Sunday, January 28, 2007

say it ain't so

I was reading this article from the InformationWeek Weblog, and I was a little shaken by this comment (the context of the comment is a discussion of the technological ignorance of today's society):

"I accept for the most part that we are either amid or in the early throes of a post-literate society."

A post-literate society? I know people don't read the paper as much as they used to (or at all in a lot of cases), but...a post-literate society? Sure, a lot of people tend to be generally stupid, but...a post-literate society?!? The fact that we, as a society, could regress to a state of 'post-literacy' is practically terrifying. Have things really gotten that bad?

I realize this doesn't have all that much to do with science, but I'd be interested in hearing people's thoughts. (A post-literate society? Say it ain't so!)

6 comments:

Christina said...

I believe it. T.S. Eliot was a superstar when he was alive. Now Kelly Clarkson is a supersatar. I don't even know if it's that people are dumber, I think we have the same number of dumb people, just that TV is a much easier way to get your information and entertainment than books are. Hence post-literate.

Dave said...

I can see that...I may have been misinterpreting the term "post-literate," because the way you describe it makes more sense.

Scott said...

I think people are dumber today. Or rather, there are less smart people. Or rather, we are letting the dumb people talk too much.

I think there is little doubt that we are in a post-literate era. Not only do people get their information from outlets that do not require reading, but I think people are less proficient at evaluating information they receive and coming up with their own ideas. The American education system has veered too far from the fundamentals of education, leaving some students with positive practical life skills, but little background with which to evaluate the world in which they are participating. It makes me want to tear down the education system from the inside and attempt to rebuild it. Education isn't about facts and information. It is about creating inquisitive, well-rounded, observant, objective viewers of the world. Education should be making thinkers, not sponges. But standardized tests and state and federal programs demand mediocrity from students and teachers.

The skill if reading the printed word encourages such thinking and evaluation. TV and the internet allows the viewer to shut off their brain and simply soak up the material. Reading is active.

People are dumb. It is shocking.

Christina said...

Do you mean that there are people that are less smart or that there are fewer smart people? :P

Scott said...

Both. Jerk.

See! I am a victim of a lack of fundamentals! Where was my grammar lesson?!

Actually, I had that and probably learned (and taught) that distinction. Alas, I might actually have a fault or two. But fewer than most. Er less....

Dave said...

Fewer. One has fewer of something with a finite quantity (like faults) and less of something without a finite quantity (like intelligence).

Come now people.