Oksana Timofeeva: Introduction to Solar Politics
"Introduction to Solar Politics.
Since antiquity, the sun has played a primary role in our utopian imagination, both as a source of energy (light and heat) and as a symbol of state power. Relationships to the sun have changed historically, from worship as a supreme deity to exploitation as a resource. A capitalist economy in a situation of ecological crisis, even in its most "green" versions, implies endless expansion and colonization on a cosmic scale. According to Bataille, an alternative strategy can be called a "solar economy," based on the idea of the gift: the sun gives itself without demanding anything in return. However, this gift contains elements of violence—an inhuman violence that is revealed today in phenomena such as pandemics and climate change. Is a solar politics possible, then? What are the grounds for solidarity with the inhuman?"