Thought Experiments on Speed

Wiebke Porombka traces a cultural history of speed in all its forms: From Alfred Döblin and Stefan Zweig to Charlie Chaplin and Tom & Jerry, on to the 1950s kitchen with the “5-minute terrine,” to sports, transportation, and urban planning.

Speed is a defining feature of modern life. But it is only when speed is rejected that things get truly interesting, because suddenly the demand for speed becomes a moral category. This thought experiment seeks to explore this.