IntenseDebate - AndreaLeshak

14 years ago @ Socratic Politics in D... - Technological Rational... · 0 replies · +1 points

Thanks for raising this point. Dyson's view does seem to suggest that technology is capable of being controlled, which may explain his somewhat radical views on climate change, i.e. that climate change is not a serious problem since (he suggests) there are ways to retroactively mitigate excessive atmospheric CO2 concentrations. In this way, Dyson may actually be taking an optimistic view of technology as well, since he seems to think that climate change could be controlled or reversed through technological advances.

14 years ago @ Socratic Politics in D... - "Analyzing Literature ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Two articles that demonstrate the rise in e-books and Google's potential to become a monopoly in this market:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technolog...
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2...

14 years ago @ Socratic Politics in D... - "Analyzing Literature ... · 0 replies · +1 points

This is an interesting post, Frank. I briefly read the article you cited in addition to one entitled, "It’s Not Just Microsoft Balking at Google’s Book Plans."

It seems that most opponents to Google creating a "potential monopoly over digital books" reference copyright issues. Yet, these critics also "virtually all agree that the settlement does a lot of good, and they don’t necessarily want it struck down. Google’s book scanning project will bring new life to millions of out-of-print books, making them available at libraries across the country, and potentially providing a new source of revenue for authors and publishers." This certainly brings up the question of Open Access, or the unrestricted access to articles in scholarly journals. There is a large sign in the main lobby of the library that describes the advantages of Open Access (especially to students like us as we write our final papers!). I think that Habermas would certainly see the value in Open Access (and Google books - since they often allow viewers to preview much of the book). Do you think the main issue is copyright infringement or the fact that Google would have a monopoly?

14 years ago @ Socratic Politics in D... - Deep Glimpses into the... · 2 replies · +3 points

As a side note - today, while I was walking to class, I overheard a conversation very relevant to our discussion of the instrumental value of a degree. One person said, "You go to college to get a degree, so you can get a job." The other said, "Exactly. College isn't all about having fun." It's interesting to see how many students do not debate whether one attends college to learn rather than to just obtain a degree. Rather, (at Penn State, at least) the debate is whether one goes to college to earn a degree or to have fun!

14 years ago @ Socratic Politics in D... - Deep Glimpses into the... · 0 replies · +2 points

This video demonstrates the types of problems that are common across American schools. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&fe...

14 years ago @ Socratic Politics in D... - Deep Glimpses into the... · 4 replies · +2 points

In class, we discussed how convenient it may be to blame the educational system for this type of academic plagiarism, rather than acknowledging that *individuals* make the choice to cheat or to view college as instrumental. Yet, while I do think that the author of this article (and his customers) conducted immoral behavior, I would have to agree that our educational system, as based on capitalist ideals of production and exchange-value, greatly influences how much we value learning vs. obtaining a degree. Unfortunately, the American educational system is suffering from more problems than just academic plagiarism. In particular, the rise of ADHD suggests that the structure of our elementary and secondary schools may not be conducive to learning for many students.

14 years ago @ Socratic Politics in D... - Buy Nothing Day - The ... · 0 replies · +1 points

To answer your question, Frank, an article in today's NYT Robust Sales for Holiday Weekend shows that the average amount of money spent per person from Thursday to Sunday increased this year. Also, this year had the highest number of shoppers on Black Friday since the survey began in 2004. Given this increase in buying and the number of shoppers, I would have to admit that Buy Nothing Day did not have a noticeable effect on consumer culture. Interestingly enough, this year, more shoppers bought gifts for themselves, rather than necessities or gifts for others. Also noteworthy was that the significance of Black Friday, as compared to other days with promotional discounts, decreased due to retailers promoting discounts on other days. As a global head of retail at a consulting firm suggested in the article, "As the retailer’s strategy has changed, so has the consumer’s behavior, right along with it.” This statement and the notable increase in buying seem to suggest that approaches like Buy Nothing Day (and Buy Nothing Christmas) are not enough to counteract the propagandizing function of advertising and the mass media.

14 years ago @ Socratic Politics in D... - America Apparently - T... · 0 replies · +1 points

This is a great video! Thanks for posting it. It certainly demonstrates what Habermas describes in the section entitled Manufactured Publicity and Nonpublic Opinion: The Voting Behavior of the Population. Habermas characterizes voters as "unpolitical and indifferent, yet demanding," which we can see exemplified in the video you posted with the common (yet meaningless) phrase "the American people want...." Further, on page 212, Habermas describes the composition of voters today as being very similar to the public entitled to vote in the bourgeois constitutional states of the nineteenth century. "Males usually vote more frequently than females, married people more frequently than the unmarried, and those who belong to the higher status groups more frequently than those belonging to the lower social strata." So the expansion of suffrage in the last century has not actually led to a more representative public opinion. And, as Habermas suggests, even the people who are voting do not form a true public opinion due to the prevalence of political marketing, or the use of advertising to manipulate the public's voting behavior. Therefore, I would have to agree with Jon Stewart that "the American people" is a meaningless phrase used only to advance specific interests.

14 years ago @ Socratic Politics in D... - A Culture-Consuming Pu... · 1 reply · +1 points

Your comparison of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment to Stephen King’s The Shining and The Godfather to Diehard brings up an interesting point. While I think you are correct that in some instances, viewing films may stimulate thought and discussion just as much as (or possibly more than) reading literature does, the National Endowment of the Arts study that I referenced clarifies the important distinction between reading literature and watching films. That is, as people, especially students, read less and engage in other forms of entertainment, not only does their ability to read and write suffer. Also, their likelihood to be a good citizen or to contribute to cultural and civic life decreases significantly (see chapter 9 of the NEA article). Therefore, I am inclined to appreciate the reading of literature more so than watching films. It will be interesting to see what happens to literature, film, and music in the future, as you point out, as there are more and more advances in multi-media.

14 years ago @ Socratic Politics in D... - The Structural Transfo... · 0 replies · +1 points

I agree that this type of discussion would be helpful. Page 129 might be a good place to start.

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