This is what I think of when I read Lyotard’s scary
predictions.
Lyotard’s remarks about knowledge frighten me a little. It’s
interesting to notice that he wrote the book in the 1970’s. If you read it
closely you will begin to recognize that he somewhat predicts the future with
his logic. Lyotard noticed that knowledge would have to keep up with
technology. He said this would create problems in two ways: in research and in
the transfer of knowledge (aka. Professor to student, or article to reader,
etc.) He later goes on to say that knowledge would become a commodity, “
Knowledge is and will be produced in order to be sold, it is and will be
consumed in order to be valorized in a new production…knowledge ceases to be an
end in itself” (4). Now, hold on.
This is where it begins to get scary to me. Once something becomes a commodity
it is not as free and pure (in my mind) as it was before. The purity of Knowledge
is essentially what I have always loved about it. Granted not all knowledge is
“pure.” In fact pure is not even the right word. It has always seemed to me
that knowledge is something that is beyond the reach of corrupting physical
powers. That is what I have loved about Honors. To me it seemed to be a group
of students pursuing a more pure and deeper knowledge than the mundane skills
of the malaise. However, in a way what he says makes sense. Knowledge has
become a commodity. After all, you have to have money to go to college.
Education requires expensive tools also. Knowledge is sold. Admissions
counselors sell a university to you and professors make money off of knowledge.
Lyotard goes on to say that since knowledge will be a
commodity it will be the new frontier in the world (5). There is no more land to be conquered.
Now states will compete to get the newest technology first. In his time I
believe there were already signs of this like sending men on the moon and the
cold war’s atomic bombs. The states are now beginning to compete for knowledge
and technology.
All of this is strange to me. Perhaps I’m a nostalgic
person, but upon reading Lyotard I feel like I’m living in a sci-fi movie. This
age is too much for me.
By the way, this is my last Honors blog ever! That’s crazy!
It’s been good and I will miss it! You will never encounter another class like
Honors. Embrace it! I can’t wait
to hear from you guys in the fall as you discover the classics! Keep
Struggling!
Tantum e tenebris receptum constabit
I commented on "What's the Point of College" by Amanda Gaster
I commented on "What's the Point of College" by Amanda Gaster
You know, I never noticed that until you pointed it out. Knowledge is something that is bought and sold. That reminds me of a conversation I had the other day with a friend of mine. He brought up a point that I had not thought of either, and that is that human beings are the only species in which it costs to live. What he meant was that from the moment we are born, we require some form of effort from not just parents or ourselves, but from people we will never meet (i.e. the man who milks and/or slaughters his cows for food.). human beings on the whole have become dependent on commodities to the point where everything we encounter is a commodity. Hrrmmm... maybe I should modify Talmage's theory a bit "everything is a commodity"...
ReplyDeleteWhat's even scarier about knowledge becoming a commodity, is that knowledge in a way has become a currency. Without knowledge one cannot get a job. Someone without a college education will not be respected like someone with a degree (regardless of the one with the degree actually did in college, or whether they practically slept through it the whole time.) What can be even more scary is the idea that with the great rise in our reliance on knowledge, our reverence of wisdom has taken the back seat. Head knowledge of certain topics has become wisdom (Why does 'wisdom' matter?)
ReplyDeleteAnd, Anna... seriously... I love Honors, but honestly, I do not believe I will miss rushing to get my blog post done each week ;)
There are so many grammatical errors in my comment:
ReplyDeleteTo begin with, capitalize the "h" in human.