Philosophy
Aired January 8 and 9, 2000
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This is Internet on the Air. I’m Joan Silvi. What philosophy tells
us about the Internet. Details in a moment.
Funding Credit: Internet On The Air is a production of the University of Michigan School
of Information and Michigan radio, made possible by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation.
What might an 18th century Danish philosopher think of the Internet? A Berkeley
professor believes that Kierkegaard would have hated the Internet because it removes
responsibility and commitment from public debate.
Two hundred years ago, Kierkegaard complained that newspaper and magazines, the
newly-invented media of his era, allowed people to express opinions on subjects for which
they lacked direct understanding or experience. Because people voiced these opinions in an
anonymous, risk-free environment, they did not need to back up their views with any
commitment. Kierkegaard felt that this resulted in a reduced level of public debate. In
his opinion, the only legitimate expression of ideas was by people who were passionately
devoted to an idea. This type of enthusiasm was the social force that Kierkegaard believed
would offset the negative effects of the press.
Hubert Dreyfus, a University of California at Berkeley professor of
philosophy, poses similar concerns in the context of the Internet. He questions how
responsibility is defined on the Internet. Is the increased availability of information
adding value to public debates or does the anonymity of the Internet protect people from
risk? What, he asks, are the passionate forces at work on the Web? Dreyfus thinks that
Websurfing and chatroom participation are largely anonymous and risk-free, thus doing
little to elevate public debate. However the Internet has provided a forum for groups
already passionately devoted to ideas to connect to each other.
Visit our site at www.iota.org to find out more about
philosophy and the Internet. For Internet on the Air, I’m Joan Silvi.
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Related Links
For further information, try these Web sites:
- Listen to
Professor Dreyfus' lecture, "Nihilism on Line: The Promise and Dangers of Information
on the Internet", presented by the Interdisciplinary Committee on Organizational Studies
of the University of Michigan.
Read the paper that was the basis for this discussion, Kierkegaard on
the Internet: Anonymity vrs. Commitment in the Present Age , and find out more about Professor Dreyfus at
U-Cal-Berkeley.
- Another site, Philosophy
Sources on the Internet , includes mailing lists by philosopher and by topic, fun
sites, and links for philosophy departments, journals, texts, jobs and software.
- The Guide to
Philosophy on the Internet points to two useful on-line philosophy indexes, Hippias and Noesis.
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The Interview
There was no interview recorded for this show.
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Please direct questions or comments to iota.webmaster@umich.edu.
Last Updated January 03, 2000
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