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Title: Technopoly : The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman ISBN: 0-679-74540-8 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 31 March, 1993 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.68 (41 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Great analysis of technological evolution.
Comment: Clever and resourceful. It is fascinating the way Postman interweaves different aspect of life, such as printing press, IQ test, language, education, and polling system, into Technopoly. Postman's argument of American culture becoming too technologicaly oriented and loosing the traditions is a legitimate point. However, he ignors the fact that America does not have a tradition. America is trying to stablish a tradiotion. The tradition that America is "loosing" was not American tradition, it came with the pilgrims. As Postman is full of fascinationg information himself, he argues that we don't need any more information, "Technopolist stands firm in believing that what the world needs is yet more information...Information is dangerous when it has no place to go...Information without regulation can be lethal." But, he does not prescribe that, how much information is enough information? And how could we regulate information in a democratic society? The system is set-up for gathering infromation. Students are incouraged to collect infromation. One of the main points of Postman's argument is that the rise of technopoly demolished religious believes and therefore the traditions. Although the topics are repetitious, I found the book easy to read. Postman provokes many questions, such as, are we controlling technology or technology is controlling us? What is the purpose of history? Are we happy about where technology is taking us? Is it too late, or can technology be controlled? What about God?
Rating: 4
Summary: Social science as story-telling
Comment: I heard Neil Postman on a radio interview for this book, several years before I read "Amusing Ourselves to Death," which I consider a better book. I went back and read Technopoly, because it is (for better or for worse) in many respects a classic in the field. After reading "Disappearance" and "Objections," I've found that Postman does a good job maintaining a basic premise or thesis throughout all of his books.
In technopoly, Postman offers an interesting perspective on those who would "gaze on technology as a lover does on his beloved," known as technophiles, and those who are on the other end of the spectrum, I'll call them technocritics. This is a book that clearly defines the potential problems that we may incur if we blindly allow technology to answer society's most pressing questions.
As a quantitative researcher, who recognizes that a qualitative approach is sometimes necessary to tease out the richness of data (perhaps later to be empirically tested), I really enjoyed Postman's perspectives in the chapter titled "Scientism." In this chapter, and throughout the whole book, Postman included wonderful little vignettes: "Freud once sent a copy of one of his books to Einstein, asking for his evaluation of it. Einstein replied that he thought the book was exemplary but was not qualified to judge its scientific merit."
I see there are several other reviews, and so as not to make mine too long, let me end with this summation: Postman is a good writer and he's got lots of interesting threads of reasoning in this book. Not all of his arguments have a tremendous amount of backing, but you will gain valuable persepectives that you may not have thought of/about previously. From that standpoint, and the fact that his paperbacks aren't extremely expensive, I recommend adding it to your shopping basket.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Fear of Technology Conquering Culture
Comment: Neil Postman was indeed a celebrity within the mediating sphere where academic resources meets literary preferences meets sardonic humor. From the great breakthrough with the pulse-taking, entertainment industry icon of serious irony from the mid-80's; "Amusing Ourselves to Death", does "Technopoly" provide a brilliant link to our present society concerning the extensive take over from the diverse technocratic spots to a gathering world of technological artifacts, techniques, languages and behavior.
This book was written before the major breakthrough of World Wide Web, and certainly before Internet became an ordinary information device connected and used in every family home. Especially the latter point is important to grasp, because one of the deep concerns in this book is the flooding of unnecessary information. The lack of information, claims Postman, has never been a source to conflict. The problem is more truly the complexity of professions and the variety of information channels. In addition to this is of course the human limitation of receiving relevant information. Whether it is entertainment, commercials, scientific populism or just plain methodological junk, the problem rises when the really informative and giving information gets lost in the never ending stream of more or less serious news, advertising and "knowledge".
"Technopoly" is above all a book that tries to describe and explain how culture is loosing the war against technology. Postman goes through a wide range of themes to mainframe these losses, and succeeds extraordinary well. The historic aspect is one perspective that Postman deliberates with careful hands. He does not go too far in romanticizing the past, or singing about "glory days", but keeps his position quite tight and narrow concentrated on the main development agendas. From Gutenberg to The New York Times, tower clocks in 14th century Italy to scientific taylorism, and lots of more examples, Postman draws almost straight lines between producing and consuming technology as medium between mankind and culture. Further on he moves through the break down in control mechanisms, especially concentrated towards the rivers of stupid illuminations, quasi-scientific research, the use of intelligence tests, lie detectors, machine technology, medical technology and the moral - not the technological! - ineffectiveness of present bureaucracy. The range of Postman's references is sometimes very complicated, and you have to be in position of rather heavy thesis of social knowledge. On the other hand "Technopoly", both in terms of profession and style, sort of reflects the complexity of flexible interpretation views when it comes to channeling the relevant variables for understanding socio-technical development.
The underlining graph of Postmans book is that the technological agenda has overruled morality and traditional values concerning production and distribution of knowledge. Technology itself is no longer only a tool for social systems to function within the industrial way of thought, but also a goal for society. More technology in every area is meant to improve the conditions of for example politics, finance and living in general. Few are questioning the darker sides of this development, where humans instead of coping with actual problems, redefine them to be a matter of adequate technological equipment or scientific progress. Something is lost in between the problem risen from human inadequacy in dealing with human problems, and the blind belief in that better technology or science will set things right and everybody's home free. We believe that technology is the golden key to solving in example our instant need of more time, and that technological gadgets produced to make our lives easier actually does so, by all matters.
Another warning from Postman is our belief in technology as final judge in complicated cultural challenges. The transition from religion to science is just a shift from one set of dogmas to another. Reason and revelation are ultimately interconnected with the existing levels of scientific research and development (often named R & D). Computer technology is one of the many versions of technological tyranny Postman attacks, primarily because of humanly developed programs for computers to value the behavior of men and women. The legitimacy of so-called intelligence tests is trashed by Neil Postman's verdict, according to the fact that these tests do not express anything more than the outcome of what the test says it does. At best, they measure a person's ability to respond to a number of intricate theoretical logics. But it has nothing to do with intelligence. Secondly, Postman deliberates the value of medical technology, where it may derive propositions of how to treat physiological deviations, but has no other function. The moral aspect of medical technology is all in all in the hands of pharmaceutical industry and common faith. Thirdly, in connection to these two particular points, the existence of "scientism" is nothing else than a transformation of religion. Everything that is hidden under the carpet of projects fulfilling scientific acquirements is acknowledged as one step closer to the absolute truth. This is rubbish, writes Postman, and says further that nothing in human spiritual life can be arranged as scientific material. It may be good or bad documentation of situations and ideas, but never sheer scientism.
In the final chapter Postman proposes a solution to the ever growing technological dictatorship surrounding us, and brings forward a way of though every human being should use when threatened by unnecessary technological crap. Cultural resilience with cynical utilization of the good sides of our technological world is the formal answer, but, there is of course more to it of which I will not reveal here.
My mood after reading "Technopoly" is thrilling if we watch the last ten years in comparison. The extension of the Internet, satellite controlled mechanisms, GPS-systems and the explosion of cell phone use, the involvement of technological knowledge in every field of work, the succeeding of science as God instead of religion, and not to forget the faith in more information via technological tools as salvation for human misdeeds, somewhat confirms Postman's prophecies about his lack of hope for a less techno-based society.
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Title: Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman ISBN: 0140094385 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: November, 1986 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The End Of Education : Redefining the Value of School by Neil Postman ISBN: 0679750312 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 29 October, 1996 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: The Disappearance of Childhood by Neil Postman ISBN: 0679751661 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 02 August, 1994 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Teaching As a Subversive Activity by Neil Postman ISBN: 0385290098 Publisher: Delta Pub. Date: 15 July, 1971 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Building a Bridge to the 18th Century : How the Past Can Improve Our Future by Neil Postman ISBN: 0375701273 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 10 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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