Holding On to Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium

Abstract

In late-1990s people hear constantly about revolution. The 24-hour news channels and dizzying Internet technologies bombard people with facts and pictures from around globe. But what kind of a revolution is this? How has information really changed from what it was ten years or ten centuries ago? This work offers some answers to these questions. Albert Borgmann has written a history of information, from its inception in natural world to its role in transformation of culture - in writing and printing, in music and architecture - to late-1990s Internet mania and its attendant assets and liabilities. Drawing on history of ideas, details of information technology, and boundaries of human condition, Borgmann explains relationship between things and signs, between reality and information. His history ranges from Plato to Boeing and from alphabet to virtual reality, all while being conscious of enthusiasm, apprehension, and uncertainty that have greeted every stage of development of information. The book is underscored by humanist's fundamental belief in human excellence and by conviction that excellence is jeopardized unless we achieve a balance of information and the things and practices that have served us well and we continue to depend on for our material and spiritual well-being - grandeur of nature, splendour of cities, competence of work, fidelity to loved ones, and devotion to art or religion.

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