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As the technological phenomenon known as the worldwide web permeates civilizations, it inevitably alters them, creating some cultures and anticultures and destroying others. In this pioneering book, philosopher Thomas Langan explores virtual reality -- an inherently contradictory phrase -- and ...

As the technological phenomenon known as the worldwide web permeates civilizations, it inevitably alters them, creating some cultures and anticultures and destroying others. In this pioneering book, philosopher Thomas Langan explores virtual reality -- an inherently contradictory phrase -- and technology's effect 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 reason. To retain our intellectual fitness, we should, Langan urges, consider some essential questions: If virtual reality is, in fact, real, 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 to assist us in distinguishing truth from fiction?

Although technology minimizes the distance between people and the information they want, it simultaneously blurs the line dividing fact from falsehood and real from virtual. The individual's,intellectual survival is threatened as each technological advancement challenges our collective definition of reality. As reality shifts and changes around us, it becomes more difficult to distinguish true reality from the virtual reality we have created. Because much of the information that is presented as fact simply works to fulfill a certain 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 amid the flood of information we are bombarded with daily.

Expertly interweaving the worlds of technology and philosophy, Surviving the Age of Virtual Reality pushes the analysis of thistechnological and human phenomenon to new depths. Written in a style that will appeal not only to the philosopher but to the general reader as well, this book furnishes a clearer idea of our world.

What is meaning? Paul Horwich presents an original philosophical theory, demonstrates its richness, and defends it against all comers. At the core of his theory is the idea, made famous by Wittgenstein, that the meaning of a word derives from its use; Horwich articulates this idea in a new way that ...

What is meaning? Paul Horwich presents an original philosophical theory, demonstrates its richness, and defends it against all comers. At the core of his theory is the idea, made famous by Wittgenstein, that the meaning of a word derives from its use; Horwich articulates this idea in a new way that will restore it to the prominence that it deserves. He surveys the diversity of valuable insights into meaning that have been gained in the twentieth century, and seeks to accommodate them within his theory. His aim is not to correct a common-sense view of meaning, but to vindicate it: he seeks to take the mystery out of meaning. Horwich's 1990 book Truth established itself both as the definitive exposition and defence of a notable philosophical theory, `minimalism', and as a stimulating, straightforward introduction to philosophical debate about truth. Meaning now gives the broader context in which the theory of truth operates, and is published simultaneously with a revised edition of Truth, in which Horwich refines and develops his treatment of the subject in the light of subsequent discussions, while preserving the distinctive format which made the book so successful. The two books together present a compelling view of the relations between language, thought, and reality. They will be essential reading for all philosophers of language.

In this book, renowned Renaissance drama critic Arthur F. Kinney argues that Shakespeare's method of composing plays through networks of meanings can be seen as a harbinger of today's information technology. Drawing upon hypertext and cognitive theory--areas that have for some time promised to take ...

In this book, renowned Renaissance drama critic Arthur F. Kinney argues that Shakespeare's method of composing plays through networks of meanings can be seen as a harbinger of today's information technology. Drawing upon hypertext and cognitive theory--areas that have for some time promised to take on more importance in the sphere of Shakespeare Studies--as well as the central metaphor of the Routledge collection The Renaissance Computer, Kinney looks in detail at four objects/images in Shakespeare's plays--mirrors, maps, clocks, and books--and explores the ways in which they make up networks of meaning within single plays and across the dramatist's body of work that anticipate in some ways the networks of meaning or "information" now possible in the computer age.