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Neil Postman is the sort of public intellectual that no longer exists. Classically educated and proud of it, conservative in spirit, tolerant in disposition. Th
by trgn 4y ago
Neil Postman is the sort of public intellectual that no longer exists. Classically educated and proud of it, conservative in spirit, tolerant in disposition. The closest we have now is obnoxious dark web trolls whose attachment to liberality is mere affectation.
- thenerdhead 4y agoI don't know of any modern equivalent. Do you have any suggestions or books to read?
- thundergolfer 4y agoThe Shallows is a direct contemporary lead-on from Postman.
- thenerdhead 4y agoYeah I read that one, Irresistible, and a couple others. There was a new one called "Stolen Focus" but it looked like a best seller than something insightful. Also the classic "Flow" talks about this problem of how people are being robbed of insight by never being able to get into the flow state. > “Control of consciousness determines the quality of life.”
- trgn 4y agoAgreed, really compelling, great writer.
- ETH_start 4y agoIn the current political climate, Postman would have become an "obnoxious dark web troll" too. Evidence of that is Rex Murphy, who shares many characteristics with Postman, including a similar reputation, who in these latter years, is in danger of being branded a "right wing troll", as a consequence of contemporary developments compelling him to write articles like this: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-the-yaniv-outrage-has-left-canada-rightly-the-laughing-stock-of-the-world https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-the-yaniv-outrag...
- trgn 4y agoThank you for sharing. I suppose you're right, maybe it's the nature of internet discourse that just pushes everybody, no matter how measured or nuanced, into a box.