The article considers the “empire” phenomenon in the philosophical discourse, analyses the process of its transformation from a political notion into a philosophical concept representing the phenomenon of bio-power. The author shows how radical right-wing and left-wing discourses interact with this image using it as a source of spiritual experience and as a basis for criticism of global capital. The analysis of the “empire” concept shows that due to a powerful technological leap, the accent is shifted from political and spiritual planes to the sphere of the media and biopolitics, which come out as newly emerged instruments to restrain discourse and should be thoroughly analysed.