The Soft Edge: Natural History and Future of the Information Revolution eBook: Paul Levinson: Amazon.de: Kindle-Shop

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According to Paul Levinson, it would be improper to portray information technology as the cause of change in our world. However, Levinson clarifies that its role in enabling change can hardly be overestimated. He also points out--through riveting examples--that inventions have unintended consequences and uses. Why is it, for example, that the move from polytheism to monotheism failed when attempted by the pharaoh Ikhnaton, yet took solid root among the Hebrews who were taken out of Egypt by Moses only about 150 years later? Levinson argues that communication technology played a key role: The awkward Egyptian hieroglyphics failed to carry the ideology as well as the Hebrew alphabetic system. From there, Levinson examines the early social changes that became possible because of what the author calls "the first digital medium"--the alphabet. He considers how the Reformation, economic and political movements, and the scientific revolution were largely enabled by the printing press. He then discusses the influence of photographic communications and electronic technology such as the telegraph, the telephone, and broadcasting.

Levinson devotes the second half of the book to our present digital revolution, from word processing to the Internet and beyond. One of his key points is that new technology doesn't necessarily displace the old so much as it expands it. Therefore, he doesn't see any end to using paper anytime soon. However, he sees great need for changes in the way we view creative rights. He proposes what he calls an"electronic watermark" for intellectual property--a universal patent number that will be embedded in intellectual property and will notify users in any medium of the property's creators. Levinson puts forth his ideas in a manner that is both formal and engaging. He has a knack for making his reader feel intelligent and respected--and never more so than when he looks at issues of ethics and a speculative future.

From Kirkus Reviews

The ``soft edge'' of the title refers to the intangibles surrounding technology's impact on society. The second half of this overview of the development of information techonology gets mired down in elaborating on this definition, to the study's detriment. The ``natural history'' offered by Levinson, an educator and writer (New School for Social Research) takes the study of information from the dawn of written language to word processing, showing, for instance, how radio, which would presumably be replaced by television, survived by finding its niche with rock 'n' roll--something TV could never offer on the same scale. The implications that Levinson derives from the first part of his study, stressing the ways in which new media have always had a profound impact on human society, are often thought-provoking though sometimes unconvincing. For instance, Levinson ties the success of monotheism to the Israelites, who had an alphabet, as opposed to earlier monotheistic Egyptians, who had hieroglyphics and, thus, lower literacy rates. However, the assertion that the ancient Egyptians ever were monotheistic is only a theory, and is not substantial enough to build yet other theories on, which Levinson repeatedly attempts to do. Further pitfalls await the author as he attempts to attack the World Wide Web and artificial intelligence. His arguments increasingly ignore the larger impact of new information technology on contemporary society altogether, instead addressing such seemingly unrelated topics as copyright law, author compensation, and online education. Levinson's sprawling investigation and proliferating theories lessen the strength of his clever final chapter, which uses instant coffee as an ingenious metaphor for information--you can describe it, he says, and it is an efficient way to transport a product, but if you can't taste it, what good is it? Levinson should have excised the chapters that don't tie in with his central theme. As it stands, The Soft Edge is too soft, and without taste. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Good read but short on future trends for such a long build u 11. Mai 2000

Von C. Freas

Format:Taschenbuch

I enjoyed reading The Soft Edge. I found Levinson to be a little long in his summations. I also found that his first two chapters were confusing. I was not sure of his direction or the purpose of his book. His use of mini-headings in each chapter did make each subject easier to understand. I would highly recommend this book for research in other classes. I have already used it. I did find his use of quotes from other authors leaving me wanting more. He used them to prove his arguments. Without more from that author, I was not able to accept or decline his argument. I believe his weakest part was on the future of technology. Levinson gives a great history and analysis on the impact. I found his analysis on the future small and quite unassuming.

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The soft edge: Paul Levinson's highly biased manifesto 13. April 2000

Von Noah Krell

Format:Gebundene Ausgabe

Levinson's valient attempt to transcend current systems of thought and look at the history of media from a unbiased view, failed miserably. When not referencing himself, he unsuccessfully used Darwin's theory of evolution as an analogy, taking the focus away from the points he was trying to make and confusing the ones which worked. He would have fared a lot better if he had ignored trying to make the evolution analogy fit and focused more on the details (which were severely lacking). He digressed in order to push his own theories (monotheism resulting from the inception of the alphabet) and when he was not busy with that, he utterly simplified historical events (the printed word causing the Scientific Revolution) for reasons unknown.

He studied the progression of media through the eyes of someone who has benefited from it, rather than approaching the topic objectively. I was extremely bothered by his subjectivity since the book was touted as a thorough study of media rather than the Levinson Manifesto. He covered only the basic historical facts in addition to the random conjecture about the future of media, rather than removing himself one step and looking at gender issues associated with technology and other more philosophical points.

There were a few decent nuggets of information and ideas, but they were overshadowed by the lack of writing skill (or a good editor) and subjective, self-promoting proselytizing. All-in-all, one of the worst books I have read in a long time.

See Levinson - a natural history to self aggrandizement 7. April 2000

Von Dr. Galactica

Amidst Levinson's self referential waxing philosophic, it appears he may have had a point. However, he is likely the only one who knows what it is. Levinson assumes that a large, obscure vocabulary and an uncanny ability to refer to the likes of kant and popper as though they were best friends automatically makes his outlandish conclusions digestable. His sickeningly social-darwinist libertarian capitalist theories do nothing more than to give himself credit. Purporting that technology has a natural history is a strong claim, but not being able to back that with anything above phallic symbols of masculine market dominance and repetitive slandering of Karl Marx's good name results in a mockery of an intellectual journey. Speaking of shaming a good name, I am certain Charles Darwin is rolling over in his grave. It is clear that Levinson has never even so much as skimmed the Origin of Species. If you've always wondered though, why the answering machine is a prophylactic or why the alphabet caused monotheism, perhaps this misguided manifesto is for you. Otherwise, read McLuhan for actual 1st hand original ideas about Technology and the Media.