Amusing Ourselves to Death：Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Inthiseloquentandpersuasivebook,NeilPostmanexaminesthedeepandbroadeffectsoftelevisioncultureonthemannerinwhichweconductourpublicaffairs,onhow"entertainmentvalues"havecorruptedtheverywaywethink.Aspolitics,news,religion,education,andcommercearegivenexpressionlessandlessintheformofprintedorspokenwords,theyarerapidlybeingreshapedandstagedtosuittherequirementsoftelevision.Andbecausetelevisionisavisualmedium,whoseimagesaremostpleasurablyapprehendedwhentheyarefast-movinganddynamic,discourseontelevisiontakestheformofentertainment.Televisionhaslittletoleranceforargument,hypothesis,orexplanationitdemandsperformingart.Mr.Postmanarguesthatpublicdiscourse,theadvancingofargumentsinlogicalorderforthepublicgood-oncethehallmarkofAmericanculture-isbeingconvertedfromexpositionandexplanationtoentertainment.