digitaldust

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything about what I’ve read, mostly due to the fact that I’ve not read anything worth writing much about. I’ve also not been reading much what with moving and with the summer in full swing. But now that I’m in my new house and the rains have come again I’ve made a promise to myself to read through my large pile of “need to read” books. Not so much of a pile more of a box lying under my bed.

First up was Marshall McLuhan. He’s the godfather of soundbites and I’ve heard plenty of his terms and quotes before but not read anything all the way through. This book is an easy read and very much to the point. Nothing that new, but interesting to see exactly how much of his thought has become common media knowledge nowadays.

He’s also reintroduced me to Alfred North Whitehead, who I had till now only known as Bertrand Russell’s collaborator, but it seems that he has a whole other life outside of Principia Mathematica. Some interesting metaphysics called process philosophy… Also some interesting Whitehead quotes.

It is the business of the future to be dangerous.

The major advances in civilisation are processes that all but wreck the societies in which they occur.

I’m sure there will be more on Whitehead when I’ve read a bit more about him.