In his analysis of America, Baudrillard focuses on the structures of consumption and production that have come to define American culture. He argues that America is a culture built on excess and that this excess is what drives both American consumption and production. This has led to a situation where American culture is not only … Read more
In his 1981 work Simulacra and Simulation, theorist Jean Baudrillard introduces the concepts of simulacra and simulation. For Baudrillard, simulacra and simulation are pervasive in modern society, and they have had a number of profound effects. What is the difference between simulacra and simulation? Simulation is a term that is used to describe a process … Read more
In epistemology, coherentism is a theory that justification is primarily a matter of coherence among beliefs. That is, justification is not founded on bedrock more certain than the beliefs themselves, as foundationalism claims, but rather it depends only on the logical relationships between various beliefs. In this respect, coherentism stands in opposition to foundationalism. The … Read more
Munchhausen’s Trilemma is a philosophical problem that arises from the question of how we can know that the things we experience are not just products of our imaginations. The problem is named after Baron Munchausen, a character in a 18th-century book who was famous for his many tall tales. Today, Munchausen’s Trilemma is used as … Read more
For those who don’t know, Ray Kurzweil is an American author, computer scientist, inventor, and director of engineering at Google. He has been involved in the development of many technologies, including optical character recognition (OCR), text-to-speech synthesis, and the first CCD flat-bed scanner. He is also a futurist and has been described as “the rightful … Read more
In Technopoly, Postman argues that technology has become increasingly dominant in American culture. He contends that technology has not only changed what we do but how we think about ourselves and our world. According to Postman, we have become a “technopoly”—a society in which technology is revered above all else. This worship of technology has … Read more
In his book “Conscientious Objections: Stirring Up Trouble About Language, Technology, and Education”, Neil Postman takes a critical look at the state of education in America. Postman contends that the American education system is in a state of crisis, and he attributes this to a number of factors, including the increasing use of technology in … Read more
Neil Postman was an American author, educator, media theorist, and cultural critic, who is best known for his work in the field of communications and technology. Postman’s most famous book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, is a critique of television and its impact on public discourse. In it, Postman argues that television has had a detrimental … Read more
Neil Postman offers a six-point guide on how to watch television news critically. The first step is to be aware of the fact that most news programs are structured around entertainment values rather than informational ones. This means that the goal of the news program is not necessarily to inform the viewer, but to keep … Read more
Huxley continued writing until his death in 1963 at the age of 69. His final novel, Island (1962), is set on an isolated island where people live simple lives in harmony with nature. The book promotes a libertarian socialist political philosophy and critiques modern industrial societies for their environmental destruction and social injustice. “Island” is … Read more