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Neil Postman

Born 8 March 1931 · Died 5 October 2003

<a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Postman>Neil Postman</a> was a popular American humanist who was well known for his comments on the social effects of technology, in particular of television.

Quotes

  • “What ideas are convenient to express inevitably becomes the important content of a culture.”
    Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Chapter 1
  • “The clearest way to see through a culture is to attend to its tools for conversation.”
    Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Chapter 1
  • “There is no such thing in nature as “man” or “tree.” The universe offers no such categories or simplifications; only flux and infinite variety.”
    Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Chapter 5
  • “Americans no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other. They do not argue with propositions; they argue with good looks, celebrities and commercials.”
    Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Chapter 6
  • “We do not know nearly as much as we should about how children learn language, but if there is one thing we can say with assurance it is that knowledge of grammatical nomenclature and skill in sentence-parsing have no bearing whatsoever on the process.”
    Language Education in a Knowledge Context

Quotes from Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0), chosen with AI.

Books by Neil Postman in order

Books by Neil Postman in the order they were published, from Television and the Teaching of English (1961) to Building a Bridge to the 18th Century (1999).

  1. 1Television and the Teaching of EnglishTelevision and the Teaching of English1961
  2. 2Discovering Your LanguageDiscovering Your Language1963
  3. 3The Languages of DiscoveryThe Languages of Discovery1965
  4. 4Exploring Your LanguageExploring Your Language1966
  5. 5Language and RealityLanguage and Reality1966
  6. 6Linguistics: A Revolution in TeachingLinguistics: A Revolution in Teaching1966
  7. 7The Uses of LanguageThe Uses of Language1967
  8. 8Language in AmericaLanguage in America1969
  9. 9Teaching as a Subversive ActivityTeaching as a Subversive Activity1969
  10. 10The Soft RevolutionThe Soft Revolution1971
  11. 11How to Recognize a Good SchoolHow to Recognize a Good School1973
  12. 12The School BookThe School Book1973
  13. 13Crazy Talk, Stupid TalkCrazy Talk, Stupid Talk1976
  14. 14Teaching as a Conserving ActivityTeaching as a Conserving Activity1979
  15. 15The Disappearance of ChildhoodThe Disappearance of Childhood1982
  16. 16Amusing Ourselves to DeathAmusing Ourselves to Death1985
  17. 17Myths, Men, & BeerMyths, Men, & Beer1987
  18. 18Conscientious ObjectionsConscientious Objections1988
  19. 19How to Watch TV NewsHow to Watch TV News1992
  20. 20TechnopolyTechnopoly1992
  21. 21The End of EducationThe End of Education1995
  22. 22What Does the Future Hold for Public EducationWhat Does the Future Hold for Public Education1995
  23. 23Building a Bridge to the 18th CenturyBuilding a Bridge to the 18th Century1999

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