The Transparent Society / Edition 1

by Gianni Vattimo, David Webb

Overview

In The Transparent Society Vattimo develops his own distinctive views on postmodernism and its philosophical and cultural relevance.

Vattimo argues that the post-modern condition is linked to the development of the mass media and the diffusion of systems of communication. However, he disputes the belief that this development will produce a more enlightened, self-conscious and 'transparent' society, maintaining instead that it leads to a diversity of viewpoints which render societies more complex, even chaotic.

Vattimo suggests that aesthetics provides vital insight into the post-modern condition, and argues that the function of art is not to reinforce eternal truths concerning the human condition, but to provide an experience of dislocation and of 'shock'. The multiplication of perspectives on the world disorientates us and removes the certainties we gain from our local culture. Instead, Vattimo argues, we learn the art of living in a world characterized by ambiguity and flux.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801845284
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	11/19/1992
Series:	Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.32(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Gianni Vattimo is the author of numerous works in Italian.

Table of Contents

1. The Postmodern: a Transparent Society?.

2. The Human Sciences and the Society of Communication.

3. Myth Rediscovered.

4. Art and Oscillation.

5. From Utopia to Heterotopia.

6. Utopia, Counter-utopia, Irony.

7. Disenchantment and Dissolution.

8. Ethics of Communication or Ethics of Interpretation.

What People are Saying About This

Jean François Lyotard

This book is of major importance to the debate on the postmodern question.

Hayden White

This is Vattimo at his best—and at his best he is very, very good, which is to say, erudite, witty, engaging, and precise.

Editorial Reviews

David Webb's graceful and reliable translation of Vattimo's 1989 La societá transparente (augmentented by three new chapters) makes available in English a significant account of postmodernity.

Comparative Literature Studies - Ronald Bogue

In a mere 100 pages Vattimo has managaed to tell a compelling story about how other stories about postmodernity themselves are told and retold, often in the absence of sympathetic ears. Compared to most critics writing about the subject matter, Vattimo is sophisticated and optimistic, and his story is one of hope.

Journal of Communication - Briankle G. Chang

David Webb's graceful and reliable translation of Vattimo's 1989 La societá transparente (augmentented by three new chapters) makes available in English a significant account of postmodernity.

— Ronald Bogue

Comparative Literature Studies

In a mere 100 pages Vattimo has managaed to tell a compelling story about how other stories about postmodernity themselves are told and retold, often in the absence of sympathetic ears. Compared to most critics writing about the subject matter, Vattimo is sophisticated and optimistic, and his story is one of hope.

— Briankle G. Chang

Journal of Communication

Vattimo (theoretical philosophy, U. of Turin) advances the ideas of his The end of modernity by exploring the relevance of postmodernism to contemporary politics and culture. Three chapters have been added to the 1989 Italian edition. Paper edition (unseen), $12.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

'Enjoyable to read and deeply provocative.' Radical Philosophy

From the Publisher