Lost in Literature
Hi everyone! So I
have just finished reading Neil Postman’s Amusing
Ourselves to Death. Although I found
this book extremely stimulating there are still some topics I quite didn’t
comprehend. I do have to admit I had to
keep a dictionary on hand for some of Postman’s rather complex vocabulary. Postman brings up epistemology (the study of
knowledge and justified belief) often throughout most of these chapters. I
quite don’t understand why Postman ties together epistemology and the media. Is
it because some people have a justified belief that media is just has effective
as reading a book or the fact that we take in pointless knowledge brought to us
by the media? I must say chapter 8 “Shuffle Off to Bethlehem” was quite eye
opening the fact that religion is now brought to us in the comfort of our own
home. I might have been a bit optimist to think that religion wouldn’t be
changed with today’s advances in technology. So I ask the question are we still
preaching to God or technology?
Yes! At times, this culture today is having trouble recognizing what is real or what is show business. Postman is trying to convey that our new epistemology is media. Chapter nine was also interesting in how televised religion is not as effective as it is off stage. That is probably why many people ignore religion because its presented in a dull way or it does not interest them. Television's sole purpose is to please its viewers so televised religion is shaped that way. This shows how television hides what is truthful and presents what is attractive
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