THE UK IS ABOUT TO BE CENSORED BEYOND WHAT IS BEING SPOKEN ABOUT OPENLY IN THE PRESS. YOU CAN HELP STOP THIS.
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/uk-prime-minister-david-cameron-stop-the-unnecessary-censorship-of-esoteric-websites-and-web-forums
The Prime Minister recently announced the move to introduce
legislation that will force ISPs to create default filters when people
sign up for internet services. This is being touted as a move to stop
pornographic and extremist material from getting through to end users,
including vulnerable children.
Yet, what is extremely worrying, and not yet widely known, is that
the Prime Minister's internet filters will be about more than just
hardcore pornography.
Open Rights Group, which campaigns for digital freedoms, has had the
opportunity to speak to some of the Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
that will be constructing Cameron's content filters, discovering that a host of other categories will be on the block list, including "esoteric material" and "web forums".
This should ring alarm bells for most of us! How can "esoteric material" and "web forums" be grouped with pornography and extremist sites?
These top-level filters will be most likely be linked to a list of keywords - made by the government, of course - and any websites that have any of these keywords will be blocked/banned.
According to Open Rights Group, this list will be created behind closed doors with NO appeal mechanism.
Websites that promote “esoteric practices” whether directly or indirectly, have already been blocked on pay-as-you-go Orange phones.
Users, including myself, have had access denied to alternative belief/spirituality websites whilst using wifi hotspots in public places.
Who will determine what the word "esoteric" means? This is the first question to ask ourselves.
Will websites that mention "spiritual healing" and "reiki" be blocked
by default? Will websites that have "pagan" overtones - those which use
words like "summer solstice" or "tarot" or "wiccan" - be blocked?
Would the category of eating "raw foods" (there is a big "raw foods"
health movement in the USA, for example) be classed as cult-like or
"esoteric" material, either now or in the future, and blocked?
These are valid concerns that should not be casually brushed aside.
It is painfully obvious that the word "esoteric" is a broad catch-all
term/category that is ripe for misuse by our government.
The second question to ask ourselves is why is the word "esoteric" such a problem?
Angela Pritchard, author and researcher into the universal nature of
spirituality and consciousness, and co-author of two books on ancient
sacred mysteries, says that, "'Esoteric material' which implies all
manner of spiritual knowledge and practice, has been lumped in with the
worst of human behaviour in this filter—forming one of 9 categories,
which includes pornography, violence, and suicide related websites."
Whilst Angela agrees with the former Child Exploitation and Online
Protection Centre boss Jim Gamble, who told BBC Radio that it was
important to 'get to the root cause' of illegal pornography, she points
out that "it is important to get to the root cause of why
'esoteric material' became part of this filter, who was responsible for
adding it, what their religious or non-religious affiliations are, and
why it has not been addressed publicly by David Cameron? This appears to have been done as a very shady back-door deal indeed between the UK government and large ISP companies."
And even if you don't care much for esoteric, spiritually-based
websites, wouldn't you be enormously frustrated if a genuine, helpful
online forum that you wanted to visit was blocked, especially if that
forum had key advice that could help save a life? Many web forums give
key information on sexual health matters, abuse, addiction and so forth.
What if you unchecked the box to opt out of filtering defaults and
still couldn't get through to a legitimate site you wanted to visit?
Would you be bothered to even follow up with your ISP, especially if you
were held in a rather long phone queue? How frustrating!
As a
business owner in East Dulwich, South East London, I had a taste of this
draconian filtering mechanism two years ago. I went to my local Caffe
Nero to have a coffee and catch up on some business administration.
Together with my wife, we run a holistic business which also mentions "Spiritual Healing" amongst other key services such as Reiki, Reflexology, Yoga and Indian Head Massage. I was stunned to find that I could not access my own website as it was blocked. The message on the screen told me it was classified under "Alternative Spirituality/Belief", and access was denied through their web filtering system called "Blue Coat".
I
was frustrated, not only because I couldn't access my own website, but
because others were also being blocked from visiting a website which did
not harm anyone. I eventually managed to resolve the issue but it took
time and energy to do so.
Christos, from Greece, had a similar experience five years ago when
he went with some friends to MacDonald’s in Camberwell, London in 2008.
He says the following:
"We had our laptops with us. When we tried to visit one of the
websites that at that time was offering free online courses.... we
received the message ”alternative spirituality” and we weren’t able to
access it. We were puzzled at the time and surprised. I had just arrived
in London and such an attitude did not seem one of a developed country
at all."
Personally, I see nothing wrong with seeking to empower others
through spirituality, and the ability to respect and honour all people
everywhere. Do you?
Mindfulness and spirituality are big buzz words right now, and surely fall into the category of "estoteric".
Wall Street Journal say that top companies are employing spirituality
in their vision, so why does Cameron have a problem with it?
“Other companies in the mainstream using Mindfulness include
Apple, AstraZeneca, Comcast, Deutsche Bank, Google, Heinz, Hughes,
McKinsey, Nortel Networks, Proctor & Gamble, Raytheon, Texas
Instruments, Unilever, and Yahoo. They cannot all be wrong, surely?”
Wall Street Journal
We can all understand why the government, and parents all over the
world, would want to block content that degrades both men and women, and
causes hatred in any way - websites such as pornographic websites, or
zealous religious bigotry, but to block content that seeks to uplift and
inspire others, what kind of message is that giving? That does not make
sense to me.
Public figure websites such as the Dalai Lama,
Deepak Chopra, and Neale Donald Walsch would almost certainly fall into
this category of "esoteric" and "alternative spirituality/belief." The
British Society of Dowsers and The London School of Psychic Studies
would probably fall into the category of esoteric, and so would many
other smaller, well-meaning websites.
I do not want to live in a world where website material that is
inspiring and uplifting is banned, whether intentionally, or as the
result of passing laws that make access impossible.
I also do not wish to see "esoteric material" or "alternative
belief/spirituality" lumped in with pornography and extreme hate. That
is a false and most disturbing association, and must be rectified
immediately.
Many uninformed people will start to view "esotericism" and
"alternative belief/spirituality" as material that is taboo, and will
certainly wish to avoid the stigma of being associated with it.
Dara from Sydney in Australia says, "I think the thing that I
find the most disturbing though, is looking down the road to the
long-term implications. If this legislation passes in the UK, and then
other parts of the world, then that means the power exists for any
government, or many of them, to completely shut down a chunk of
humanity’s access to spiritual material online. And if the power exists,
then someday, someone is likely going to use it, to its full extent.
That’s why it’s being put in place now, hidden amidst the other issues.
The leap from people being completely banned from sharing, viewing, and
publishing esoteric material online, to people being banned from sharing
and practicing alternative spirituality in real life is not very big.
It could happen so easily once the precedent is set."
This issue
of default filtering is especially important for us to consider here in
the UK, but it really will affect many other people who don't live here.
What if a person travels to the UK for holiday or business, and then
can't access websites that they normally have access to, just because
David Cameron and his government say so?
The Open Rights Group says that this matter could be easily avoided
by simply having an 'active choice' as the ISPs originally suggested
with no preset defaults, forcing customers to specify whether they want
filters, and what filters exactly.
Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has repeatedly stated his
opposition to the current plans by the UK government to impose "opt-in"
web censorship, and he plans to continue advocating against these laws.
Whether "opt-in" or "opt-out" internet censorship happens or not, is up to us.
Whatever happens next, it is my belief, and I hope it is
yours too, that "esoteric material" should not be grouped with
"pornography" and "extremist" material. Useful "web forums" should also
not be blocked, in my opinion.
Please get involved, and help spread the word that this is an important matter, at a crucial juncture in humanity's history.
Let's stand together with one unanmious voice for our right to access
content that is helpful and informative. We cannot have this hugely
important issue brushed under the carpet under such a pretext.
Please sign, and share with everyone you know.
Prime Minister David Cameron, we are asking you to stop the
unnecessary censorship of helpful, genuine, well-meaning "esoteric"
websites and web forums, amongst others, so that you do not impinge on
the rights of law abiding citizens to free access of information, and to
conduct their affairs.
We also ask for clear, transparent communication on this
matter, and a promise that ensures that genuine websites and associated
businesses will not be harmed by a myopic viewpoint on what is
"acceptable content".
Who wants to be dictated to by a Nanny State? I don't.
Jaime Tanna
My View
I think this article displays a very powerful argument. I think it is really worrying that the government is trying to censor esoteric material in the same bracket as pornography and extreme violence. I think there is something sneeky going on as this is something that has no danger to the human race and if anything is beneficial. This types of spiritual websites mainly explore the theories of loving one another and improving on the well being of oneself and others. There is definitely something the government knows about that they are not letting on. I feel by censoring spiritual sites we are in a way destroying some of our heritage as all these beliefs and cultures are centuries old and they are now trying to cover up and hide these practices from the general public. Even now these sites are blocked on public hot spots. This makes you wonder what they are covering up.
I think it is wrong that we don't really have a say in what is being blocked. These top-level filters will be most likely be linked to a list of keywords - made by the government, of course - and any websites that have any of these keywords will be blocked/banned. According to Open Rights Group, this list will be created behind closed doors with NO appeal mechanism. This is really shocking as we the public have the right to be part of how the country works. We are a democracy which is developing less rights as time goes on and this is only going to get worse if we let the government take away our freedom.
Monday, 21 October 2013
Disertation Reserach Idea Change
After speaking with Simon I have realized that maybe the topic I chose is a bit too historical and I should maybe look at the internet as a tool for dissemination. I can still use the research I have carried out to compare similarities in the revolution of the printing press and the digital age. I am gonna look at the restrictions that we are now seeing on the internet which is something that happened during the invention of the press. The church controlled what information was printed in many places. It wasn't until the print rebellion on Holland that we started seeing freedom of speech in print. The church controlled what people could learn essentially keeping them at a dumbed down state. We can see the very same thing happening all over again. I want to look at the reasons behind this and find out how the censorship laws are affecting professionals work. How has this affected everyday life and what are the effects of censorship. I will look at the arguments for and against and compare them this too the print revolution.
Research Ideas
Why have the government decided to censor the internet?
What other countries use this method?
What are the effects in other countires?
Who does censorship effect?
How is it affecting different people?
Interview Designers/Printers and find out how the censorship laws have affected their practice and what they think of the whole campaign.
I think it will be a good idea to look at bits of work/information that have been censored and the reasoning behind it. Why it should/shouldn't be done, who has the last say?
Do we the public have a say in the censorship law, or is it going to be left up to the government to make this decision which I think in a way is limiting our freedom of information.
What role does the printing press play in today's society?
How is the internet used? Stats?
What similarities and differences can I see between the printing press.
What are the social effects of censorship?
How has the dissemination of information changed? What is considered valuable knowledge? Trash?
Different methods of Delivery :
- Print
How has the web being manipulated?
Research Ideas
Why have the government decided to censor the internet?
What other countries use this method?
What are the effects in other countires?
Who does censorship effect?
How is it affecting different people?
Interview Designers/Printers and find out how the censorship laws have affected their practice and what they think of the whole campaign.
I think it will be a good idea to look at bits of work/information that have been censored and the reasoning behind it. Why it should/shouldn't be done, who has the last say?
Do we the public have a say in the censorship law, or is it going to be left up to the government to make this decision which I think in a way is limiting our freedom of information.
What role does the printing press play in today's society?
How is the internet used? Stats?
What similarities and differences can I see between the printing press.
What are the social effects of censorship?
How has the dissemination of information changed? What is considered valuable knowledge? Trash?
Different methods of Delivery :
- Brochures
- Publications
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Conferences
- Videos
- Radio
- Telivison
- Internet
- inexpensive
- fast and efficient
- easy to update / edit
- readily available
- wide audience
- target audience
- easily accesible for users
How has the web being manipulated?
- Porn
- Violence
- Weapons
Friday, 18 October 2013
COP Practical Research Element
In order to get my head around what my practical research project might consist of I have thought about some of the main messages within my dissertation. I cover allot of topics and themes within the written element of the project, I have found it really difficult to think of practical aspects I could carry out but I think I have got a basic idea of what I could do.
Messages and Themes
Idea
From the points I have made I have a sort of idea of what I could produce, After interviewing printers I will have a better idea of the role of print within today's society and also what changes they have seen during their career. It will also be nice to see what type of information is most commonly being printed nowadays in comparison to its original uses. It will also help my practical element as well. I will hopefully get help and advice on the process.
I also want to interview a teacher to see how print and digital learning has changed over the years and which they think is more beneficial and what factors are affected by these processes. it will also give me an idea of where we are heading in terms of communication
From the information I gather I hope to produce some letter pressed pieces of design which explores the data and opinions I have collected from the interviews. This will be posted and disseminated online on a website I hope to create.
The website will allow people to discuss, comment and crit theories and work. I would like to create a platform where others have the ability to upload work as well so that a community of users can have online discussions.
Messages and Themes
- The press allowed the spread of new ideas across the globe which in turn changed our thought processes and the way we learned and spoke, this sparked the enlightenment.
- The ability to compare ideas and theories allowed results to be finalized or improved on. Collaboration was a huge accelerating factor of the print revolution
- Not all information can be trusted, their is always going to be incorrect information. Its all about finding reliable sources.
- The increased access to books made learning easier and accessible to more of the population than just the rich and royal.
- Interviews with Letterpress Studios - I will contact letterpress studios and try to interview a few printers from around the UK. In doing so I hope to learn about the process, and how it has changed over the years. I want to find out what the future for print is and also tips and professional knowledge on the subject. From the information I gather from various printers I hope to create letter pressed design pieces taking aspects of the interviews etc and then disseminating the work online to designers interested in the process and also will allow people to comment and discuss various pieces of work. I would like people to be able to upload their own work in order to get online criticism etc.
- Testing the Letter press - my carrying out letterpress experiments I will be able to get a first hand experience of the amount of work and effort gone into producing printed work. I am looking forward to this element of the project. From my knowledge letterpress can be a quite time consuming process, so I need to make sure I designate a good amount of time to get to grips with the press.
- Interview with a teacher - I want to interview a teacher to see how teaching methods have changed during their career. I want to see if they have noticed a shift from text books to web based lessons to see where the future of education is going. This will also help to show progression in communication and how this new form of digital communication has affected the students.
- Document aspects of printed material around the city to see what uses print has nowadays as apposed to the printed book 500 years ago - there has been a dramatic shift in the use of print over the years. I will also document what digital aspects I come across to see which is more predominant.
- Survey - I could carry out a survey on students to see what their preferred research methods are. Some may favor print and others digital. it will be nice to see what peoples method of choice is and why they learn that way.
- Needs to disseminate information in easily accessible way - web is probably the best idea, everyone has access to this pretty much and all they need is a URL. No hassle.
- Spread of letterpressed work in order to relate to the original printing process. A combination of digital and print is a perfect synthesis of the 2 ideas
- Allows people to comment and discuss work possibly - similar to how information was changed and corrected during the printed era, this is just a modern day quick version of how it worked back in the day
- Explore some of the principles which accelerated the revolution.
- Outline the importance of communication and the possibilities it has created and is still influencing today.
- Discuss historical Elements of the revolution.
- Good and Bad aspects of Print & Digital.
Idea
From the points I have made I have a sort of idea of what I could produce, After interviewing printers I will have a better idea of the role of print within today's society and also what changes they have seen during their career. It will also be nice to see what type of information is most commonly being printed nowadays in comparison to its original uses. It will also help my practical element as well. I will hopefully get help and advice on the process.
I also want to interview a teacher to see how print and digital learning has changed over the years and which they think is more beneficial and what factors are affected by these processes. it will also give me an idea of where we are heading in terms of communication
From the information I gather I hope to produce some letter pressed pieces of design which explores the data and opinions I have collected from the interviews. This will be posted and disseminated online on a website I hope to create.
The website will allow people to discuss, comment and crit theories and work. I would like to create a platform where others have the ability to upload work as well so that a community of users can have online discussions.
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Making Sense of my Disertation
I am really confused with what we are expected to produce, and the direction in which my COP is going. I orginonally wanted to focus on how the Gutenberg created a path for modernity but realized this was a really big topic. Since then I have narrowed it down to the scientific revolution. But I feel this is limiting my research as the major effects of the revolution happened in the past and this is information I can find from books. I am having a harder time thinking of ways I could investigate the subject using primary research. I am now thinking that maybe I shouldn't limit myself as much and also concentrate on the effects we can see today with the progression of print and the way that we now communicate information.
The same revolution has pretty much happened again but with a different method of delivery. The digital age has made it possible for us to pretty much access information on just about anything. This means that has become ever more easy to educate oneself. This is a extremely valuable research and communication method and has bridged the gap between countries. It has opened up so many possibilities, now everything can be bought online, because of this new revelation in communication we don't even need to leave our homes and we can have a car, food and what ever else we desire delivered in just a few days. This technology was absolutely groundbreaking when it came about, and now a days it is just a part of everyday life that the majority of us take for granted.
On top of what I have done already, I will look at how the shift from print to digital has affected modern society and compare it to the shift from scribal culture to print. In terms of the practical element I need to show how it is becoming ever more easy to access information and learn new and exciting things, this has lots of affects on the public, both good and bad. Not all information on the internet is valid, there is allot of dodgy inaccurate information still on the web. Because there are even less limitations when posting stuff online than there is publishing a book, it means that the internet is filling up with a lot of rubbish making researching and learning online a bit of a risk as most of the information is not from a credible source. Information sites like Wikipedia are essentially digital versions of books. Just like back in the day people were able to contact the publishers and let them know about amendments, now a days anyone has the power to change important information online. This means that information online can not be 100% trustworthy. In order to make sure what you are learning is correct it needs to be from a reliable viable source with accurate information as otherwise we run the risk of learning incorrect information.
I want to try and think of how I can still include all of my research on the scientific revolution but try and incorporate some modern aspects as well as I am finding it really difficult to think of practical research. I could maybe look at how the communication revolution has progressed and how we now learn and disseminate information nowadays and what are the affects this has on society. How has it changed? Is this a good thing? What are the negatives and positives.
Possible Essay Plan
Introduction
3 main things the press influenced:
- The Protesetant Reformation
- Renaissance
- Scientific Revolution
Initial Shift from scribal culture to print:
- Dissemination of information - what affect this had, why, how, who this affected
- Standardization of information and measurements
- Reorganization of Data
- Data Collecting
- Preservation
- Reinforcing & Application
Science - Book of Nature - how we viewed the world changed - seperation of religeon & science
- Problems with periodization & standardization - don't believe everything you read
- Maps, astrology, botany
- Mass of information sped up revolution but in some cases held it back.
- Humanism, empiricism data came about / School master data - Both types of research and data influenced progression. Both experience and cross referencing was the key
- There were new trends in scientific research and writings
- The press brought together the rich and poor and bridged the gap taking education to the streets, as time went by there was little difference or seperation
How has this communication method progressed - postal service, telephone, web.
- What new technologies stem from print.
- Basis for most of modern knowledge stemmed from ability to share and progress ideas through print which accelerated communication methods.
- What are the positives and negatives of the internet? - mass sharing of information - scams, incorrect information, anyone has access to the web, comunicate with all countries at any time of day.
- What are the social and moral factors
- How has learning and teaching methods changed?
What is the future of communication?
- Moral implications involved with increased data access. - less privacy
- How communication has changed - what it is used for now in comparison to the past
- Advertising, capitalism, promotion, retail - all sorts - not just for learning but for fun.
- How has the communication revolution changed people in general - less confidence, kids stuck behind screen, less talking more texting.
- Modern day education - lectures, reading online, online tests, documentaries, videos, vocal
The same revolution has pretty much happened again but with a different method of delivery. The digital age has made it possible for us to pretty much access information on just about anything. This means that has become ever more easy to educate oneself. This is a extremely valuable research and communication method and has bridged the gap between countries. It has opened up so many possibilities, now everything can be bought online, because of this new revelation in communication we don't even need to leave our homes and we can have a car, food and what ever else we desire delivered in just a few days. This technology was absolutely groundbreaking when it came about, and now a days it is just a part of everyday life that the majority of us take for granted.
On top of what I have done already, I will look at how the shift from print to digital has affected modern society and compare it to the shift from scribal culture to print. In terms of the practical element I need to show how it is becoming ever more easy to access information and learn new and exciting things, this has lots of affects on the public, both good and bad. Not all information on the internet is valid, there is allot of dodgy inaccurate information still on the web. Because there are even less limitations when posting stuff online than there is publishing a book, it means that the internet is filling up with a lot of rubbish making researching and learning online a bit of a risk as most of the information is not from a credible source. Information sites like Wikipedia are essentially digital versions of books. Just like back in the day people were able to contact the publishers and let them know about amendments, now a days anyone has the power to change important information online. This means that information online can not be 100% trustworthy. In order to make sure what you are learning is correct it needs to be from a reliable viable source with accurate information as otherwise we run the risk of learning incorrect information.
I want to try and think of how I can still include all of my research on the scientific revolution but try and incorporate some modern aspects as well as I am finding it really difficult to think of practical research. I could maybe look at how the communication revolution has progressed and how we now learn and disseminate information nowadays and what are the affects this has on society. How has it changed? Is this a good thing? What are the negatives and positives.
Possible Essay Plan
Introduction
3 main things the press influenced:
- The Protesetant Reformation
- Renaissance
- Scientific Revolution
Initial Shift from scribal culture to print:
- Dissemination of information - what affect this had, why, how, who this affected
- Standardization of information and measurements
- Reorganization of Data
- Data Collecting
- Preservation
- Reinforcing & Application
Science - Book of Nature - how we viewed the world changed - seperation of religeon & science
- Problems with periodization & standardization - don't believe everything you read
- Maps, astrology, botany
- Mass of information sped up revolution but in some cases held it back.
- Humanism, empiricism data came about / School master data - Both types of research and data influenced progression. Both experience and cross referencing was the key
- There were new trends in scientific research and writings
- The press brought together the rich and poor and bridged the gap taking education to the streets, as time went by there was little difference or seperation
How has this communication method progressed - postal service, telephone, web.
- What new technologies stem from print.
- Basis for most of modern knowledge stemmed from ability to share and progress ideas through print which accelerated communication methods.
- What are the positives and negatives of the internet? - mass sharing of information - scams, incorrect information, anyone has access to the web, comunicate with all countries at any time of day.
- What are the social and moral factors
- How has learning and teaching methods changed?
What is the future of communication?
- Moral implications involved with increased data access. - less privacy
- How communication has changed - what it is used for now in comparison to the past
- Advertising, capitalism, promotion, retail - all sorts - not just for learning but for fun.
- How has the communication revolution changed people in general - less confidence, kids stuck behind screen, less talking more texting.
- Modern day education - lectures, reading online, online tests, documentaries, videos, vocal
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Scientific Revolution Documentary Notes
I decided to watch a documentary on the scientific revolution to find out who were the most significant figures during this period and also to try get a sense of who came first and who did what as there are many influential figures within this historic period. I have made notes on some specific people who played a large role in the scientific revolution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbokKi1ZTN0
Nicholas Copernicus 1473-1543
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbokKi1ZTN0
- 1543 - Scientific Revolution - Copernicus
- No room for science in a religious world, the churches censored and killed all the apposed
- 1454 Printing press came about - dissemination of knowledge
- World wide exploration influenced the revolution
- Artists
- scientist
- inventor
- human anatomy
- secretive scientist
- little direct impact on revolution
Nicholas Copernicus 1473-1543
- He waited until just before his death to publish his theories
- He didnt want trouble from the church
- He discovered the sun is in the center of the universe.
- Church banned theory for 200 years
- Age of Herbals - Botany Medicine
- Natural Life - botany book of illustrated plants and descriptions inspired by the book of nature movement
- On anotomical preperations - medicine teaching
- He chalenged Galins teachings, he set out to correct his theories
- He produced "Concerning the Structure of the Human Body," The Fabrica
- This was the most acurate of its time
- The printing press reproduced it well
- There was a huge explosion in the curiosity to the subject.
- The publication cost him his job and the the church attacked him and his theories causing him to move to Spain.
- Conrad categorized all living things
- He created "The History of Animals"
- He started Zoology
- He also included the believable animals and the unbelievable animals he had been told about.
- He was the father of electricity
- Chief physician who was very wealthy
- "Scientific Knowledge is valued only if founded on the basis of practical experiment and observation, idle speculation and theories are worthless unless supported by demonstrable evidence."
- He wrote a book on Earths Magnetism
- Greatest astromoner before the invention of the telescope. Johannes Kepler was his apprentice
- He was given an Island and money to build an observatory/laboratory
- Huge progress was made
- he saw the 1st super nova
- Observational Science boomed
- He was not a scientist but layed down important ground rules for science
- "The great restoration" Father of scientific methods.
- He was a visionary
- He said you should use nature to the benefits of mans state.
- He was a Padua university lecturer on Motion & Mechanics
- He was also an architect
- He took the idea of the telescope and improved it
- he discovered the moon was not smooth, and made of matter
- 1600 - "the messenger of the stars" book was prohibited
- For 15 years he remained silent until a more liberal pope was elected
- 1632 he published "Dialogue on the two chieft systems of the world"
- The church was outraged at theories to do with Coppernicus
- Before his death one of his most important books "Discourses of the two new sciences" and "Ballistics and Dynamics" was smuggled out of the country and published in Holland
- Empherical Vs imperical - clear difference between knowledge and belief
- The renaisance brought about theological revolution and reformation which leads into scientific knowledge
- Astrologer and Mathemetician
- He continued Brahes study
- "Keplers laws of planetary motion"
- He discovered planets made a more elliptical orbit which could be explained through mathematical calculations
- "New Astronomy" in 1509 caused controversy and the book was banned again
- 1619 "Harmonies of the World" 3rd Law
- Padua University lecture Versalius became physician to King Charles 1st
- He discovered the heart was a pump not a heater as Galin suggested.
- "An anatomical essay on the motion of the heart and blood in animals"
- He proved blood flows in the opposite direction in arteries and veins
- His ideas were slowly accepted unlike Vesalius's
- He laid the foundation for more than 300 years of Physiology and anotomny
- He introduced experimental laboratory experiments/methods
- Greatest natural Philosipher
- He challenged our way of thinking, at first his theories were not accepted
- "Discourse of Method," "Meditations" 1637
- He believed everything is made up of matter that is constantly moving
- He used applications of algebra and geometry
- Father of modern philosophy
- British natural Philospher - 17th Century
- Chemistry, physics, medicine, alchemy
- 1650-1687 interesting period in Britain, there was an explosion of interest
- He investigated nature through scientific experiments
- He applied methods of chemistry to nature
- Naturalist, Botanist with a poor family
- He became an expert in languages and science etc at university.
- He was interest in natural theology but was a christian
- He produced a book on plants, birds, mammals, fish and insects and brought order to the species
- in 1682 he published "New method of plants" he classified plants by characteristics of leaves, roots, flowers, seeds and fruit which was a much better classification system.
- Physician & Biologist, anatomy and botany
- He made and used microscopes to research anatomy
- He also studied the chicken embryo in the egg
- Wave theory of light
- Dynamic Theory
- Saturn's Rings theory
- gravity "Horoloium Oscillatorium" laws of centrifugal force
- Newtons studies outweigh his on gravity.
- Fist person to observe bacteria
- he observed tiny organisms using technology
- He discovered a micro world within our existing world
- Laws of elasticity employed by Boyle laid the foundation for the studies of stress
- "Micro Graphia" snowflake book
- Studied light and discovered diffraction
- He discovered that all matter expands with heat
- English scientist studied botany and animal anatomy
- "The anatomy of Plants" 1682
- Chief figure of scientific discovery of the 17th century
- Most important Philosopher
- Invented calculas
- Colour & Light studies
- Planetary motion
- Laws of gravity rediscovered
- He discovered white light is a mixture of pure colours
- Worked on astomony and recorded a star catalouge
- Was involved in editing and printing newtons masterpiece
- Described orbits of 24 comets
- He found out you can plot and predict a comets return journey.
Printing Research Notes
Since I have started my research for my dissertation I have been making notes in my book in order to document important information. Looking back through my notes I am rather confused as the notes are not in a great order. I hope to try and make sense of my research by typing up my notes.
Trend setting designers of modern era
- The printing press brought people together from all different professions. Many different scientists, engineers etc would meet at printing workshops. This community of intellectual professionals helped to discuss ideas and further the knowledge of the people
- The printing Press changed religion, science, astronmy, anatomy, botany, catholic and protestant views.
- Originonaly the Catholic church censored the press which meant that information was limited. The church tried to keep everybody in line with their theories and shunned all who apposed. Origionally the church had a lot of the power over the people but the press meant that new religeous ideas could be spread amongst the public which eventually caused the protestant reformation.
- Netherlands Rebelion - shaped print culture, no cencorship of presses, major influence of science and religeon.
- Originally the printing press was limited to a fairly small group of people that were already literate elites.
- The invention of the printing press changed the way the world worked. It caused a major shift in mentailty essentially a mass enlightening happened. This was due to the basic change in communication and collective memory. The ability to duplicate information on a large scale opened up a new world of possibilites and sparked a huge learning process which is still going on today.
- The press allowed for the standardization of information and numeric values around the world which meant that theories from all over the globe could be compared with one another which meant that knowledge could be confirmed or improved on. Maps, calenders dictionaries etc were all standardized.
- Before the press they used the pecia system where students copied pages of books at a time which meant that more than 1 person could be working on one book. This was not the best method for producing manuscripts as the writing style could be different and also more room for error.
- When the press came about hand crafted type changed to uniform typography which could be used over and over. This meant that there became many new styles of typography designed to suit the reader.
- With the invention of the press more and more books became available to the public which accelerated many different industries, New books on textile patterns etc changed the industry making fashion more diverse and striking.
- This new form of printed information became rationalized, reorganized and codified : data cataloging. By doing this editors could use layout and presentation to guide how the reader processes the information. Basic changes in books could lead to the change in thought pattern. Mc Luhan suggests scanning lines of print affects thought process. The use of bibleographys, chapters idexes etc meant that people had the choice of what they wanted to learn and how rather than sitting and reading information start to finish.
- The introcution of grammer and punctuation became predominant as well which change how people spoke wrote and read information.
- Printed material changed the way people learned in school, no longer learning was done orally but now students had the ability to read masses of information rather than writing down everything we are told.
- The invention of the press created a new type of scientist, with the access to a press anyone had the abilty to publish their findings, so more and more began to study the world and make noted on their observations and experiences etc. Where as before hand only the university educated could be seen as scientists.
- Scientists clubbed together information, they had to learn to work together rather than alone if they wanted to progress at a faster rate. Books could be amended by taking on board criticism and feedback.
- The press was a major catalyst for the scientific revolution although it can be argued that this was not one of the major factors as the amount of people that actually understood alot of the theories were few. But it would be ridiculous to rule the press out of the equation.
- The press had major effects on orthodoxy and heresey.
- In order to understand the scientific change we need to look beyond the spread of new ideas and associate printers with other functions besides propaganda and popularization
- In nature everything was symbolic, either biblical or classical references with moral overtones - monastic view
- The Hortus Deliciarium was an illuminated encyclopedia, begun in 1167 as a pedagogical tool for young novices at the convent. It is the first encyclopedia that was evidently written by a woman. It was finished in 1185, and was one of the most celebrated illuminated manuscripts of the period. It was used for teaching virtues through the imagery of flowers that beautiful a spiritual garden. Most of the manuscript was not original, but was a compendium of 12th century knowledge. The manuscript contained poems, illustrations, and music, and drew from texts by classical and Arab writers. Interspersed with writings from other sources were poems by Herrad, addressed to the nuns, almost all of which were set to music.The most famous portion of the manuscript is the illustrations, of which there were 336, which symbolized various themes, including theosophical, philosophical, and literary themes.
- By the 17th century plant forms were no longer needed for memorizing moral lessons in Stuart england it was more for poetic reasons by now rather than a pedagogic effect.
- No longer was science linked to religeon, but now the 2 were separate and people could deal with them in different manors. This was a huge step for mankind and helped to loosen the grip that the church had the population
- The transformation of script to print proceeded a transformation of world views.
- The shift from script to print meant that information could be viewed with ease and to a large audience, displaying results using hand writing as the delivery method makes the information much less clear and does not convey the rsults well.
- Information flow had been transformed - the introduction of the postal service, transport and better roads all stemmed from the ability to mass produce information 17th Century. We had the know how for ages but the press made it possible to be set in motion.
- Nicholas Jenson
- Aldus Manutius
- Christoffel Plantin
- John Baskerville
Trend setting designers of modern era
- William Morris
- El Lissitzky
- Jan Tschichold
- Paul Rand
- Irma Boom
- Oil based inks
- Wooden Printing Press
- Luther
- Francois Rabelain - Humanist writer
- Ernst Curtuis - archaeologist
- Thomas Browne - science medicine
- Isaac Newton
- Johannes Kepler
- Rudolphine Tables
- Galileo
- Darwin
- Maxwell
- Lyell
- Alistair Crombie
- Paracelsianism was a medical movement based on the theories and therapies of Paracelsus. It was prominent in late-16th and 17th century Europe and represented one of the most comprehensive alternatives to the traditional system of therapeutics derived from Galenic physiology. Based around the principle of maintaining harmony between the microcosm, Man; and macrocosm, Nature; Paracelsianism fell rapidly into decline in the later 17th century, but left its mark on medical practices; it was responsible for the widespread introduction of mineral therapies and several other formerly esoteric techniques.
- Empiricism is a theory of knowledge which states that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience.One of several views of epistemology, the study of human knowledge, along with rationalism, idealism, and historicism, empiricism emphasizes the role of experience and evidence, especially sensory experience, in the formation of ideas, over the notion of innate ideas or traditions; empiricists may argue however that traditions (or customs) arise due to relations of previous sense experiences.
Empiricism in the philosophy of science emphasizes evidence, especially as discovered in experiments. It is a fundamental part of the scientific method that all hypotheses and theories must be tested against observations of the natural world rather than resting solely on a priori reasoning, intuition, or revelation.
Empiricism, often used by natural scientists, asserts that “knowledge is based on experience” and that “knowledge is tentative and probabilistic, subject to continued revision and falsification.” One of the epistemological tenets is that sensory experience creates knowledge. The scientific method, including experiments and validated measurement tools, guide empirical research.
- After the press had been around for a while a new breed of scientist appeared, the printer scientist with access to his own press became the new easy way to publicise theories. - Regiomantunus and Charles Estienne.
- Febvre & Martin believed the press didn't speed up new theories
- Aldus Manutis
- Robert Estienne
- Orpornus
- Plantin
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
The Printing Press: Technology that Changed the World Forever - Brian Russel
The Printing Press: Technology that Changed the World Forever
Brian Russel
Much
of humanity today enjoys a great number of technological wonders
including: email, the personal computer, the Internet, household
appliances of every sort imaginable, the automobile, railroads, radio,
aviation, satellite technology, cellular phones, video conferencing,
television, digital cameras, magnetic resonance imaging, laser surgery,
and countless other technologies that impact us on a daily basis. Each
of the aforementioned technologies relies on an earlier technology that I
argue has had the most significant impact on the world and our
civilization: Johannes Gutenberg's development of the printing press in
the mid-15th Century. As John Man suggests in his book Gutenberg: How One Man Remade the World with Words,
"Gutenberg's invention made the soil from which sprang modern history,
science, popular literature, the emergence of the nation-state, so much
of everything by which we define modernity" (2). And, Paul Gray notes,
"We can hardly imagine a world without an abundance of printed matter,
and thus we take for granted an invention that produced astonishing
consequences" (158).
A December 2000 article in Reading Today points out, "Gutenberg did not, as many believe, invent movable type. That had been invented in China in the 11th century" (41). However, the article continues, "...there is little question that, like many great technological revolutionaries, Gutenberg took a number of extant technologies, refined or invented others, and used them in a new and unquestionably superior way" (41). According to Man, the key to Gutenberg's success was the invention of a hand-held mould and the perfection of a technique to bind type into a consistent and accurate form, thus creating the ability to mass-produce high quality books. (126-132)
Movable type had been utilized, in one form or another, since at least 1045 A.D. by China's Pi Sheng. (Koscielniak, 6) And, scribes had been painstakingly creating books by hand one at a time since the invention of the written word. But, not until the development of the printing press was the information contained within books made available to a large population. Gray notes, "Affordable books made literacy a crucial skill and an unprecedented means of social advancement to those who acquired it. Established hierarchies began to crumble. Books were the world's first mass-produced items. But most important of all, printing proved to be the greatest extension of human consciousness ever created" (159).
It is nearly impossible to imagine today's technological advancements without the existence of readily accessible printed material. How much of what we learn, starting from very early in our childhoods, is learned with the aid of the written word? From bedtime stories to the daily newspaper to textbooks to manuals that accompany the latest appliance or computer or mp3 player we've purchased, we learn about our world and our technology through the printed word. Letters, notes, instant messages, text messages, blogs, and email all are iterations of what was first mechanized through the development of the printing press. Indeed, a generic term for media has long been the "press," named so for the invention that Gutenberg developed.
One of the most remarkable things about the printing press was the speed with which it altered our world. Man observes, "Suddenly, in a historical eye-blink, scribes were redundant. One year, it took a month or two to produce a single copy of a book; the next you could have 500 copies in a week" (2). Neil Postman is quoted in Reading Today on the same subject, noting:
Forty years after Gutenberg converted an old wine press into a printing machine with movable type, there were presses in 110 cities in six different countries. Fifty years after the press was invented, more than eight million books had been printed, almost all of them filled with information that had previously been unavailable to the average person. There were books on law, agriculture, politics, exploration, metallurgy, botany, linguistics, pediatrics, even good manners. There were also assorted guides and manuals; the world of commerce rapidly became a world of printed paper through the widespread use of contracts, deeds, promissory notes, and maps. (emphasis added, 41)
Suddenly, with books no longer relegated to the elite in society, average people began to learn how to read. And, it is difficult to overstate the profound impact this development had on society. Richard G. Cole observes, "It is frequently stated that the Reformation would have been impossible or would have had little chance of popular acceptance without the rapid spread of typography" (327). And, The Economist suggests, "... if printing did not actually cause the intellectual changes taking place in Europe at the time, it certainly catalysed [sic] them" (97).
The changes brought about by the invention and widespread adoption of the printing press went beyond merely increasing literacy rates. Reading Today points out, "The attitude toward knowledge and learning was utterly changed. Inquiry, and the questioning of received wisdom, greatly increased. In many ways, the communal medieval world gave way rapidly to the modern world and its focus on the individual. In both obvious and more subtle but profound ways, the world had changed" (41). Marshall McCluhan takes this a step further, asserting:
I venture to suggest that all of the reasons for nationalism are included in the penetrative powers of Gutenberg technology. Not only does print vividly discover national boundaries, but the print market was itself defined by such boundaries, at least for early printers and publishers. Perhaps also the ability to see one's mother tongue in uniform and repeatable technological dress creates in the individual reader a feeling of unity and power that he shares with all other readers of that tongue. Quite different sentiments are felt by preliterate or semiliterate populations. (571)
In addition to increased literacy rates, a greater ease in sharing knowledge and scholarship, and the notion of national identities, there are other ripple effects of the printing press. David Vincent asserts, "Literacy is inextricably linked to notions of progress. Its measurement... was a means by which societies began to calibrate their advance, and in developed as well as developing countries command of the basic skills of written communication is still seen as central to economic growth" (405). And, Reading Today observes, "Just 70 years after the press appeared, Francis Bacon said printing was one of three inventions (the others were gunpowder and the compass) that had 'changed the appearance and state of the whole world'" (41).
It is difficult to imagine living in a world without the ubiquitous printed material with which we are surrounded. We see the printed word on billboards, bus ads, television commercials, subtitles of foreign language films, product packaging, and, of course, books, magazines, and, newspapers. While not all of this is generated with the use of an actual printing press anymore, none of it would exist without the initial development of the printing press. Marshall McCluhan puts it quite succinctly when he states, "The penetrative powers of the Gutenberg technology, irresistible under any conditions, became the means of forming the very ground plan and the superstructure of social and business institutions" (569).
It is difficult to even catalogue all of the ways in which we are impacted by the written word in our everyday lives. Without it, how would we know how to operate our appliances, our vehicles, our computers, or, our personal entertainment systems? How would we navigate on our own without the use of maps and atlases? Even the fishermen and the farmer are dependent upon the written word in consulting weather reports and almanacs. Every day, in countless ways, we are interacting with words. The invention that enabled the written word to be produced efficiently and in an economic manner truly changed the world, and in so doing, paved the way for all technologies that followed.
Works Cited
Cole, Richard G. "Unsung Heroes." Sixteenth Century Journal. 15.3 Autumn 1984: 327-339. JSTOR. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 < http://links.jstor.org>
Economist Magazine. "Hang on lads, I've got an idea." 353.8151 Dec. 31, 1999: 97. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
< http://search.ebscohost.com>.
Gray, Paul. "Johann Gutenberg." 154.27 Dec. 31, 1999: 158-160. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
< http://search.ebscohost.com>.
Koscielniak, Bruce. Johann Gutenberg and the Amazing Printing Press. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Man, John. Gutenberg: How One Man Remade the World with Words. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002.
McLuhan, Marshall. "Effects of the Improvements of Communication Media." The Journal of Economic History. 20.4 Dec. 1960: 566-575. JSTOR. Roosevelt U Library. 29 Mar. 2007 < http://links.jstor.org>
Reading Today. "Gutenberg's millennium." 18.3 Dec. 2000: 41. Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 .
Vincent, David. "The Progress of Literacy." Victorian Studies. 45.3 Spring 2003: 405-431. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
< http://search.ebscohost.com>.
Overview
I found this essay really helpful to give an overview of what were some of the major effects of the printing press. It has effected our entire human race and has paved the way for many of today's machines and communication methods. There are so many different aspects of the world that have been effected that it would be really hard to talk about them all. I need to narrow down the subject as the body of work as it stands is ginormous. This essay has helped to point me in the right direction for where to look for more research and has also given me a good range of possible quotes that will work in favour of my dissertation. I need to think about the social implications the printing press had on civilization aswell as the technological and cultural changes. I believe that the printing press is one of the most important inventions known to man and I am looking forward to exploring more of the effects.
Quotes
"Gutenberg's invention made the soil from which sprang modern history, science, popular literature, the emergence of the nation-state, so much of everything by which we define modernity"
"Suddenly, in a historical eye-blink, scribes were redundant. One year, it took a month or two to produce a single copy of a book; the next you could have 500 copies in a week"
Man, John. Gutenberg: How One Man Remade the World with Words. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002.
"We can hardly imagine a world without an abundance of printed matter, and thus we take for granted an invention that produced astonishing consequences"
Gray, Paul. "Johann Gutenberg." 154.27 Dec. 31, 1999: 158-160. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
"Gutenberg did not, as many believe, invent movable type. That had been invented in China in the 11th century"
Reading Today. "Gutenberg's millennium." 18.3 Dec. 2000: 41. Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 .
"...there is little question that, like many great technological revolutionaries, Gutenberg took a number of extant technologies, refined or invented others, and used them in a new and unquestionably superior way"
"The attitude toward knowledge and learning was utterly changed. Inquiry, and the questioning of received wisdom, greatly increased. In many ways, the communal medieval world gave way rapidly to the modern world and its focus on the individual. In both obvious and more subtle but profound ways, the world had changed"
"Just 70 years after the press appeared, Francis Bacon said printing was one of three inventions (the others were gunpowder and the compass) that had 'changed the appearance and state of the whole world'" (41).
Reading Today. "Gutenberg's millennium." 18.3 Dec. 2000: 41. Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 .
"Affordable books made literacy a crucial skill and an unprecedented means of social advancement to those who acquired it. Established hierarchies began to crumble. Books were the world's first mass-produced items. But most important of all, printing proved to be the greatest extension of human consciousness ever created"
Gray, Paul. "Johann Gutenberg." 154.27 Dec. 31, 1999: 158-160. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
Forty years after Gutenberg converted an old wine press into a printing machine with movable type, there were presses in 110 cities in six different countries. Fifty years after the press was invented, more than eight million books had been printed, almost all of them filled with information that had previously been unavailable to the average person. There were books on law, agriculture, politics, exploration, metallurgy, botany, linguistics, pediatrics, even good manners. There were also assorted guides and manuals; the world of commerce rapidly became a world of printed paper through the widespread use of contracts, deeds, promissory notes, and maps.
Neil Postman
Reading Today. "Gutenberg's millennium." 18.3 Dec. 2000: 41. Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 .
"It is frequently stated that the Reformation would have been impossible or would have had little chance of popular acceptance without the rapid spread of typography"
Cole, Richard G. "Unsung Heroes." Sixteenth Century Journal. 15.3 Autumn 1984: 327-339. JSTOR. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 < http://links.jstor.org>
"... if printing did not actually cause the intellectual changes taking place in Europe at the time, it certainly catalysed [sic] them"
Economist Magazine. "Hang on lads, I've got an idea." 353.8151 Dec. 31, 1999: 97. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
I venture to suggest that all of the reasons for nationalism are included in the penetrative powers of Gutenberg technology. Not only does print vividly discover national boundaries, but the print market was itself defined by such boundaries, at least for early printers and publishers. Perhaps also the ability to see one's mother tongue in uniform and repeatable technological dress creates in the individual reader a feeling of unity and power that he shares with all other readers of that tongue. Quite different sentiments are felt by preliterate or semiliterate populations. (571)
McLuhan, Marshall. "Effects of the Improvements of Communication Media." The Journal of Economic History. 20.4 Dec. 1960: 566-575. JSTOR. Roosevelt U Library. 29 Mar. 2007 < http://links.jstor.org>
"Literacy is inextricably linked to notions of progress. Its measurement... was a means by which societies began to calibrate their advance, and in developed as well as developing countries command of the basic skills of written communication is still seen as central to economic growth" (405)
Vincent, David. "The Progress of Literacy." Victorian Studies. 45.3 Spring 2003: 405-431. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
"The penetrative powers of the Gutenberg technology, irresistible under any conditions, became the means of forming the very ground plan and the superstructure of social and business institutions" (569).
McLuhan, Marshall. "Effects of the Improvements of Communication Media." The Journal of Economic History. 20.4 Dec. 1960: 566-575. JSTOR. Roosevelt U Library. 29 Mar. 2007 < http://links.jstor.org>
A December 2000 article in Reading Today points out, "Gutenberg did not, as many believe, invent movable type. That had been invented in China in the 11th century" (41). However, the article continues, "...there is little question that, like many great technological revolutionaries, Gutenberg took a number of extant technologies, refined or invented others, and used them in a new and unquestionably superior way" (41). According to Man, the key to Gutenberg's success was the invention of a hand-held mould and the perfection of a technique to bind type into a consistent and accurate form, thus creating the ability to mass-produce high quality books. (126-132)
Movable type had been utilized, in one form or another, since at least 1045 A.D. by China's Pi Sheng. (Koscielniak, 6) And, scribes had been painstakingly creating books by hand one at a time since the invention of the written word. But, not until the development of the printing press was the information contained within books made available to a large population. Gray notes, "Affordable books made literacy a crucial skill and an unprecedented means of social advancement to those who acquired it. Established hierarchies began to crumble. Books were the world's first mass-produced items. But most important of all, printing proved to be the greatest extension of human consciousness ever created" (159).
It is nearly impossible to imagine today's technological advancements without the existence of readily accessible printed material. How much of what we learn, starting from very early in our childhoods, is learned with the aid of the written word? From bedtime stories to the daily newspaper to textbooks to manuals that accompany the latest appliance or computer or mp3 player we've purchased, we learn about our world and our technology through the printed word. Letters, notes, instant messages, text messages, blogs, and email all are iterations of what was first mechanized through the development of the printing press. Indeed, a generic term for media has long been the "press," named so for the invention that Gutenberg developed.
One of the most remarkable things about the printing press was the speed with which it altered our world. Man observes, "Suddenly, in a historical eye-blink, scribes were redundant. One year, it took a month or two to produce a single copy of a book; the next you could have 500 copies in a week" (2). Neil Postman is quoted in Reading Today on the same subject, noting:
Forty years after Gutenberg converted an old wine press into a printing machine with movable type, there were presses in 110 cities in six different countries. Fifty years after the press was invented, more than eight million books had been printed, almost all of them filled with information that had previously been unavailable to the average person. There were books on law, agriculture, politics, exploration, metallurgy, botany, linguistics, pediatrics, even good manners. There were also assorted guides and manuals; the world of commerce rapidly became a world of printed paper through the widespread use of contracts, deeds, promissory notes, and maps. (emphasis added, 41)
Suddenly, with books no longer relegated to the elite in society, average people began to learn how to read. And, it is difficult to overstate the profound impact this development had on society. Richard G. Cole observes, "It is frequently stated that the Reformation would have been impossible or would have had little chance of popular acceptance without the rapid spread of typography" (327). And, The Economist suggests, "... if printing did not actually cause the intellectual changes taking place in Europe at the time, it certainly catalysed [sic] them" (97).
The changes brought about by the invention and widespread adoption of the printing press went beyond merely increasing literacy rates. Reading Today points out, "The attitude toward knowledge and learning was utterly changed. Inquiry, and the questioning of received wisdom, greatly increased. In many ways, the communal medieval world gave way rapidly to the modern world and its focus on the individual. In both obvious and more subtle but profound ways, the world had changed" (41). Marshall McCluhan takes this a step further, asserting:
I venture to suggest that all of the reasons for nationalism are included in the penetrative powers of Gutenberg technology. Not only does print vividly discover national boundaries, but the print market was itself defined by such boundaries, at least for early printers and publishers. Perhaps also the ability to see one's mother tongue in uniform and repeatable technological dress creates in the individual reader a feeling of unity and power that he shares with all other readers of that tongue. Quite different sentiments are felt by preliterate or semiliterate populations. (571)
In addition to increased literacy rates, a greater ease in sharing knowledge and scholarship, and the notion of national identities, there are other ripple effects of the printing press. David Vincent asserts, "Literacy is inextricably linked to notions of progress. Its measurement... was a means by which societies began to calibrate their advance, and in developed as well as developing countries command of the basic skills of written communication is still seen as central to economic growth" (405). And, Reading Today observes, "Just 70 years after the press appeared, Francis Bacon said printing was one of three inventions (the others were gunpowder and the compass) that had 'changed the appearance and state of the whole world'" (41).
It is difficult to imagine living in a world without the ubiquitous printed material with which we are surrounded. We see the printed word on billboards, bus ads, television commercials, subtitles of foreign language films, product packaging, and, of course, books, magazines, and, newspapers. While not all of this is generated with the use of an actual printing press anymore, none of it would exist without the initial development of the printing press. Marshall McCluhan puts it quite succinctly when he states, "The penetrative powers of the Gutenberg technology, irresistible under any conditions, became the means of forming the very ground plan and the superstructure of social and business institutions" (569).
It is difficult to even catalogue all of the ways in which we are impacted by the written word in our everyday lives. Without it, how would we know how to operate our appliances, our vehicles, our computers, or, our personal entertainment systems? How would we navigate on our own without the use of maps and atlases? Even the fishermen and the farmer are dependent upon the written word in consulting weather reports and almanacs. Every day, in countless ways, we are interacting with words. The invention that enabled the written word to be produced efficiently and in an economic manner truly changed the world, and in so doing, paved the way for all technologies that followed.
Works Cited
Cole, Richard G. "Unsung Heroes." Sixteenth Century Journal. 15.3 Autumn 1984: 327-339. JSTOR. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 < http://links.jstor.org>
Economist Magazine. "Hang on lads, I've got an idea." 353.8151 Dec. 31, 1999: 97. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
< http://search.ebscohost.com>.
Gray, Paul. "Johann Gutenberg." 154.27 Dec. 31, 1999: 158-160. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
< http://search.ebscohost.com>.
Koscielniak, Bruce. Johann Gutenberg and the Amazing Printing Press. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Man, John. Gutenberg: How One Man Remade the World with Words. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002.
McLuhan, Marshall. "Effects of the Improvements of Communication Media." The Journal of Economic History. 20.4 Dec. 1960: 566-575. JSTOR. Roosevelt U Library. 29 Mar. 2007 < http://links.jstor.org>
Reading Today. "Gutenberg's millennium." 18.3 Dec. 2000: 41. Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 .
Vincent, David. "The Progress of Literacy." Victorian Studies. 45.3 Spring 2003: 405-431. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
< http://search.ebscohost.com>.
Overview
I found this essay really helpful to give an overview of what were some of the major effects of the printing press. It has effected our entire human race and has paved the way for many of today's machines and communication methods. There are so many different aspects of the world that have been effected that it would be really hard to talk about them all. I need to narrow down the subject as the body of work as it stands is ginormous. This essay has helped to point me in the right direction for where to look for more research and has also given me a good range of possible quotes that will work in favour of my dissertation. I need to think about the social implications the printing press had on civilization aswell as the technological and cultural changes. I believe that the printing press is one of the most important inventions known to man and I am looking forward to exploring more of the effects.
Quotes
"Gutenberg's invention made the soil from which sprang modern history, science, popular literature, the emergence of the nation-state, so much of everything by which we define modernity"
"Suddenly, in a historical eye-blink, scribes were redundant. One year, it took a month or two to produce a single copy of a book; the next you could have 500 copies in a week"
Man, John. Gutenberg: How One Man Remade the World with Words. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002.
"We can hardly imagine a world without an abundance of printed matter, and thus we take for granted an invention that produced astonishing consequences"
Gray, Paul. "Johann Gutenberg." 154.27 Dec. 31, 1999: 158-160. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
"Gutenberg did not, as many believe, invent movable type. That had been invented in China in the 11th century"
Reading Today. "Gutenberg's millennium." 18.3 Dec. 2000: 41. Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 .
"...there is little question that, like many great technological revolutionaries, Gutenberg took a number of extant technologies, refined or invented others, and used them in a new and unquestionably superior way"
"The attitude toward knowledge and learning was utterly changed. Inquiry, and the questioning of received wisdom, greatly increased. In many ways, the communal medieval world gave way rapidly to the modern world and its focus on the individual. In both obvious and more subtle but profound ways, the world had changed"
"Just 70 years after the press appeared, Francis Bacon said printing was one of three inventions (the others were gunpowder and the compass) that had 'changed the appearance and state of the whole world'" (41).
Reading Today. "Gutenberg's millennium." 18.3 Dec. 2000: 41. Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 .
"Affordable books made literacy a crucial skill and an unprecedented means of social advancement to those who acquired it. Established hierarchies began to crumble. Books were the world's first mass-produced items. But most important of all, printing proved to be the greatest extension of human consciousness ever created"
Gray, Paul. "Johann Gutenberg." 154.27 Dec. 31, 1999: 158-160. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
Forty years after Gutenberg converted an old wine press into a printing machine with movable type, there were presses in 110 cities in six different countries. Fifty years after the press was invented, more than eight million books had been printed, almost all of them filled with information that had previously been unavailable to the average person. There were books on law, agriculture, politics, exploration, metallurgy, botany, linguistics, pediatrics, even good manners. There were also assorted guides and manuals; the world of commerce rapidly became a world of printed paper through the widespread use of contracts, deeds, promissory notes, and maps.
Neil Postman
Reading Today. "Gutenberg's millennium." 18.3 Dec. 2000: 41. Expanded Academic ASAP. Thomson Gale. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 .
"It is frequently stated that the Reformation would have been impossible or would have had little chance of popular acceptance without the rapid spread of typography"
Cole, Richard G. "Unsung Heroes." Sixteenth Century Journal. 15.3 Autumn 1984: 327-339. JSTOR. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007 < http://links.jstor.org>
"... if printing did not actually cause the intellectual changes taking place in Europe at the time, it certainly catalysed [sic] them"
Economist Magazine. "Hang on lads, I've got an idea." 353.8151 Dec. 31, 1999: 97. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
I venture to suggest that all of the reasons for nationalism are included in the penetrative powers of Gutenberg technology. Not only does print vividly discover national boundaries, but the print market was itself defined by such boundaries, at least for early printers and publishers. Perhaps also the ability to see one's mother tongue in uniform and repeatable technological dress creates in the individual reader a feeling of unity and power that he shares with all other readers of that tongue. Quite different sentiments are felt by preliterate or semiliterate populations. (571)
McLuhan, Marshall. "Effects of the Improvements of Communication Media." The Journal of Economic History. 20.4 Dec. 1960: 566-575. JSTOR. Roosevelt U Library. 29 Mar. 2007 < http://links.jstor.org>
"Literacy is inextricably linked to notions of progress. Its measurement... was a means by which societies began to calibrate their advance, and in developed as well as developing countries command of the basic skills of written communication is still seen as central to economic growth" (405)
Vincent, David. "The Progress of Literacy." Victorian Studies. 45.3 Spring 2003: 405-431. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Host. Roosevelt U Library. 23 Mar. 2007
"The penetrative powers of the Gutenberg technology, irresistible under any conditions, became the means of forming the very ground plan and the superstructure of social and business institutions" (569).
McLuhan, Marshall. "Effects of the Improvements of Communication Media." The Journal of Economic History. 20.4 Dec. 1960: 566-575. JSTOR. Roosevelt U Library. 29 Mar. 2007 < http://links.jstor.org>
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