12/18/2023 0 Comments Amusing ourselves to death book reviewI must admit that at times, I found the book disconcerting as it left me longing for the past. What is more amazing, he portends how technology will continue to erode society and culture, and when one looks at our infatuation with the internet, social media, smartphones, and other technology diversions, it’s hard to argue Postman’s point that we’re getting closer to living in a Brave New World rather than 1984. And while the book starts out a bit dry as he reviews a history of technology evolution and its impact on public discourse, it is a necessary build up to show how the technology of 1985 was enabling Huxley’s view of the future. In essence, the point of Postman’s book is to show that Huxley’s dystopian view of the future has won out over Orwell’s. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Postman continues by expounding on Huxley’s fears, that he feared “those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism” and “the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.” He wraps up with this powerful statement: As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. In a very powerful foreword, he contrasts the predictions of George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. In his book, Postman explores the effect of technology on society. Why is this amazing? The book is just as relevant now as it was in 1985, if not more so. The second, and more amazing, thing to note is that the book was written in 1985, nearly 30 years ago. The first thing to note about the book is that it is a nonfiction work discussing how technology is changing the way society functions, and not necessarily in a positive way. The book was recommended on a couple of blogs I follow and by a friend, so I figured it was a safe read. A few months ago, I picked up the Neil Postman book, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business.
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