Amusing Ourselves to Death

Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Neil Postman

Recommended By

Book Reviews

One of the books Keith Rabois recommends for entrepreneurs.

Book Synopsis

"Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman is a thought-provoking examination of how entertainment and media culture have profoundly shaped our society.

Postman argues that the age of television has transformed public discourse and undermined our ability to engage in serious, meaningful conversations. He contends that the rapid rise of visual media has replaced the written word as the primary mode of communication, leading to a society obsessed with entertainment rather than thoughtful reflection.

Through insightful analysis and examples, Postman explores various aspects of this phenomenon. He examines the influence of advertising on our culture, explaining how messages are manipulated to appeal to emotions rather than reason. He also investigates the impact of news as entertainment, suggesting that our obsession with sensationalism has hampered our ability to comprehend complex issues.

Furthermore, Postman highlights the dangers of "infotainment" and the ways in which television has transformed education. He questions the effectiveness of teaching through visual media, arguing that it promotes shallow learning and discourages critical thinking.

In conclusion, "Amusing Ourselves to Death" offers a compelling critique of our media-saturated society. Postman calls for a renewed focus on the written word and active participation in public discourse as a means to foster a more thoughtful and engaged society.

Explore More Books

See All
The Snowball
Bitcoin Billionaires
The Lizard King
Hug Your Haters
Siddhartha
Hackers and Painters
Billy Martin
The Innovator’s Solution
The Robert Collier Letter Book
Hunger of Memory
Reboot
The Path to Love
One Summer
Sexual Personae
The Gift of Adversity
Limping on Water
Adultery
Genius
San Fransicko
The Stopwatch Gang
The Wisdom of Life
Seeing Serena
Bad Blood
Consciousness Medicine
The Old Way
Ender's Shadow
Hell Yeah or No
The Contrary Farmer
The Evolution of Everything
Generations
The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe
Fauna & Family
Being You
Understanding Michael Porter
American Kingpin
The Muqaddimah
My Brother Ron
Farsighted
Ghost Fleet
Shook One
Getting Real
Good Calories, Bad Calories
Capital In The 21st Century
Conscious Business
Simon the Sea Cat
The Opposing Shore
The Accidental Universe
The Cost Of Hope
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
Superhuman
The Woman I Wanted to Be
A Great Leap Forward?
BLITZ
The Case Against Sugar
How Trump Is Making Black America Great Again
Charged
The Discovery of France
The Undercover Economist
Naked Statistics
Lights Out
The Most Powerful Idea In The World
The Startup Community Way
Born Red
Getting Better
Concorde
How We Got To Now
Ending the War on Drugs
Self-Made Success
Sell with a Story
Darwin's Blind Spot
Trust Me, I'm Lying
On Writing
Sourdough Culture
Orwell's Revenge
The Halo Effect...
The Paleo Solution
Titan
Learned Optimism
Modelling Extremal Events
Delivering Happiness
The Three Marriages
A Shot To Save The World
The Great Revolt
The Prophet
On The Move
The Wages of Guilt
The Smartest Guys In The Room
Losing The Signal
The TB12 Method
Civilized to Death
The Kill Chain
The Sum of Us
Working in Public
Fallen Leaves
The Vital Question
The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
Job Stacking
The Alchemy of Air
Zorba the Greek
Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines