Theodore Roszak
The Cult of Information
A Neo-Luddite Treatise on High-Tech, Artificial Intelligence, and the True Art of Thinking
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267 pages,
April 1994, Not available in British Commonwealth; Include Canada
Categories: Sociology; Technology & Society; American Studies; History of Science
April 1994, Not available in British Commonwealth; Include Canada
Categories: Sociology; Technology & Society; American Studies; History of Science
"Mr. Roszak is a vigorous, mordant and persuasive writer. . . He warns of many genuine dangers that computers bring modern society: efficient invasion of privacy, overreliance on polling in politics and, perhaps most seriously, abdication of control over military decision-making."—James Gleick, New York Times Book Review
"The computer revolution has been overhyped and oversold to the American public, charges the author of The Making of a Counter-Culture, in what may be his best book."—Publishers Weekly
"The facts and ideas contained in this book may be ignored only at our peril."—Philip Davies Roberts, Times Higher Education Supplement
"An important analysis of the interplay between science and technology on the one hand, and the affairs of living beings on the other. Information technology is a good vehicle for the argument."—Igor Aleksander, Nature
"The computer revolution has been overhyped and oversold to the American public, charges the author of The Making of a Counter-Culture, in what may be his best book."—Publishers Weekly
"The facts and ideas contained in this book may be ignored only at our peril."—Philip Davies Roberts, Times Higher Education Supplement
"An important analysis of the interplay between science and technology on the one hand, and the affairs of living beings on the other. Information technology is a good vehicle for the argument."—Igor Aleksander, Nature
"It is obvious that we can no longer proceed developing technologies with our eyes closed to its effects on our psychic habits, social relations and even political ideas. The best eye-opening book on the subject of the implications of a computerized culture is The Cult of Information. It is nothing short of a basic book for anyone interested in knowing about the ecology of technology."—Neil Postman, author of Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology
"This thoughtful, sensitive, and sane book heralds a coming new evaluation of the role of science and technology in the affairs of the human species."—Joseph Weizenbaum, Professor of Computer Science, MIT
"This thoughtful, sensitive, and sane book heralds a coming new evaluation of the role of science and technology in the affairs of the human species."—Joseph Weizenbaum, Professor of Computer Science, MIT
As we devote ever-increasing resources to providing, or prohibiting, access to information via computer, Theodore Roszak reminds us that voluminous information does not necessarily lead to sound thinking. "Data glut" obscures basic questions of justice and purpose and may even hinder rather than enhance our productivity.
In this revised and updated edition of The Cult of Information, Roszak reviews the disruptive role the computer has come to play in international finance and the way in which "edutainment" software and computer games degrade the literacy of children. At the same time, he finds hopeful new ways in which the library and free citizens' access to the Internet and the national data-highway can turn computer technology into a democratic and liberating force. Roszak's examination of the place of computer technology in our culture is essential reading for all those who use computers, who are intimidated by computers, or who are concerned with the appropriate role of computers in the education of our children.
In this revised and updated edition of The Cult of Information, Roszak reviews the disruptive role the computer has come to play in international finance and the way in which "edutainment" software and computer games degrade the literacy of children. At the same time, he finds hopeful new ways in which the library and free citizens' access to the Internet and the national data-highway can turn computer technology into a democratic and liberating force. Roszak's examination of the place of computer technology in our culture is essential reading for all those who use computers, who are intimidated by computers, or who are concerned with the appropriate role of computers in the education of our children.
The Making of a Counter Culture, by Theodore Roszak