Postmodernism and the Fundamentalist Revival Essay -- Postmodernism

Postmodernism and the Fundamentalist Revival   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For contemporary Western—particularly American—thought, there have been two prevailing theories, at polar ends of the spectrum.   There is the belief that there are absolute ethical forces, and there is the belief that there are no set standards of judgment.   Both of these views seem extreme, attacking our sense of modernity and our sense of personal values.   Consequently, most people find their place somewhere moderately between the two.   As between belief and unbelief there is agnosticism, or between moralism and immoralism there is amoralism, between the belief in standards and the belief in no standards there is postmodernism.   Postmodernism places at its core that there is no unified theory or objective standard by which to judge every thing that is and that â€Å"there can be no independent standard for determining which of many rival interpretations [†¦] is the right one† (Fish).   Postmodernists th us assign the label â€Å"opinion† to most qualitative concepts:   a belief in an afterlife, bagels, and international politics cannot be judged on the same scale.   This is very egalitarian, allowing people to have personal beliefs while not necessarily bothering others with them.   Even in light of the fundamentalist wave that crashed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, postmodernism, the central philosophy of contemporary America, has withstood the test of time. As a form of thinking, postmodernism has had an easy existence in the latter half of the 20th century.   After World War II, the only conflicts we have had either involved bloodless politics (the Watergate scandal), isolated events (the Cuban missile crisis), or ideological disputes (Korean and Vietnam... ...st theories, was strong enough (or possibly flimsy enough) to withstand a new fundamentalist revival.   The belief in polar rights and wrongs is stronger now, after the attacks, but postmodernism’s invulnerability does not mean that it is incorruptible to these polar beliefs.   A new philosophy that incorporates both of these ideas may soon emerge, seeking to pacify opponents of each, and, even if it succeeds, such a ideological fusion would be born in postmodernism, in the belief that this idea of standards and measurements cannot be completely disproven. Sources Cited Fish, Stanley.   â€Å"Condemnation Without Absolutes.†Ã‚   New York Times.   A19.   15 Oct. 2001 Halliday, Fred.   Two Hours that Shook the World.   London:   Saqi Books, 2002 Rothstein, Edward.   â€Å"Attacks on U.S. Challenge the Perspectives of Postmodern True Believers.†Ã‚   New York Times.   A17.   22 Sep. 2001. Postmodernism and the Fundamentalist Revival Essay -- Postmodernism Postmodernism and the Fundamentalist Revival   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For contemporary Western—particularly American—thought, there have been two prevailing theories, at polar ends of the spectrum.   There is the belief that there are absolute ethical forces, and there is the belief that there are no set standards of judgment.   Both of these views seem extreme, attacking our sense of modernity and our sense of personal values.   Consequently, most people find their place somewhere moderately between the two.   As between belief and unbelief there is agnosticism, or between moralism and immoralism there is amoralism, between the belief in standards and the belief in no standards there is postmodernism.   Postmodernism places at its core that there is no unified theory or objective standard by which to judge every thing that is and that â€Å"there can be no independent standard for determining which of many rival interpretations [†¦] is the right one† (Fish).   Postmodernists th us assign the label â€Å"opinion† to most qualitative concepts:   a belief in an afterlife, bagels, and international politics cannot be judged on the same scale.   This is very egalitarian, allowing people to have personal beliefs while not necessarily bothering others with them.   Even in light of the fundamentalist wave that crashed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, postmodernism, the central philosophy of contemporary America, has withstood the test of time. As a form of thinking, postmodernism has had an easy existence in the latter half of the 20th century.   After World War II, the only conflicts we have had either involved bloodless politics (the Watergate scandal), isolated events (the Cuban missile crisis), or ideological disputes (Korean and Vietnam... ...st theories, was strong enough (or possibly flimsy enough) to withstand a new fundamentalist revival.   The belief in polar rights and wrongs is stronger now, after the attacks, but postmodernism’s invulnerability does not mean that it is incorruptible to these polar beliefs.   A new philosophy that incorporates both of these ideas may soon emerge, seeking to pacify opponents of each, and, even if it succeeds, such a ideological fusion would be born in postmodernism, in the belief that this idea of standards and measurements cannot be completely disproven. Sources Cited Fish, Stanley.   â€Å"Condemnation Without Absolutes.†Ã‚   New York Times.   A19.   15 Oct. 2001 Halliday, Fred.   Two Hours that Shook the World.   London:   Saqi Books, 2002 Rothstein, Edward.   â€Å"Attacks on U.S. Challenge the Perspectives of Postmodern True Believers.†Ã‚   New York Times.   A17.   22 Sep. 2001.

Anthony Burgess’s novella Essay

Anthony Burgess’s novella â€Å"A Clockwork Orange†, written in 1962, explores the destruction of the lives of the protagonist’s private worlds and presents a potential nightmarish society. The reader sees the mindless violence preformed by Alex and the Droogs during the scene in which they destroy the writer, F Alexander, and ravage his wife. The lives of the gang seem to create a contradiction as they are trying to create an alternative society with those who he decides are acceptable, it appears to the reader as a dystopian one. A question seems to arise as to whether the protagonists have free will, or whether their actions are pre determined by fate. Alex believes that every one is born evil and therefore capable of wicked things. The evilness in the world is inevitable; he does not view this of his own actions. Burgess’ novella poses the question; is a man who chooses the destruction of others perhaps in some way better than a man who has the traditional ways imposed upon him? This is a dilemma that is never solved in Alex’s private world. Burgess created a character that has to go to the furthest extent to feel free; it seems that he was made evil by the government, perhaps presenting an artist, as he approaches the ultra violence as though it was a piece of art to be admired, the â€Å"malenky cri ches† from the wife with the beating of â€Å"Dim’s fisty work† seem like music to Alex, Emphasised by the â€Å"dancing around† Dim did at the same time. This scene can be eluded with the real life experience of the author’s wife’s brutal attack, where she was beaten and raped in the early 1940†². Burgess states -â€Å"it was certainly no pleasure to write†. Burgess uses the experience of his wife to the destruction of the protagonist, â€Å"While I ripped away at this and that. † shows the violence. Even if it was in simple words, make the act itself seem like a simple one to Alex. The act of rape itself is a primitive, atavistic act, a nightmarish vision celebrated by Alex and the Droogs and it is more like an animal act as they were â€Å"roaring like some animal† before it began While the book itself is a prophetic tale where bands of adolescent hooligans roam, and rule over the towns at night. Although this is ironic due to the violent nature of the protagonists and it shows Alex as an atavistic There seems to neither be aspects of the bystander effect especially in this scene, as the violence is known but the government does not get in the way to prevent from happening. Alex has a robotic quality, like the title he is also â€Å"clockwork,† linking to the â€Å"malenky toys. † toys usually being for children, showing Alex’s young age of 15 when he describes the crime in this passage. We can say Alex exercises his free will here. He choose to some extent evil, and is then robbed of his free will when sent to prison and used as an experiment, thus making him nothing more then a shell of who he was. It’s not free will as the drugs enhance their experience showing it as bought on by drugs within the milk instead of his decisions although we can see he would want to commit the violence anyway although it makes it difficult to view his actions as free. He does think he is choosing to be free by not conforming to the government and doing what he wants as he tries to rebel against this society. This is viewed as more of a rebellion to free him as is felt to be based on Russia’s political state which had a communist government and this scared most western countries giving the novel poor reviews when it was originally published and it became banned from many countries. The title originated from an English pub, from the phrase â€Å"As queer as clockwork orange† presenting something as natural, organic on the outside nevertheless working as a mechanical object. Indicating the twisted actions performed by Alex. Also through the Russian political movement at the time, it is present as nihilistic as Russia sought to bring a new society by destroying the old one through terrorism and assassination. â€Å"Oh Brother† is repeated, Alex acknowledges the reader, this cohesive device links Alex’s destruction he even shows this through the passage, making it more emotive to the reader with â€Å"and I began to feel like in distress, o my brothers†, To show us his discomfort, here is a dystopian theme of humiliation which also features when he is in prison he is the figure of everyman, there are many more like him in this society and this is where they will end up sooner or later. Burgess intentionally put 21 chapters as a subtle nod that this was the age of adulthood as he looks back on his life, reflecting on what he wants his child to then be like. The violence seems to be part of a dystopian fantasy and is mirrored to the violence of the sixties, the â€Å"Mods and Rockers† giving the book relations not only to the Russian revolution but to English problems around the time. He also writes the book in such a way that he adds words that have no relation to the English language called Nadsat which is a mixture of cockney English and Russian. This in effect provides us the choice as to whether or not we wish to engage and understand the violence actions as the words make it seem less violence. In this nightmarish vision the protagonist has lost something, due to monstrous force, additionally in the sacrifice of Alex later in the book where the government use him in the experiment for a new treatment, Or when F Alexander uses him as a guinea pig for his own exploits to hold against the government, and having the feeling of displacement as they can not overcome why this is happening in their place of safety, and in ruining the home. It also suggests there is a lack of justice, Alex views his way of living as Utopian â€Å"dream† from the effects of Milk Plus and â€Å"Cancers†. Emphasising how Burgess uses the word â€Å"Cancers† instead of cigarettes to emphasize the negative connotation of the word, implying that it always brings death in the end, also it makes Alex seems uncaring that he can use the word so often, not caring about what is actually means. A society itself is meant to change over time but as this is a dystopian one it has no progression. Burgess didn’t like the idea that society could become mindlessly totalitarianism where the â€Å"laws and conditions appropriate to the mechanical creation† and the mechanical creation being the â€Å"Clockwork Orange. † He expresses that one of the main themes in the book is the danger of a totalitarianism society in the belief that Alex and the Droogs are trying to create a new society through destruction. In conclusion, the rules of the government dehumanise Alex, and others of his age to the extremes they go to so they can feel free. In this extent they deliberately dehumanise others. The passage presents this horror with a scene in which there is a death but no justice making the dystopian theme for a place lacking justice ring true. Burgess set out in this iconic novella to express a system of social disarray through the eyes of a protagonist, immersed in a world of double standards and duality.

The Industrial Revolution A Great Period Of Time Essay

Patrick Thacker HST101A Short Essay The period of time known as â€Å"The Industrial Revolution† was a great period of time filled with rapid industrialization. The industrialization began in Great Britain, but did manage to spread quickly throughout the rest of the world. Managing to leave a rather substantial impact on the United States. So much so that the industrialization that took place in America is commonly referred to as â€Å"the second industrial revolution†. The second industrial revolution took shape in the nineteenth century and lasted its way into the early twentieth century with the industrialization that took place post-civil war being the most substantial. This time it brought forth many new inventions and technologies, everything from new productions methods of steel to the telephone. The industrial revolution single-handedly changed the landscape of America and will forever be one of the most significant events in American history. One very early key event in the revolution took place in 1790. When Samuel Slater opened the first American industrial mill in my home state of Rhode Island. British born Slater was able to open this factory with the technologies of the manufacturing industry he learned while being a textile worker back in Britain. Which included making the factory to be water powered. Many consider this event to be the spark that created the fire that was the industrial revolution. The industrialization brought forth major developments. One of whichShow MoreRelatedThe Impact of The British Revolution on Society Essay example546 Words   |  3 PagesThe British revolution had a great impact on the society. Various complicated machines tools were used in the production and rural-agricultural and commercial society to a progressive rural- industrial society, this period of time old ideas mere modified, not swept away and gradually new ideas took place. This thing helped Britain changing their city life, social class structure, the power of the British nation amongst rest of the world, the production of machinery, and the strength of the economyRead MoreThe Positives And Cons Of The Industrial Revolution835 Words   |  4 PagesIs the Industrial Revolution as Good as We Think It Is? Bill Gates once said, â€Å"If you go back to 1800, everybody was poor. I mean everybody. The Industrial Revolution kicked in, and a lot of countries benefited, but by no means everyone.† The Industrial Revolution was a period in the 18th century led by Great Britain that had a major influence in agriculture, scientific studies, manufacturing, and transportation. As said by Bill Gates, even though the Industrial Revolution benefited many partiesRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution of Great Britain1107 Words   |  5 PagesThe Industrial Revolution of Great Britain The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transport, and technology had a tremendous effect on the social economic and cultural conditions starting in the Great Britain, then subsequently spreading throughout Europe, North America, and eventually the world. Reasons The Industrial Revolution, one of the most vital periods of change in Great Britain, occurredRead More The Industrial Revolution Essay example985 Words   |  4 PagesPeter Stearns claims that the industrial revolution was an intensely human experience. What initially arose as scientific advancements in metallurgy and machine building, the industrial revolution period saw a redefinition of life as a whole. As industry changed, human life began to adapt. Work life was drastically changed which, in turn, resulted in family life being affected. As is human nature, major change was met with great resistant. Ultimately, the most successful people during the transitionRead MoreIndustrial Revolutions During Europe During The Industrial Revolution1298 Words   |  6 PagesIndustrial Revolution in Europe Before the industrial revolution, Europe was mostly dominated by farmers but as the industrial revolution progressed this changed dramatically. Industrial revolution had a significant impact in the process by making new demands that shaped the way of life through increased competition and technological innovation. Generally, it was a historical period that sparked in a stroke a number numerous changes in the economic, social and political dimensions. It is consideredRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution Is The Cornerstone Of What Makes America958 Words   |  4 PagesThe Industrial Revolution is the cornerstone of what makes America, the modern America. Even though we label this period of time a revolution, it actually began in Britain. It was a significant movement of advance of the time, but went through many trials and tribulations. At the end of the eighteenth century, England and France both underwent revolutions: France the French Revolution, England the industrial revolution (Sh arp 2012). America was able to learn from the Britain and take advantage ofRead MoreTaking a Look at the Industrial Revolution1202 Words   |  5 PagesIndustrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was one of he factors that lead to great development of many countries. The Industrial Revolution’s hearth, the United Kingdom, started the great economic and societal changes that were results of the country’s rapid industrialization. This revolutionary period, lasting from the late 18th Century to the early 19th Century, helped shape today’s world and its effects are still seen. Since the Industrial Revolution was born in the United Kingdom, theRead MoreNorth And South By Elizabeth Cleghorn1128 Words   |  5 Pages Welcome, welcome! Come one, come all to Aidan’s Amazing Writing Emporium! The reason for this piece is to compare and contrast fiction and nonfiction writings from a selected time period. The time period I chose was the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was when societies went from making everything by hand to using machines and factories. It was a huge leap in human achievement and helped businesses make a lot more money than they used to, but also forced lower class people to workRead MoreThe Difference Of Interpretation On Coal Industry865 Words   |  4 Pagesbuildings and objects and recall historical memory, but also were used to recall a significant generation or a period. John Ruskin in the book named The Seven Lamps of Architecture pointed out that the glory of a building or a collection is not in its material or its size, but in its generation. In other words, great era could bring the honor of history for people. Especially for the industrial past, it is easier to motivate the nostalgic impulse. In Britain, coal resource not only influenced the developmentRead MoreEssay on Life Pre and Post Industrial Revolution938 Words   |  4 Pagesgone through since the industrial revolution. Lives of people including men, women and children use to be lot different before the revolution and post revolution. The revolution helped certain people in many ways but also there were side effects which were seen in the lives and are seen post revolution. Industrialization has affected many people in particular to the lives of women and men to their way of working. The paper will focus on the different parts of the revolution and more on the life during

Locating Macbeth at the Thresholds of Time, Space and...

In the preface to Folie et dà ©raison, Michel Foucault unmistakably locates madness at the limen of cultural identity: European man, since the beginning of the Middle Ages has had a relation to something he calls, indiscriminately, Madness, Dementia, Insanity. †¦ [It is] a realm, no doubt, where what is in question is the limits rather than the identity of a culture. (Foucault xi) By describing madness in this way, he demonstrates his understanding of madness as a cultural phenomenon, defined not by the analysis of a subject’s symptoms, but rather the shared assumption that a subject is not ‘right’, does not conform to the prevailing ideological norm. Written in the late twentieth century, his work is a treatise about the wider†¦show more content†¦During Shakespeare’s time, the insane â€Å"†¦were not merely victims of a brutal society; they were also violent, murderous and politically dangerous† (Salkeld 80), and thus if we take his plays to be true â€Å"expressions of everyday life,† (Harmon 403), it is not surprising that the mad monarchs of Macbeth is so expeditiously removed from the throne. For those of the Early Modern period, the idea of a monarch possessed by madness was anathema, â€Å"something against which to prepare†¦ and above all, to avoid,† (Harmon 403) for what is to made of the Monarch’s privilege to speak on behalf of God if they are, indeed, a Madman? It is clear that both Macbeth’s state of mind that results from his transgressions is not a healthy one, and his wife ultimately cannot reconcile her guilt at Duncan’s murder with continued life. Macbeth then, can easily be interpreted as a case study of the mind. The ‘stuff of madness’ provides excellent entertainment for Shakespeare’s audiences, both contemporaneously and in the modern world, but more can be revealed through an analysis of how this madness is presented. The Foucaldian perspective indicates that madness is a â€Å"material condition that, to be understood, must be read, made sense of, [and] inscribed into discourse,† (Neely 142)

The Ethics Of Substance Abuse - 956 Words

For years, I have desired to work within the addictions industry, as I am aware through my upbringing that substance abuse is a barrier that keeps a person from being who they truly are. But not only this, it stops them from feeling the pain of their life and the world. While attempting to protect themselves from the pain, it ultimately causes worse pain and detriment to their lives: being incarcerated and losing their freedom. What is worse, is never getting the help needed while incarcerated and then being released back into the community unchanged. Hoping to change this cycle, The John Howard Society developed and implemented with the Nanaimo Correctional Centre, a unique therapeutic community (TC) program called the Guthrie house in Nanaimo BC; it supports inmates with addictions who want to change their life (Nanaimo John Howard Society). The Guthrie program has assisted in developing skills needed for inmates to beat their addictions, learn the skills they are lacking and successfully reintegrate back into their community with ongoing support. There is further need for this program in all correctional institutions, as it is the first and only prison-based therapeutic community of its kind in Canada. (BC Ministry of Justice). Canada’s justice system is set up to teach inmates to re-offend; incarcerated inmates learn how to survive in prison, which only perpetuates the behavior that put them in jail, and then sent back to the community with even fewer life skills.Show MoreRelatedCode Of Ethics For Substance Abuse Counseling907 Words   |  4 PagesA code of ethics stands for a set of principles of conduct set within an organization to assist or guide employees to making decisions and adhering to ethical behavior. It’s a set of guidelines that must be followed to make ethical choices when conducting work related matters. Code of ethics is an organizations form integrity. This paper will discuss what an appropriate code of ethics is, and summarize the features of deontological, consequentialist, and virtue of ethics in a professional code ofRead MoreSubstance Abuse Counseling Laws And The Aca Ethics Code1465 Words   |  6 Pages Substance abuse counseling can be a rewarding career for an yone who has a desire to help people who are battling an addiction to drugs or alcohol. A substance abuse counselor can work in hospitals, prisons, therapeutic facilities, and halfway houses. The purpose of a substance abuse counselor is to help those who have an addiction manage it. In this paper I will be discussing Texas state counseling laws and the ACA ethics code and how these two can guide my work as a substance abuse counselorRead MoreThe Ethical Principles Of Impaired Nurses918 Words   |  4 Pageswho are abusing substance typically can’t follow these for ethical principles to the best of their ability because they are too focused on themselves. As mentioned in the article Substance Abuse among Nurses, nurses who are abusing substances are not able to complete tasks and function as a typical nurse would (Talbert, J. J. 2009). These types of nurses are not able to apply the four ethical principles to their everyday work environment because they are too focused on the substances they need. TheseRead MoreThe Ethics of Drug Use and Drug Abuse1579 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ The Ethics of Drug Use and Drug Abuse For any professional working in the substance abuse treatment field, they will very likely come across situations and be presented with dilemmas relating to personal beliefs, judgments, and values. Drug or substance use and abuse have been a controversial and heated topic around the world for centuries. Drug abuse, in a way, is a facet of human culture that has been present for a great deal of human history in general. Every culture handles the issue ofRead MoreNurses Should Respect And Let Patient Exercise Autonomy942 Words   |  4 Pagesand suffering of the patient with substance abuse. Compton (2011) specified that whatever patient reports as pain, nurses must believe it without judging. To better manage the pain, drug seeking behavior must be identified and treated as an addiction According to the principle of justice, everyone should be treated equally. Nurses frequently face decisions in which a sense of justice should prevail. Judging the patients based on the history of substance abuse is considered a violation of the principleRead MoreEthical Dilemmas Of A Social Worker892 Words   |  4 Pagesconfides in you that his is under the influence of ecstasy and crystal meth because his friends convinced him to try it. He’s worried that he will become addicted and is asking for your help with his drug abuse. You tell him about a program with other teens who have depression and substance abuse issues that is publicly funded. He agrees to enroll in the program but he doesn’t want his parents to know about it. Since your client is under 18, you are debating if you can allow him to give consent toRead MorePublic Policy, Social Welfare Programs, Stakeholder Groups, And Joel Blau s Five Elements Model1347 Words   |  6 Pagesthat is gaining attention from United States Senators is the Expand Excellence in Mental Health Act. We can gain a better understanding of this act by taking a look at a recent public policy related to mental healthcare, the values in the Code of Ethics, social welfare programs, stakeholder groups, and Joel Blau’s five elements model. This will give us a better understanding into the social problem and public policy related to access to mental healthcare. When it comes to access to mental healthcareRead MorePsychoactive Substances Should Be Regulated Essay1679 Words   |  7 PagesSociety’s taste for psychoactive substances is attested to in the earliest human records. Drug use and abuse is as old as mankind; humans have always had an inclination towards ingesting substances that make them feel stimulated, relaxed, or euphoric. In the past, the general population has used psychoactive substances for religious and ceremonial, medicinal and recreational purposes in a socially approved way. Our forbearers refined more potent compounds and devised faster routes of administrationRead MoreA Code Of Ethics And Its Impact On A Client s Mental Health939 Words   |  4 PagesCounseling takes many different roads in the direction of improving a client’s mental health. These roads all lead to a common goal, but the therapist must be diligent in the direction chosen. A code of ethics provides the parameters for proper and effectiv e treatment and boundaries protect the process of healing. Understanding how these two critical components interweave into this process aids in the conceptual framework of therapy. It may become necessary to expand upon and even cross the theoreticalRead MoreSubstance Abuse Is An Addiction1626 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Substance abuse is an addiction and it is the addition, which is referred to a chronic disease. It is this chronic disease that is a significant and growing issue, especially among family units where either one or two parents and/or parental guardians suffer from. Despite the various and complex reasons that cause the parents or parental guardians to abuse substances, it is their children who suffer thus, significantly affecting the parent/parental guardian and child bonding relationship

Rape of the lock Essay Example For Students

Rape of the lock Essay Category:HistoryPaper Title:rape of the lockText:In this Canto, Pope describes the satirical decent of Umbriel intounderworld as the last literary convention of epic poetry thatPope uses. Umbriel is the representative of the darker side of the supernatural worldandhe goes to the Underworld or the Cave of spleen to gain some assistance fortheviolated. In the Cave of Spleen, Umbriel discovers two symbols offemininewiles: Ill-nature an old Puritan dressed in black and white and Affectation,awoman who pretends to be ill to gain superiority. These women give Umbriel abag full of sighs, sobs, and passions, and the war oftongues(Line 84) andadded the gift of a vial of soft sorrows, melting griefs, and glowingtears(Line 87). These weapons are the female wiles thatcause the epicbattle between Belinda and the Baron. Pope ends the poem stating thatBelindas lock will go to heaven with her name inscribed on it so thateveryonewill know her name. In the final analysis, the scales are tipped in favor of the comical: thereader of the poem is impressed by the sheer force of the humor, and thegrandstyle serves to exaggerate the ridiculous. The laughter and ridicule do notundermine the importance of good sense and virtue in the relations betweenmen and women. In conclusion, The Rape of the Lock is indeed a mock-heroic toindicate to Arabella Fermor and Lord Petre that they should not worry abouttrivial things such as the rape of ones lock. The Rape ofthe Lock is anexample of how Pope fuses both the classical world with his modern world. . History

Internet Culture Essay Example

Internet Culture Paper BA Humanities Media and Society It is hard to understand the term culture. What is culture? Is it a way of life, is it a group of shared interests that brings a community of individuals together or is it a utopian dream, an invention created by the powers that be who govern society to help to collaborate interests in a structured easy to monitor way? Culture is defined in many different ways. It is said that cultures are maps of meaning through which the world is made intelligible1, but whatever the true meaning of the word Culture, Raymond Williams was right in suggesting that Culture is one of the most complicated words in the human language2: Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language. This is so partly because of its intricate historical development { } but mainly because it has now come to be used for important concepts in several distinct intellectual disciplines and in several distinct and incompatible systems of thought3. Culture has become the antithesis of modern times. We will write a custom essay sample on Internet Culture specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Internet Culture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Internet Culture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Its meaning is so vast and indescribable that it would be very difficult to placate an entire essay on its meaning and come to any fore longed conclusion. Culture has a different meaning to different people and it is this paradigmatic complexity that allows the word to put fear into anyone attempting to analyse its essence. However, if you put a leading word, a word that defines disciplines within a specific culture, the term suddenly becomes identifiable. Oral Culture, Print Culture, Popular Culture and what we are attempting to understand within this research, Internet Culture begins to have a more clear and concise meaning. The very nature of the words associated and linked to the term culture allow for a more natural semblance of association. Once a word has been linked with the massive expanse of the term culture, the essence and meaning of a task such as describing what you understand by the term Internet Culture becomes significantly easier to digest and comprehend. Within the following research I will attempt to describe what I understand of the term Internet Culture and to address some of the key critical questions being asked about the movement towards the Internet Revolution4. For the basis of consistency, I will divide the text into what I feel are the key critical issues that are being questioned regarding Internet Culture, beginning with the definition that I believe personifies the term Internet Culture. As there are a phenomenal amount of issues that are being questioned I have chosen two key concepts that I feel are of importance regarding the construction and maintenance of a culture that is virtual in essence. The main critical issues that I will review are:   Can you have a virtual community?   How will Internet Culture affect the information Have and Have Nots? However, before we go any further it is imperative that we decipher what I believe and understand by the term Internet Culture. A contemporary hobby or obsession has been the compartmentalisation of eras in time and space or epochs that relate specifically to how society and the inhabitants of society communicate. Theorists have been able to highlight a number of shifts in the way a society communicates that has led to different aspects of cultural identity being adopted. It is safe to suggest that the fundamental link between varying societies and cultures are the way that they communicate and interact, as the understanding of a common language strengthens a community, just as a lack of understanding can also divide and ostracise. One of the first epochs to be defined was the Primary Oral Culture, a culture that communicated only by speech with no written text or literature present. Oral Culture was temporally biased5, it relied heavily on mythology and legend as well as ceremony and memorisation in order to transcend meaning and keep a sense of cultural identity alive6. It can be said that Oral Culture laid the foundations for the evolution of culture and society through differing communication media. The Primary Oral Culture led to Print Culture and then Visual Culture and to the epoch, which contemporary western societies are meant to inhabit, that of Internet Culture. Since Oral Culture all other cultures have included a fundamental aspect of the oral society7. We live in a predominantly word based environment, one of speech and hearing a world of sound8, however, the interactive medium that Internet Culture utilises is perhaps the only medium that converges all traditional modes of communication9. Internet Culture is the epoch that contemporary society has begun to inhabit, however, it can also be a fluid and complex medium that has many cultural meanings with little social understanding. Internet Culture cannot be as easily associated and linked to past specifications of culture that society has grown accustomed to. David Porter gives an interpretation of what Internet Culture is and the diverged sense of cultural significance that the Internet procures: If the Internet can be understood as the site of any culture at all, it is not, presumable, culture in the sense either of an elitist enclave or of a homogeneous social sphere. The culture that the Net embodies, rather, is a produce of the peculiar conditions of virtual acquaintance that prevail online, a collective adaptation of the high frequency of anonymous, experimental, and even fleeting encounters familiar to anyone who has ventured into a newsgroup debate. 10 It is therefore difficult to ascertain what Internet Culture is and it is equally difficult to give an explanation of a new medium with such a heavy cultural significance. The Internet is changing the way society communicates, but this is not a new or contemporary notion. Erla Zwingle establishes the movement of society and tradition when he affirms that Goods move, people move, ideas move and cultures change11. It is this that has the cultural significance in a continuously fluid environment like the Internet. However, to what extent the cultural significance has affected society and cultural infiltration is at this stage purely speculative with no foreseeable way of monitoring the effects that the Internet has. As we enter the 21st century electronic media have become an imperative aspect of western societies daily lives. We use computers because they are easy, they buy us time and they give us entertainment. Internet Culture is an extension of the visual image that saturates our everyday lives.