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Tuesday, September 3, 2019
a bridge to the 18th century Essay -- Free Essay Writer
Building a Bridge to the Eighteenth Neil Postman identifies himself as a â€Å"neo-Luddite†. What bothers Postman most is the fact that the great innovators of this time have no frame of reference other than their own experience, and that experience is only that of the 20th century. Advocates of trends such as information superhighways and economic globalization appear to know nothing of history, philosophy and culture; they live digitally in the hollow present.      Postman assesses different ideas in each chapter: Chaper One: A Bridge to the Eighteenth Century      Postman heralds the accomplishments of personalities of the 18th Century, including Goethe, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Kant, Hume, Gibbon, Paine, Jefferson, Franklin, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and Haydn, among many others. Chapter Two: Progress      Postman summarizes, â€Å"The idea of progress is a product of the Enlightenment. The eighteenth century invented it†¦ but it also criticized and doubted it and its limitations and pitfalls. Reason, when unaided and untempered by poetic insight and human feeling, turns ugly and dangerous. Chapter Three: Technology      When assessing various technological advancements, Postman encourages the reader to be question, â€Å"What is the problem to which this technology is a solution?†â€Å"Whose problem is it?†â€Å"Which people and institutions might be most ser...
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