--------------------
Introduction
The dynamics of our world are changing dramatically and in some respects, uncontrollably. I say “world” and not society because the effects of the revolution in information are realized within the entire realm of reality and not just human interactions with each other, or peoples’ interactions with others. This idea is the culmination to which Albert Borgmann’s chronicle of information, “Holding On to Reality,” strives. As I began my accompaniment of his thoughts, I was under the impression that the book would be focused on the negative impacts of technology on our existence in the twenty-first century. In actuality, Borgmann’s purpose followed the advice of many an enlightened psychologist in its reinforcement of the positive aspects of information that we have forgotten and must refocus ourselves on to reclaim the true meaning in reality. He starts at an almost certainly irreducible level and establishes that, “Intelligence provided, a person is informed by a sign about some thing in a certain context” (Borgmann 38). This relation, as he describes it, is composed of the five bolded elements which he defines and frequently refers to. The level of detail and exemplification he provides is both rigorous and unique in its own right, despite the apparent straightforwardness of the subject matter.
Overview
Borgmann addresses information before the rise of technology on two accounts, natural information and cultural information. Whereas the former is solely dependent on the world for the definition of its meaning, the latter requires humanity to assign the meaning and relationship between signs and things. He examines the progressions of the production and realization of cultural information from the earliest examples of language to the permanence of writing that language down. In particular he focuses on Plato’s opinions on the advent of written language, mainly its effects on society and learning. It can be reasonably assumed that he agrees with Plato, that writing information down diminishes and replaces the need for intelligence and memory. The acquisition of knowledge is devalued by the readiness of information to jump off a page (or tablet). The three forms of the realization of information that Borgmann focuses on are reading, performing and building. It is at this point that he introduces his concepts of structure and contingency. Contingency by his definition emanates from the realization of structure giving one the experience necessary to fully appreciate structured information. The third section approaches technology from the same angle as his previous subjects, from the bottom up. He builds upon basic physics and mathematics, to digital logic, to the invention of the transistor and the advent of the personal computer. At this point he tends to contrast technological information with natural and cultural information and begins to offer his point of view on the role of technology in the cheapening of information as a whole.
The Contingency
Borgmann presents in this text a wealth of knowledge that is both staggering to behold and difficult to process. To glean the tone, theme and purpose from this work requires not only a careful eye and attentive mind (most likely intentionally given the results of this search), but also patience as he does not begin to address any familiar ground until the third section of the book. Upon reaching his concluding remarks however, it becomes clear that despite the apparent extreme opposition of technology present throughout much of the work, he merely longs for moderation. Unfortunately moderation in current society is as limited in its presence as relying on the stars for navigation. I related to his feelings at first on the basis of the conversation we had in class, regarding the appreciation of music as a form of art, but realized that his conjecture ran deeper to the true value of music as a form of information, both in structure and contingency. Music has no value when lacking in either the structure that gives it form or the realization of its existence via performance. The alternative in today’s digital world is a representation of the frequencies of the sound waves as numbers corresponding to amplitude of said waves being reduced to ones and zeros, effectively stripping the meaning out of the information. Of course, anyone who has attended a performance of a Shostakovich symphony or Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” can attest to the presence of more than ones and zeros. The concepts promoted today revolve around ease of use and availability; In turn, acquiring information no longer takes skill or effort and lacks the substance to be worthy of inclusion in either knowledge or meaning. I do not think this observation could be any closer to the truth. Furthermore, what other approach than the exemplification and examination of the extreme opposition would make clear the magnitude of the expanse between the original dependence on natural information and the effects of technology on our world?
Having been written in 1999 (though in this age twelve years is a substantial time period), Borgmann posed several propositions that indeed were made reality in the first decade of this millennium including the level of commercialization that took place on the internet. I tended to oppose him on several fronts regarding his presumptions about the general public’s presence on the internet, specifically regarding hackers. Whether it is a more pessimistic attitude or just a current familiarity with today’s youth, I am inclined to disagree that hackers will ever “get tired” (214) of opposing the system. I do agree however, that due to the driving force of the capitalist engine corporations will always continue to tighten their grip on the internet. The vast majority of Borgmann’s conjectures based only on examining history up through the 90s were surprisingly accurate. Technological information should exist as a supplement and facilitation of knowledge gained by experience and actual effort. Spoon feeding information to people inhibits the process of learning by teaching the learners not to think. For the sincere thinker, or possibly the curious victim of disillusionment this study of the nature of information provides ample opportunity to expand the bounds of one’s knowledge and understanding of how humans have evolved their methods of producing and realizing information. As with anything, the author’s point of view must be remembered, but Borgmann demonstrates a refreshingly unbiased position on an issue that is famously prone to prejudice.
Return to Affliction
As I have maintained in the past, the eloquence of the Christian life lies in its simplicity. While every single issue is not dealt with explicitly in the Bible, a model is demonstrated to which we may compare our thoughts and actions. Every Christian (and I may almost be inclined to say every sane person) knows what is right. Our desire to further our own goals and perpetuate our inherent selfishness is the sole, and I emphasize sole, cause of the continued argument over morality within the Christian church. Indeed, any opposition to that statement is merely evidence of being jaded to the point of ignorance by one’s own selfishness. That being said, the technology which we are familiar with obviously was not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, but that does not mean it is held to any less of a standard. It is clear that in his teachings, Jesus facilitated wisdom and the ability to think through his use of parables. In fact, the instances of disciples requesting to be spoon-fed an answer pleasantly illustrate the point of Borgmann. Jesus led each inquirer to a path from which he or she could arrive at an answer, not an answer itself, as would reasonably be expected of a teacher. As an engineering student, I am often reminded that I will have an ability to minister to people who would otherwise be unreachable via technical expertise. When the necessity is great and whether people realize it or not, they are much more inclined to listen to someone who has genuine intelligence. The same can be said of our pursuit of learning in general; we should not seek to cheapen the information from which we learn as it cheapens the knowledge which can be acquired. At no point in the Bible are we encouraged to believe that any of our lives will be easy. On the contrary, we are likely not doing what we are supposed to be if each day poses no challenges. To pursue valuable knowledge is to pursue the fulfillment and realization of the potential which we are given by grace and called to seek.
Conclusion
The sheer volume of information which is present (ironically enough) in Borgmann’s writing though at first discouraging provided an opportunity to examine any preconceptions I had regarding the nature of information and its role in our reality. A history, physics, mathematics, philosophy and ethics lesson all rolled into one source represents information itself well in its demonstration of the permeation and universality inherent in the concept. The two most prominent queues I realized as I read were most certainly the ideas of appreciation and moderation. The former refers to being able to step back to a previous age before computers could be used to accomplish all our tasks, but at the same time requires one to go beyond mere recognition of significance and arrive at a recognition of necessity. What I mean to say is that cultural and natural, what I would call experiential, information holds more weight in genuine knowledge than technological information ever could. The latter concept, moderation, is a theme which appears frequently when one sincerely examines the state of current affairs. Our society is bombarded by extremism in one form or another and we must really strive to be educated and aware enough to recognize the lack of rationality present in our culture. To truly possess knowledge, one must seek it. However tantalizing the temptation to interpret “seek” as “Google,” we must hold ourselves to a higher standard of learning that does not depend on ease of use and pure quantity of information, but on quality and sincere effort.
Borgmann addresses information before the rise of technology on two accounts, natural information and cultural information. Whereas the former is solely dependent on the world for the definition of its meaning, the latter requires humanity to assign the meaning and relationship between signs and things. He examines the progressions of the production and realization of cultural information from the earliest examples of language to the permanence of writing that language down. In particular he focuses on Plato’s opinions on the advent of written language, mainly its effects on society and learning. It can be reasonably assumed that he agrees with Plato, that writing information down diminishes and replaces the need for intelligence and memory. The acquisition of knowledge is devalued by the readiness of information to jump off a page (or tablet). The three forms of the realization of information that Borgmann focuses on are reading, performing and building. It is at this point that he introduces his concepts of structure and contingency. Contingency by his definition emanates from the realization of structure giving one the experience necessary to fully appreciate structured information. The third section approaches technology from the same angle as his previous subjects, from the bottom up. He builds upon basic physics and mathematics, to digital logic, to the invention of the transistor and the advent of the personal computer. At this point he tends to contrast technological information with natural and cultural information and begins to offer his point of view on the role of technology in the cheapening of information as a whole.
The Contingency
Borgmann presents in this text a wealth of knowledge that is both staggering to behold and difficult to process. To glean the tone, theme and purpose from this work requires not only a careful eye and attentive mind (most likely intentionally given the results of this search), but also patience as he does not begin to address any familiar ground until the third section of the book. Upon reaching his concluding remarks however, it becomes clear that despite the apparent extreme opposition of technology present throughout much of the work, he merely longs for moderation. Unfortunately moderation in current society is as limited in its presence as relying on the stars for navigation. I related to his feelings at first on the basis of the conversation we had in class, regarding the appreciation of music as a form of art, but realized that his conjecture ran deeper to the true value of music as a form of information, both in structure and contingency. Music has no value when lacking in either the structure that gives it form or the realization of its existence via performance. The alternative in today’s digital world is a representation of the frequencies of the sound waves as numbers corresponding to amplitude of said waves being reduced to ones and zeros, effectively stripping the meaning out of the information. Of course, anyone who has attended a performance of a Shostakovich symphony or Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” can attest to the presence of more than ones and zeros. The concepts promoted today revolve around ease of use and availability; In turn, acquiring information no longer takes skill or effort and lacks the substance to be worthy of inclusion in either knowledge or meaning. I do not think this observation could be any closer to the truth. Furthermore, what other approach than the exemplification and examination of the extreme opposition would make clear the magnitude of the expanse between the original dependence on natural information and the effects of technology on our world?
Having been written in 1999 (though in this age twelve years is a substantial time period), Borgmann posed several propositions that indeed were made reality in the first decade of this millennium including the level of commercialization that took place on the internet. I tended to oppose him on several fronts regarding his presumptions about the general public’s presence on the internet, specifically regarding hackers. Whether it is a more pessimistic attitude or just a current familiarity with today’s youth, I am inclined to disagree that hackers will ever “get tired” (214) of opposing the system. I do agree however, that due to the driving force of the capitalist engine corporations will always continue to tighten their grip on the internet. The vast majority of Borgmann’s conjectures based only on examining history up through the 90s were surprisingly accurate. Technological information should exist as a supplement and facilitation of knowledge gained by experience and actual effort. Spoon feeding information to people inhibits the process of learning by teaching the learners not to think. For the sincere thinker, or possibly the curious victim of disillusionment this study of the nature of information provides ample opportunity to expand the bounds of one’s knowledge and understanding of how humans have evolved their methods of producing and realizing information. As with anything, the author’s point of view must be remembered, but Borgmann demonstrates a refreshingly unbiased position on an issue that is famously prone to prejudice.
Return to Affliction
As I have maintained in the past, the eloquence of the Christian life lies in its simplicity. While every single issue is not dealt with explicitly in the Bible, a model is demonstrated to which we may compare our thoughts and actions. Every Christian (and I may almost be inclined to say every sane person) knows what is right. Our desire to further our own goals and perpetuate our inherent selfishness is the sole, and I emphasize sole, cause of the continued argument over morality within the Christian church. Indeed, any opposition to that statement is merely evidence of being jaded to the point of ignorance by one’s own selfishness. That being said, the technology which we are familiar with obviously was not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, but that does not mean it is held to any less of a standard. It is clear that in his teachings, Jesus facilitated wisdom and the ability to think through his use of parables. In fact, the instances of disciples requesting to be spoon-fed an answer pleasantly illustrate the point of Borgmann. Jesus led each inquirer to a path from which he or she could arrive at an answer, not an answer itself, as would reasonably be expected of a teacher. As an engineering student, I am often reminded that I will have an ability to minister to people who would otherwise be unreachable via technical expertise. When the necessity is great and whether people realize it or not, they are much more inclined to listen to someone who has genuine intelligence. The same can be said of our pursuit of learning in general; we should not seek to cheapen the information from which we learn as it cheapens the knowledge which can be acquired. At no point in the Bible are we encouraged to believe that any of our lives will be easy. On the contrary, we are likely not doing what we are supposed to be if each day poses no challenges. To pursue valuable knowledge is to pursue the fulfillment and realization of the potential which we are given by grace and called to seek.
Conclusion
The sheer volume of information which is present (ironically enough) in Borgmann’s writing though at first discouraging provided an opportunity to examine any preconceptions I had regarding the nature of information and its role in our reality. A history, physics, mathematics, philosophy and ethics lesson all rolled into one source represents information itself well in its demonstration of the permeation and universality inherent in the concept. The two most prominent queues I realized as I read were most certainly the ideas of appreciation and moderation. The former refers to being able to step back to a previous age before computers could be used to accomplish all our tasks, but at the same time requires one to go beyond mere recognition of significance and arrive at a recognition of necessity. What I mean to say is that cultural and natural, what I would call experiential, information holds more weight in genuine knowledge than technological information ever could. The latter concept, moderation, is a theme which appears frequently when one sincerely examines the state of current affairs. Our society is bombarded by extremism in one form or another and we must really strive to be educated and aware enough to recognize the lack of rationality present in our culture. To truly possess knowledge, one must seek it. However tantalizing the temptation to interpret “seek” as “Google,” we must hold ourselves to a higher standard of learning that does not depend on ease of use and pure quantity of information, but on quality and sincere effort.
------------------------------
For the record, I think that Google and Wikipedia are amazing. They have saved my life on several occasions, but sometimes is just feels wrong to have that much at your finger tips.
No comments:
Post a Comment