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The Shallows
What the Internet is Doing to our Brains
by Nicholas Carr, Nicholas G. Carr
- 5 Ratings
- 39 Want to read
- 2 Currently reading
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"Is Google making us stupid?" When Nicholas Carr posed that question, in a celebrated Atlantic Monthly cover story, he tapped into a well of anxiety about how the Internet is changing us. He also crystallized one of the most important debates of our time: As we enjoy the Net's bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply? Now, Carr expands his argument into the most compelling exploration of the Internet's intellectual and cultural consequences yet published. As he describes how human thought has been shaped through the centuries by “tools of the mind" -- from the alphabet to maps, to the printing press, the clock, and the computer -- Carr interweaves a fascinating account of recent discoveries in neuroscience by such pioneers as Michael Merzenich and Eric Kandel. Our brains, the historical and scientific evidence reveals, change in response to our experiences. The technologies we use to find, store, and share information can literally reroute our neural pathways. Building on the insights of thinkers from Plato to McLuhan, Carr makes a convincing case that every information technology carries an intellectual ethic -- a set of assumptions about the nature of knowledge and intelligence. He explains how the printed book served to focus our attention, promoting deep and creative thought. In stark contrast, the Internet encourages the rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information from many sources. Its ethic is that of the industrialist, an ethic of speed and efficiency, of optimized production and consumption -- and now the Net is remaking us in its own image. We are becoming ever more adept at scanning and skimming, but what we are losing is our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection. Part intellectual history, part popular science, and part cultural criticism, The Shallows sparkles with memorable vignettes -- Friedrich Nietzsche wrestling with a typewriter, Sigmund Freud dissecting the brains of sea creatures, Nathaniel Hawthorne contemplating the thunderous approach of a steam locomotive -- even as it plumbs profound questions about the state of our modern psyche. This is a book that will forever alter the way we think about media and our minds. - Publisher.
Subjects
Physiological effect, Internet, Neuropsychology, Psychological aspects, Social aspects, Cognition, Physiology, Brain, Intellect, Health aspects, Internet -- Physiological effect, Internet -- Psychological aspects, Effets sur la santé, Psychologie, Conséquences sociales, Aspects psychologiques, Effets sur la sante, Consequences sociales, Internet, social aspectsPreviews available in: English
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1
The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains
2011, W.W. Norton
in English
- Norton pbk. [ed.]
0393339750 9780393339758
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2
The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
2010, W. W. Norton & Company
0393072223 9780393072228
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3
The shallows: what the Internet is doing to our brains
2010, W.W. Norton
in English
- 1st ed.
0393072223 9780393072228
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
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4
The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains
2010, W.W. Norton
in English
- 1st ed.
0393072223 9780393072228
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
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The Shallows
What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
First published in 2010
Subjects
Physiological effect, Internet, Neuropsychology, Psychological aspects, Social aspects, Cognition, Physiology, Brain, Intellect, Health aspects, Internet -- Physiological effect, Internet -- Psychological aspects, Effets sur la santé, Psychologie, Conséquences sociales, Aspects psychologiques, Effets sur la sante, Consequences sociales, Internet, social aspectsWork Description
"Is Google making us stupid?" When Nicholas Carr posed that question, in a celebrated Atlantic Monthly cover story, he tapped into a well of anxiety about how the Internet is changing us. He also crystallized one of the most important debates of our time: As we enjoy the Net's bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply? Now, Carr expands his argument into the most compelling exploration of the Internet's intellectual and cultural consequences yet published. As he describes how human thought has been shaped through the centuries by “tools of the mind" -- from the alphabet to maps, to the printing press, the clock, and the computer -- Carr interweaves a fascinating account of recent discoveries in neuroscience by such pioneers as Michael Merzenich and Eric Kandel. Our brains, the historical and scientific evidence reveals, change in response to our experiences. The technologies we use to find, store, and share information can literally reroute our neural pathways. Building on the insights of thinkers from Plato to McLuhan, Carr makes a convincing case that every information technology carries an intellectual ethic -- a set of assumptions about the nature of knowledge and intelligence. He explains how the printed book served to focus our attention, promoting deep and creative thought. In stark contrast, the Internet encourages the rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information from many sources. Its ethic is that of the industrialist, an ethic of speed and efficiency, of optimized production and consumption -- and now the Net is remaking us in its own image. We are becoming ever more adept at scanning and skimming, but what we are losing is our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection. Part intellectual history, part popular science, and part cultural criticism, The Shallows sparkles with memorable vignettes -- Friedrich Nietzsche wrestling with a typewriter, Sigmund Freud dissecting the brains of sea creatures, Nathaniel Hawthorne contemplating the thunderous approach of a steam locomotive -- even as it plumbs profound questions about the state of our modern psyche. This is a book that will forever alter the way we think about media and our minds. - Publisher.
The Shallows
What the Internet is Doing to our Brains
This edition was published in 2011 by W.W. Norton in New York.
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. [229]-260) and index.
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History
- Created April 25, 2012
- 6 revisions
February 9, 2020 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
January 18, 2020 | Edited by Drini | merge works |
December 13, 2019 | Edited by Clean Up Bot | import existing book |
March 10, 2018 | Edited by easyKL | title adjusted |
April 25, 2012 | Created by LC Bot | Imported from Library of Congress MARC record. |