In Chapter 11, Postman proposed some form of a solution to the many problems he has discussed throughout the book, manly focusing on education though. Postman believes one way to overcome technology is through education, however it is broken. Education is ineffective because it is broken; there is no unifying story or theme, just different subject that are taught. Education needs to be organized around a theme; maybe this is where “tech” school will become important in the future. Modern education “has no moral, social or intellectual center” (186). Education should “stress history, the scientific mode of thinking, the disciplined use of language and a wide-ranging knowledge of the arts and religion (189).
We need to understand the technology does not, cannot, and never will rule our lives. Postman states, "You must try to be a loving resistance fighter . . . By 'loving' I mean that, in spite of the confusion, errors, and stupidities you see around you, you must always keep close to your heart the narratives and symbols that once made the United States the hope of the world and that may yet have enough vitality to do so again. . .” (182). “A resistance fighter understands that technology must never be accepted as part of the natural order of things, that every technology--from an IQ test to an automobile to a television set to a computer--is a product of a particular economic and political context and carries with it a program, an agenda, and a philosophy that may or may not be life-enhancing and that therefore require scrutiny, criticism, and control.” (184-185).
Is technology truly life-enhancing in the long run?
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