Holding On to Reality

March 1, 1999
Borgmann, a philosophy professor, looks at the pros and cons of the Internet as a means of transmitting and receiving information. He sees great democratic promise in the Internet (with users unhindered by race, sex, or age, all the factors that can disadvantage in face-to-face contact) but acknowledges the continued disparity in access to computers. Borgmann gives historical context to information gathering and interpretation, citing early religious use of signs to convey information and discussing the evolution of spoken and written language. He looks at an incredible array of examples (the Bible, Plato, Ptolemy, Aristotle--everything from mathematical principles to literature) as a means of conveying information. "Borgmann examines the natural, cultural, and technological aspects of gathering and relating information and finds uncertainty and hesitancy attending every change in the way we seek to make ourselves understood. ((Reviewed March 1, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)