Theme 2: Critical media studies

What is Enlightenment? 

Enlightenment emerged in Europe in the mid to late 1700s. Natural science had its impact and people began to rely more and more on science instead of religion. Instead of dedicating God as their guide, people began to trust on their own sense and knowledge. The main idea was the belief in human understanding people should think by themselves instead of relying on a superior force leading the way.

What is the meaning and function of “myth” in Adorno and Horkheimer’s argument?

The enlightenment idea was that; by using reason and thought differ from myths and their irrational thinking about a higher power that control the people. The myths and religion had previously served as guidelines for how people should live and think but the Enlightenment idea was that people should think by themselves and not be guided by a higher power.

But Adorno and Horkheimer argued that the Enlightenment still controlled the people. Instead of an irrational power, scientific laws began the higher power and controlled the people in the same way.

“Myth is already enlightenment, and enlightenment reverts to mythology.”

Adorno believes that the human tried to demystify the world. This was done by classifying, decompose and naming nature. But instead the human became a slave to our apparent reason. In fact, it is our belief that science explain everything as much a myth as religion.

Enlightenment got people to distance themselves from which they would exercise power over (the nature).

What are the “old” and “new” media that are discussed in the Dialectic of Enlightenment?

Adorno and Horkheimer distinguishes between old and new media, and argues that old media allows the audience to decide the rules, while the new media regulates the audience. An example of old media is the phone. The new media such as TV, radio are no longer art, its just at way to make money.

What is meant by “culture industry”? What is the relationship between mass media and “mass deception”, according to Adorno and Horkheimer?

Adorno and Horkheimer criticized the culture industry, saying that the industry controlled humanity in the same way as a dictator would do. People are programmed by the entertainment industry to consume in the same way as they are programmed at their work. The human being is not a free individual because the entertainment industry is steering us by getting us to consume more. Adorno and Horkheimer believe that the culture industry practice violence on the working class because it prevents any form of political reflection. The capitalism advocates prevents the people for make revolution by getting the workers to put all their free time on popular culture. The entertainment industry is thus a way for capitalism to maintain their power over the people.

Cultural industry let the man to believe that the way to happiness is through consumption. False needs get people to consume more. Adorno and Horkheimer mean that mass culture was the most dangerous and affected people's own desire the most.

Please identify one or two concepts/terms that you find particularly interesting. Motivate your choice.

I think the most interesting part of the text is when Adorno and Horkheimer discuss cultural industry and how it has gained control of the man. Movies, radio and newspapers manipulate people and put them in a passive state without their own will.

I think that this question is a hot topic in today's society. Today hidden marketing is a common phenomenon. In movies, TV series, and magazines, we become exposed to marketing without our knowledge. This is a scary way to manipulate people, and a scary thought is that we are much more manipulated than we think.

Theme 1: Post-reflections

This week's purpose was interesting and I got many thoughts after reading the text and after I answered the related questions.

Of course there were many things in the text that initially seemed confusing and difficult to understand, and I've probably misunderstood a lot, but once I got into the "philosophical thinking" it went better and the topic seemed fun and interesting.

I think it is important to question and analyze this kind of topics that we otherwise take for granted.

One of the things that Russell discusses in the text, that I found especially interesting was the part about the difference between “true belief” and knowledge. "A true belief is not knowledge when it is deduced from a false belief".  It’s not enough that we are certain that something will happen for it to be called knowledge. We can be certain that something will happen because it uses to happen. But we can't call it knowledge, because it's still just a guess.

It was too bad that the seminar was canceled this week, it would be fun too discuss these questions whit my classmates. 

Theme 1: Theory of Science.

 1.What does Russell mean by "sense data" and why does he introduce this notion?

 With “sense-data” Russell means the things that we first see, feel, smell, hear etc. For example it can be a color or a sound. The sense-data is not a definition of the feeling that the color or sound brings, it’s just the things that our sense immediately experience.

Russell explains that the sense-date is a complicated definition because it’s describing the “real information”, but is there real information? How can we be sure that the experience of the color red is the same experience for all of us? 

 2. What is the meaning of the terms "proposition" and "statement of fact"? How does propositions and statement of facts differ from other kinds of verbal expressions?

 A proposition is the assumptions regarding an object. These assumptions are derived from the description of the object in question.

We don’t know if the statement is true, we only know that the things that describe the object are true. A statement of fact is based on experiences, which can establish a truth.

3. In chapter 5 ("Knowledge by Acquaintance and Knowledge by Description") Russell introduces the notion "definite description". What does this notion mean?

 "Definite descriptions" is defined as a word or phrase that describes a person, an object, or a place. "A dog" is not a "definite description" but "Anna's dog" is. I do not need to be familiar with the object, the person or the place that are described. The only thing I need to be familiar with are the sense-data about the object.

4. In chapter 13 ("Knowledge, Error and Probable Opinion") and in chapter 14 ("The Limits of Philosophical Knowledge") Russell attacks traditional problems in theory of knowledge (epistemology). What are the main points in Russell's presentation?

The problem with the traditional view of true and false information is that it’s difficult to be sure if true information IS true information. In the text Russell shows an example:

“If a man believes that the late Prime Minister's last name began with a B, he believes what is true, since the late Prime Minister was Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman. But if he believes that Mr. Balfour was the late Prime Minister, he will still believe that the late Prime Minister's last name began with a B, yet this belief, though true, would not be thought to constitute knowledge.”

All the information in the story is true, but still the statement is false and can’t be classified as true knowledge.