John Durham Peters
Communication plays a vital and unique role in society-often blamed for problems when it breaks down and at the same time heralded as a panacea for human relations. A sweeping history of communication, ,Speaking Into the Air, illuminates our expectations of communication as both historically specific and a fundamental knot in Western thought.,"This is a most interesting and thought-provoking book. . . . Peters maintains that communication is ultimately unthinkable apart from the task of establishing a kingdom in which people can live together peacefully. Given our condition as mortals, communication remains not primarily a problem of technology, but of power, ethics and art." â€”Antony Anderson, ,New Scientist,"Guaranteed to alter your thinking about communication. . . . Original, erudite, and beautifully written, this book is a gem." â€”,Kirkus Reviews,"Peters writes to reclaim the notion of authenticity in a media-saturated world. It's this ultimate concern that renders his book a brave, colorful exploration of the hydra-headed problems presented by a rapid-fire popular culture." â€”,Publishers Weekly,What we have here is a failure-to-communicate book. Funny thing is, it communicates beautifully. . . . ,Speaking Into the Air, delivers what superb serious books always do-hours of intellectual challenge as one absorbs the gradually unfolding vision of an erudite, creative author." â€”Carlin Romano, ,Philadelphia Inquirer
Nonfiction,History,Language,Communication,Philosophy,Academic,Science,Technology,Cultural,Academic,Grad School,Sociology,Academic,Academia
Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication