began to do neighbourhood work with
a bunch of cretins ... In short, the French Greens were not always the
most brilliant ... He became a candidate for the elections, a candidacy
that no one supported. So these seemed to me things that he didn’t
need to be doing, it was pretty much a waste of time. Overall I was
embarrassed to tell him anything like that because at the time, I was
twenty years younger than him, so how could I bring myself to say
that and to give advice to Guattari? He might very well send me
packing ... However, I recall that at that time, in 1983 or 1984, he
insisted that I should present myself as a candidate, and he encouraged
me to do this, either with the Radical Party or with the Green Party.
Then he met Pannella, and Pannella said that I should become a candi-
date for the mayor position in Bologna!^13 And in fact, one day Pannella
came to Bologna to propose my candidacy for the adminstrative elec-
tions, and I told him ‘Forget about it! No way!’. In the 1980s, I was in a162 Thought, Friendship and Visionary Cartography9780230_221192_14_inte.pdf 10/3/08 11:37 AM Page 162