5 questions 1

CHAPTER 11: “The Huxleyan Warning”

1. In what way is the last chapter of Postman’s book and the Foreword of his book a frame?  Do you like the framing?  Do you think it models for us the function of an introduction and a conclusion in an argumentative essay?  How so

2.  Why is it harder to get people to see the dangers of  a Huxleyan world than an Orwellian world, according to Postman?

3. Has America fallen prey to Aldous Huxley’s “culture of distraction”? What evidence can you offer for/against this claim?

4. Has nearly ubiquitous access to the Internet and Mobile devices exacerbated our situation? Or would you argue that our nearly unlimited access to information has made us more perspicacious and helped us be more skeptical and thoughtful as citizens and consumers? Explain.

5. Do you agree/disagree with Postman’s claim that perhaps the only way to make ourselves able to control our technologies and their effects on us is through our educational system? Do you see this happening, or has technology already changed education in ways that make our ability to use it as a “defense” against the “entertainment imperative” a failing proposition?