If you don’t know Postman, you should. He was a teacher, and a culture and technology critic whose most influential work was published in the 80s and 90s. At the time, he was largely considered the intellectual heir to Marshall McLuhan. He died in 2003, but his books are still worth reading in 2024. If you like stuff written by people like Ted Chiang, Douglas Rushkoff, Nicholas Carr, Brian Merchant or even Cory Doctorow, you’re a prime candidate for Postman’s stuff. This one is a pretty good place to start.

It’s a collection of essays and speeches on the various topics he wrote about over the years, and while individually none are as compelling as the books of his that I’ve read, they’re an excellent introduction to his style and attitude.

Almost every piece of his writing I’ve read starts out with thesis I disagree with, and ends with me convinced that he’s right. I’ve never come across a writer so effective at making me reconsider my own thinking.

Postman was a curmudgeon, convinced that television was irreparably damaging our intellects by shortening our attention span and turning everything into visual imagery at the expense of deeper thinking and consideration. Modern education amplifies the effect by failing to stimulate natural curiosity and critical thinking skills.

The writing is intellectual but accessible – unlike McLuhan (at least in my experience), Postman says what he means clearly and succinctly. There isn’t a wasted sentence in any of his work.

If any of this resonates, check out his work. Technopoly and Amusing Ourselves to Death have both proven to be prescient and essential to understanding our culture today. This is the gateway drug.

It also contains this gem:

…armed with a printing press, Martin Luther was more than a malcontent priest suffering from a bad case of constipation. The printed word made him a serious revolutionary.