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The Cult of Information is a book of warnings. It is a humanist's response to computer technology entering our lives at an ever growing pace. Broad in scope and rich in historical detail, the analysis focuses on the emergent system of beliefs about the computer rather than the impact of the technology itself. By listening to scientists as well as politicians, corporate managers along with educators, people selling the machines and those using them, Roszak maps out the main lines of folk wisdom. He then offers a sombre critique of what he finds to be an altogether confused vision of the machine.
The main thrust of his attack is against those who believe that computers can replace human beings, whether as teachers, experts, or decision - makers. Put simply, Roszak wishes to rescue our fundamental strength as creative thinkers and to put the computer in its proper place: that is, as our tool. Along the way, he takes the reader through a rather complex terrain of philosophy, epistemology, and cognitive science in order to show just how, and how gradually, did we come to value information over knowledge. Sociologists should be forewarned; we do not receive high marks here.
Since The Cult of Information first appeared, in 1986, the need to reflect on the role of...