Mikaela Martinez Dettinger: Gadamer and Mass Media

 In Gadamer's Philosophical Hermeneutics he states the importance of language in understanding the world around us. How does this apply to the advent of Mass Media? I watched a talk on this subject by Gadamer himself. He explained that Mass Media is an important aspect o modern society to pay attention to because it plays such a large role in shaping public opinion. He also shared his opinion that Mass Media's rhetoric relies on pessimism and that this is dangerous because humans cannot survive without hope. 

    This is a take on the current state of Mass Media that relates very well to Gadamer's theory that language is integral to understanding. Following this theory, it is clear that this is why Mass Media has such sway over the public. Media services, such as the news platforms, selectively choose their rhetoric in order to get the most viewers. When rhetoric is being chosen this way it cannot also be chosen in order to deliver the most truth. It cannot be both because you cannot use language to divulge reality while trying to appeal to a certain audience. That would make rhetoric inherently biased. This is a topic that is explored in Political Science, but it has roots in philosophical hermeneutics as well. Its sway over the electorate and the general public is so potent because language is so inherently tied to human understanding. 

 Gadamer is correct in warning against the pessimism spread by the media. Because language has such power over people's understanding, a constant pessimistic attitude can be very detrimental to how the viewers of these programs learn to understand the world. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jack Snowdon: Danger in the Lake

I will readily admit that I may have procrastinated a bit much in regards to working on my blog posts, waiting for that perfect moment of inspiration to strike, when I should have been working to flesh out my own ideas rather than just letting them come to me. However, with that concession in mind, I am glad to say that something exactly like I had hoped for happened while reading the discussion between Ransom and Hyoi in Chapter 12 of Out of the Silent Planet . The discussion revolves largely around the concept and experience of love and appreciation among the hrossa, and sees Ransom struggling to understand how they can content themselves with valuing the memories rather than replicating the actions, as well as questioning why that can be the way it is with such dangers as the hnakra dwelling in the local waters. Though he does struggle to comprehend them, Hyoi has an answer every step of the way, culminating with the line, "...And I say also this, I do not think the forest woul...
Read more

Katelyn Joyce- The Magician's Nephew & Biblical Parallels

  When reading The Magician's Nephew, I am not sure why I was so shocked at all of the connections that can be made back to scripture. As this is a common occurrence in Lewis’ writing, it should not surprise and excite me as much as it does when I first grasp what is being said and I begin to make those connections. I think it will always catch me off guard and amaze me how intertwined the two storylines can be without them being identical. This is especially true in The Magician’s Nephew. You can see a clear parallel between this book and the book of Genesis in the Bible. Digory is sent to an area of Narnia closed off from the rest and surrounded by a golden gate to retrieve a fruit. He is tempted to use the powers of this fruit to his benefit, but he does the right thing and presents it to Aslan as requested of him. This is similar to the trees and the fruit in the Garden of Eden. There lies a tree with the power to give understanding to good and evil. Eve is tempted and takes th...
Read more

Samuel Swenson-Reinhold: Naming & Knowing

 Once again, I'm going to be referencing my favorite book of all time, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. One of the key elements of Kvothe's character is his desire to learn the 'name' of things - when you learn the name of something, you have control over it. However, learning the name of the wind, for example, is something incredibly difficult. You have to understand the nature of the wind, you have to know it. So knowing the word "wind" doesn't mean you have power over it. It requires this almost Heideggerian conception of listening and knowing the world and nature.  Kvothe grows in his understanding of the world and at one point learns the name of lightning and the wind, allowing him to wield immense power. This particular aspect of Rothfuss' fantasy had me thinking about our conversations in class about how we 'name' and label things in the prosaic. We think we "know" something, but really we are making an observation. It...
Read more