Rating: 
Summary: "The Book We'd All Love to Hate"
Review: This book has such truth to it , it almost scares whoever has the opportunity to read it. This author has hit the nail on the head that we as Americans don't need to "READ" anylonger, we can turn on the "Boob Tube" and get any opinion that we want. He has certainly opened my eyes to the fact that TV has become entertainment, not news! What a scarey thought!
Rating: 
Summary: Technology and philosophy; history and analysis
Review: I agree with some other reviewers that Postman repeats himself occasionally, some of his information is dated and that some of his conclusions are obvious.That said, I think the book is very interesting, in particular, by showing the historical progression from typography to television in America. One of Postman's constant themes is to contrast Aldous Huxley's, "Brave New World," (1936) and George Orwell's, "1984," (1948). Orwell's novel is probably the more famous of the two; Government suppression of people, big Brother, the Party, banned books and the like are the reigning ideas. However, in Huxley's novel, people are uninterested in truth, pacified by pleasure and do not want to read. Postman rightly says Orwell's vision is restricted to countries such as China, North Korea, and the former Soviet Union. The danger for Western democracies is Huxley's world. If you have not read these two novels, I would encourage you to read them. Cultural references to, "1984," abound and, "Brave New World," although not as well known is equally important. Postman starts by discussing what media does to us in our understanding of truth, ideas and the like (i.e. epistemology). The philosophical impact of television vs. print is one of the most important points in the book. It serves as a specific example to illustrate the principle that the medium (or technology) is NOT neutral; certain types of media encourage certain habits of the mind. The historical discussion covers the late 17th century to the mid 19th century. In this period, print was the only medium (besides oral communication) to be used in America. The result was that authors were famous, politicians were known by their WRITING, there were unprecedented levels of literacy and education was wide spread and popular. Postman gives one particularly interesting example from a series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858. Their opening statements were three hours, and there were lengthy involved rebuttals. That the public could listen to and understand hours of complex political argumentation tell us much about the audience of that time. Some of Postman's conclusions on the implications print culture: - rationality encouraged - characterized by a coherent, orderly arrangement of facts and ideas - advertising appealed to understanding, not emotions All this is contrasted with the development of the telegraphy and the photography in the late 19th century. It was now possible to have advertisements that had no propositional content and decontexualize information and transport small pieces of information very rapidly. The philosophical implications of this are great. With the spreading of much irrelevant information, impotent information and information that is incoherent, the ability to develop a worldview is damaged (worldview: a comprehensive way of understanding all of reality). The second section of the book examines the implications of television for religion, politics and education. It is interesting but again, somewhat dated. One of the best points he makes over and over again is that television is very good at entertainment however, it cannot be made to be a vehicle for serious discourse. Television, as a medium, with frequent commercial breaks, a focus on style over substance etc cannot be used to properly discuss important issues. It is unfortunate that Postman could not update the book to include e-mail, the Internet and the other new media that have been developed since the mid 1980's. I enjoyed reading the history sections and the parts of other chapters that discussed the philosophical consequences of using different media (primarily print vs. electronic) most in the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Written to fill space
Review: I'm deeply concerned that the chair of the communcations dept. for a major university wrote this work. Not because of the banal message, but because of the terrible writing style of the author. After a few chapters, I found myself counting the times he used the word "epistomology". I got the impression he was trying to fill space in order to make a book of credible length. Futhermore, most of his conclusions are either painfully self-evident or easily shown to be misguided. I could have made the same mundane observations in a few pages that the author took an entire book to pace over, back and forth.
Rating: 
Summary: Still valid, 15 years on
Review: Until a better treatment of television's all-pervasive influence on modern-postmodern culture comes along, this is required reading for anyone who wants to get a handle on modern culture. Postman would surely criticise this form of review, short and fragmentary as it is, but I want to add my voice to the chorus recommendations here. Read and reflect.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Relevant but Dated
Review: The Internet, Video Gaming, DVDs/videos/Blockbuster, Napster, cable television, digital television, palm pilots, laptops: despite its mid-1980's genesis, this witty, astute, rational, fast-reading analysis of how Television is Destroying American Democracy Today remains largely valid in 2001. The newer technologies (changing so swiftly, the outcomes cannot possibly be predicted) might be less noxious to Print Culture than television itself--or they might become even more noxious than television! The fact that Amazon.com features so many reasonably intelligent and literate book reviews may be a radiant sign of hope. (On the other hand, if one reads too many of them, perhaps they inspire despair... No--so many ARE informed and literate, I've been heartened. Haven't you? Be honest!)
Rating:
Summary: A Dated But Brilliant Critique.
Review: Postman's _Amusing Ourselves to Death_ was published in 1985. A lot has changed in fifteen years. Satellite dishes have rapidly expanded the choices of consumers who have grown up with the television as the centerpiece of family life. The internet has created a new virtual culture, redefining our understanding of "community." What has not changed is the continuing effect that the medium of television has had on public discourse. One need only reflect on the media spectacle of the Bush-Gore election, the OJ Simpson circus, or the Columbine tragedy to see that Postman's thesis remains essentially intact. Television has transformed the way we speak about politics, religion, and education, and not for the better. Entertainment is the new epistemology of the West, where the drive to delight and amuse displaces concern for critical reflection and substantive speech. It would be interesting were Postman to update this book with reflections on how the internet would alter or confirm his Huxleyian fears. The book is very well written, a delight to read for anyone interested in exploring the tragic loss of substance in public communication. Postman is serious and concerned, but his manner does not lose sight of the humor of life. Just a sampling from the book, my favorite quote: "Not long ago, I saw Billy Graham join with Shecky Green, Red Buttons, Dionne Warwick, Milton Berle and other theologians in a tribute to George Burns, who was celebrating himself for surviving eighty years in show business. The Reverend Graham exchanged one-liners with Burns about making preparations for Eternity. Although the Bible makes no mention of it, the Reverend Graham assured the audience that God loves those who make people laugh. It was an honest mistake. He merely mistook NBC for God." (5) Pick up this book, and after it be sure to read _Technopoly_, a fine sequel that expands Postman's critique of our technocratic culture.
Rating:
Summary: The Decline of a Thinking Soceity
Review: Television as a moderate used form of entertainment is a good thing. But an overdose of popular television is detrimental to most viewers ability to grow intellectually and their ability to think in a discerning, informed manner. Because it is so visual, it by nature can cause one's brain to be placed in neutral, and then message after message is fed into one's psyche. For too many in our culture, TV is now the gospel truth. Whatever they hear or see is their touch with reality, in their mind. They are thus closed minded and limited. Oh, those will respond how about all the good stuff? Discover and A&E documentaries and such. These are the good stuff, truly, which if chosen discriminately will provide much for the chranium to chew on. But this isn't the popular channels of choice. Postman demystifies this medium by showing how it rather seeks to recreate and degrade our concepts of news, politics and religion. Most our unaware of this manipulation and so are the prime candidates for its persuasion. Let the viewer beware. This is a classic. Turn off the tv and read a book. Or watch a TV special on a subject, then buy a good book on the topic.
Rating:
Summary: With hindsight, still excellent
Review: A few reviewers have pointed out that Postman's 1984 predictions have turned out to be "wrong" (I mean look at the internet!-- they say). Well, most of America still watches plenty of television, and a large part of America still doesn't use the internet, and television sure isn't getting any smarter. Postman may have been wrong in failing to predict that a new technology (the web) would now have the potential to improve our public discourse in some ways, but his criticisms of television still stand. And TV's stranglehold on the American mind hasn't exactly been broken yet.
Rating:
Summary: A user's manual for your television
Review: I grew up watching a lot of television but then, as an adult, lived without a TV for about 20 years. I grudgingly bought one TV (and a VCR) in 1997. I don't like TV on the whole and watch only about 2 or 3 hours of it a week. Neil Postman's book is a very good analysis of television's detrimental effects on its viewers and our society. This isn't so much about the content of TV programs (though that is often very bad), but the nature of television as a medium of communication; the subtle way it effects our view of reality, our epistemology. Television is certainly not going to go away. This book is good reading for those who want to put TV in its place and be aware of the problems with seeing too much of the world through a television camera.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book!
Review: While I was a freshman, my sociology professor asked us to read this book. I didn't think I was going to like it at all but boy was i wrong. This book is so intersting that you will finish it faster than you think. Neil Postman is a renknowned sociologist/writer. His work is amazing and true. While I do not have as much academic experience as some of the other reviewers, I can tell you that i liked it. It was good and I couldn't put it down. PS I never sold the book back at the end of the semester.
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