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6:00 PM-7:30 PM, EST

Neil Postman - Amusing Ourselves to Death

Discussion Group|Philosophy Club

  • Goethe-Institut Boston, Boston, MA

  • Language English

Photo of an open book laying on a table Colourbox

Photo of a stack of books next to an open book laying on a table against a black background Colourbox

Originally published in 1985, this groundbreaking polemic about the corrosive effects of television on our politics and public discourse has been hailed as a twenty-first-century book published in the twentieth century. Now, with television joined by more sophisticated electronic media—from the Internet to cell phones to DVDs—it has taken on even greater significance.Amusing Ourselves to Deathis a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment. It is also a blueprint for regaining control of our media, so that they can serve our highest goals.
Our discussion will focus on Postman’s critical analysis of media, temporal structures, and argumentation and how it can be applied to our present situation.
(The discussion will take place in English.)

Bruce Kaplan

Moderator

Bruce Kaplan has moderated the Goethe Philosophy Discussion group since 2011. A practicing urban planner, he received graduate training in Continental Philosophy and modern intellectual history. His independent scholarship has focused on modern intellectual history, film, architecture, urban planning, communal studies and Jewish studies. He has presented at more than a dozen academic and professional conferences on 4 continents.
 

Agenda

  • Alfred North Whitehead - Science and the Modern World

    Discussion Group | Philosophy Club

    • Goethe-Institut Boston, Boston, MA

  • Neil Postman - Amusing Ourselves to Death

    Discussion Group | Philosophy Club

    • Goethe-Institut Boston, Boston, MA

  • Frederick C. Beiser - Philosophy of Life

    Discussion Group | Philosophy Club

    • Goethe-Institut Boston, Boston, MA

  • Martin Buber - I and Thou

    Discussion Group | Philosophy Club

    • Goethe-Institut Boston, Boston, MA

  • Simone De Beauvior - The Ethics of Ambiguity

    Discussion Group | Philosophy Club

    • Goethe-Institut Boston, Boston, MA