About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherUniversity of Missouri Press

ISBN-100826212522

ISBN-139780826212528

eBay Product ID (ePID)1081750

Product Key Features

Number of Pages200 Pages

Publication NameSurviving the Age of Virtual Reality

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2000

SubjectEpistemology, General, Library & Information Science / General, Virtual Worlds, Information Technology

TypeTextbook

Subject AreaComputers, Philosophy, Technology & Engineering, Language Arts & Disciplines, Self-Help

AuthorThomas Langan

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.8 in

Item Weight15.6 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceCollege Audience

LCCN99-054265

Dewey Edition21

Reviews" Surviving the Age of Virtual Reality is a tour de force exploration of the phenomena of high technology. In the tradition of Marshall McLuhan, Thomas Langan provides a very provocative and reflective analysis of how fast- paced technological developments are shaping the world and our consciousness."--Matthew L. Lamb, " Surviving the Age of Virtual Reality is a tour de force exploration of the phenomena of high technology. In the tradition of Marshall McLuhan, Thomas Langan provides a very provocative and reflective analysis of how fast- paced technological developments are shaping the world and our consciousness."-Matthew L. Lamb

Grade FromCollege Freshman

Dewey Decimal909.82

Grade ToCollege Graduate Student

SynopsisAs the technological phenomenon known as the worldwide web permeates civilization, it creates some cultures and destroys others. In this pioneering book, philosopher Thomas Langan explores "virtual reality"Can inherently contradictory phrase"and the effects of technology on our very being. In our present-day high- technology environment, making simple, everyday decisions is difficult because the virtual world we've created doesn't necessarily operate according to the old "common sense." To retain our intellectual fitness, we must, Langan argues, consider these essential questions: If virtual reality is, in fact, reality, what is this life that we are caught up in? What is being within the context of virtual reality? How can we establish a system for distinguishing truth from fiction? Although technology minimizes distances between people and makes the information they seek more accessible, it simultaneously blurs the line dividing fact from falsehood and real from virtual. An individual's intellectual survival is threatened as technological advancement challenges our collective understanding of what reality is. Because much of the information that is presented as fact simply works to fulfill a specific agenda, we cannot accept as truth everything that appears on the internet or in the media. To survive, we must learn to manage our lives and resources despite the flood of information we are bombarded with daily. Addressing the general educated reader, Surviving the Age of Virtual Reality expertly interweaves the worlds of technology and philosophy, pushing the analysis of this technological and human phenomenon to new depths.

LC Classification NumberB105.M4L355 2000