The Transparent Society (Parallax: Re-visions of Culture & Society) - Hardcover

Vattimo, Gianni

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801845270 ISBN 13: 9780801845277

Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr, 1992

Synopsis

"This book is of major importance to the debate on the postmodern question." -- Jean Fran?ois Lyotard."This is Vattimo at his best -- and at his best he is very, very good, which is to say, erudite, witty, engaging, and precise. I do not think anyone comes close to Vattimo in his ability to correlate complex philosophical issues and arguments, such as those of Heidegger or Benjamin on such topics as 'the origin of the work of art' or technology and artistic production, with current social and cultural-political issues." -- Hayden White.

About this title

Review:

In a mere 100 pages Vattimo has managaed to tell a compelling story about how other stories about postmodernity themselves are told and retold, often in the absence of sympathetic ears. Compared to most critics writing about the subject matter, Vattimo is sophisticated and optimistic, and his story is one of hope. -- Briankle G. Chang Journal of Communication David Webb's graceful and reliable translation of Vattimo's 1989 La societa transparente (augmentented by three new chapters) makes available in English a significant account of postmodernity. -- Ronald Bogue Comparative Literature Studies

From the Back Cover:

In The Transparent Society Vattimo develops his own distinctive views on postmodernism and its philosophical and cultural relevance.

Vattimo argues that the post–modern condition is linked to the development of the mass media and the diffusion of systems of communication. However, he disputes the belief that this development will produce a more enlightened, self–conscious and ′transparent′ society, maintaining instead that it leads to a diversity of viewpoints which render societies more complex, even chaotic.

Vattimo suggests that aesthetics provides vital insight into the post–modern condition, and argues that the function of art is not to reinforce eternal truths concerning the human condition, but to provide an experience of dislocation and of ′shock′. The multiplication of perspectives on the world disorientates us and removes the certainties we gain from our local culture. Instead, Vattimo argues, we learn the art of living in a world characterized by ambiguity and flux.

About this edition

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0801845270
• ISBN 13: 9780801845277
• Binding: Hardcover