The paradoxical logic of transparency and mediation

Transparency is the metaphor of our time. Whether in government or corporate
governance, finance, technology, health or the media – it is ubiquitous today, and
there is hardly a current debate that does not call for more transparency. But what
does this word actually stand for and what are the consequences for the life of
individuals? Can knowledge from the arts, and its play of visibility and invisibility,
tell us something about the paradoxical logics of transparency and mediation? This
Obscure Thing Called Transparency gathers contributions by international experts
who critically assess the promises and perils of transparency today.

Emmanuel Alloa is professor of aesthetics and philosophy of art at the Philosophy
Department of the University of Fribourg.