Product Description

The Internet: A Philosophical Inquiry offers the first concise and accessible exploration of the issues which arise as we enter further into the world of Cyberspace.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #527878 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Review
'This is a well-written, wide-ranging and above all important book.' - Doug Schuler, Seattle Community Network

From the Back Cover
`This is a well-written, wide-ranging and, above all, important book'
Doug Schuler, Seattle Community Network
`Graham has the rare ability to raise provocative issues in a non-technical way'
Steve Fuller, University of Durham

The Internet: A Philosophical Inquiry develops many of the themes Gordon Graham presented in his highly successful radio series, The Silicon Society. Exploring the tensions between the warnings of the Neo-Luddites and the bright optimism of the Technophiles, Graham offers the first concise and accessible exploration of the issues which arise as we enter further into the world of Cyberspace.
This original and fascinating study takes us to the heart of questions that none of us can afford to ignore: how does the Internet affect our concepts of identity, moral anarchy, censorship, community, democracy, virtual reality and imagination?
Free of jargon and full of stimulating ideas, this is essential reading for anyone wishing to think clearly and informatively about th

Customer Reviews

This is an extremely handy book...
...This is an extremely handy book for investigating the impact of the Internet in terms that should not baffle the technically illiterate but might confuse philosophical layman as it does rely on some of the terminologies we often take for granted in cultural studies - if it didn't this book could easily be about 500 pages too long. What is best about this book is how the author cites very relevant core texts and explains them in a extremely accessible manner that is nuanced sufficiently to invite further examination. As I feel the area of "Internet Studies" will become a subject all its own - and coming to a University near you (if it hasn't already)- this is required reading for all. My only suggestion - and not a complaint - is that some of the assumptions the author centers in his argument are often taken too uncritically, but alas I feel that these are obvious enough to generate excellent discussions that should profit the discipline for years to come. I wish more books were as sober and thought provoking when dealing with the Internet as this.

Philosophical digging without getting heavy
Having worked in new media for some time, I was looking for a book which discusssed the merits of the Internet and the impact it is having and will have from a sociological point of view. This is it.

Like all good philosophy texts, this book asks many more questions than it tries to answer, but as a thorough grounding in the fundamentals without ladling on the heavy stuff this is an excellent introduction and easy bedtime reading.

It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement and race to Internet nirvana (and equally easy to pour scorn on it as well). This book should be required reading for anyone who feels the need to comment so that they are at least a little more informed.