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The Future without a Past - The Humanities in a Technological Society (Hardcover)
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The Future without a Past - The Humanities in a Technological Society (Hardcover)
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In The Future without a Past, John Paul Russo goes beyond currently
given reasons for the decline of the humanities and searches out
its root causes in the technologization of everyday life. His main
premise is that we are undergoing a transformation at the hands of
technological imperatives such as rationalization, universalism,
monism, and autonomy. The interface between ourselves and nature
has thickened to such a degree that we live increasingly within a
world of technology, not a world of nature. According to Russo,
technological values have actually eroded human values instead of
"humanizing" them. What are the implications of this significant
shift for the humanities, traditionally seen as guardian of the
human? Russo addresses this question by situating the decline of
the humanities within the larger social and historical panorama. He
explores how technological values have infiltrated the humanities
to the point of weakening their instruction and undermining their
force; at the same time, he shows how the humanities have resisted
these trends and can continue to do so. Russo believes that if we
understand how technology "works" and the nature of its powers, we
will then know in which realms it must be accepted and where it
should be resisted. Russo outlines the components of the
technological system and examines their impact on the educational
system. He also discusses the loss of historical memory, including
the so-called loss of the self and the transformation of the
library. He studies the parallels between technological and
literary values in criticism and theory, and he concludes with a
look at the writings of Don DeLillo, one of the most prominent
contemporary novelists.DeLillo's exploration of technology in
American life is matched by a powerful critique from a broadly
humanistic and religious perspective, serving to summarize the
themes of the book as a whole. The Future without a Past will
appeal to scholars and students of literary studies, intellectual
and cultural history, philosophy, ethics, media studies, and
American studies, as well as to general readers who are seeking
deeper insights into today's cultural debates.
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