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Subject: Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion on Walker Percy

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  • From: "Eckert, Robert G SPC MIL USA FORSCOM" <robert.g.eckert AT us.army.mil>
  • To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [percy-l] College Essays
  • Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:32:19 -0500

Wade,

You are certainly right about the depth of text messages.

One thing communications technology is doing is bringing into being and
expanding DeChardin's "Noosphere" (comparable to Peirce's thirdness.)

For good and ill, we are practically never outside of the communication
network--"can you hear me now?"

There are not too many places in the world left that cannot be accessed from
anywhere by relatively inexpensive cell phones.

The expansion of communication shrinks the world community. This can lead to
greater peace and it can facilitate the clashing of civilizations. Business
relationships and religious conflicts can occur between people who live on
opposite sides of the globe.

I try to share DeChardin's optimism regarding human nature, that this
increasing convergance will lead to good things, not bad, to community, not
clash.

Bob


----- Original Message -----
From: Wade Riddick <wriddick AT usa.net>
Date: Thursday, October 16, 2008 12:07
Subject: Re: [percy-l] College Essays
To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
<percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>


> >I wonder if kids are writing less, or just different. If texting is
> >writing, then they are doing an awful lot of it.
> >
>
> I don't think there's much depth or self-reflection that occurs in
> 'texting' - at least compared to regular writing. I don't know.
> I just
> wouldn't wait for a socratic dialogue to pop out of my cell phone.
> It's
> like waiting for the room of typing monkey's to pop out Shakespeare.
>
> It's ironic. People need to read and write more to achieve
> greater depth
> and yet technology has chopped up words into their smallest emissions,
> emptied of nuance and complexity. We're speaking more and saying
> less.Due to the limits of our thumbs and the size of a keyboard
> that can fit in
> our pocket, we even have to compress the spelling of our words.
> What'snext? Hieroglyphics?
>
> I, for one, don't have faith that "new" communications
> technologies will
> usher in some sort of improved social order. We're reshuffling
> deck chairs
> on the Titanic, hoping this magically produces a new life raft.
> Interestgroups can hijack just about any means of communication.
> We're lead where
> we want to get lead. If we're unwilling to invest in our own thought
> processes, we shouldn't be surprised down the road when we get
> outfoxed by
> ourselves.
>
>
> --
> An archive of all list discussion is available at
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
>
> Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy




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