Books
by Walter J Ong
Orality & Literacy - The Technologizing of the Word |
Has the development of written language changed, not only the way we record knowledge, but the way we think? Are pre-literate societies not primitive but profoundly different? This study shows that when memory is the basis of knowledge then formulas, lists, mnemonics and other mental structures engender a very human set of thought processes. When the written word introduces the notion of permanence then knowledge (and thought) is revolutionised. In a nutshell 'writing restructures consciousness'. (Clive Yelf - bwl 35 July 2006) |
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