“On this episode we talk with Douglas Rushkoff, author, teacher, and host of the Team Human podcast. Rushkoff’s work explores how different technological environments change our relationship to narrative, money, power, and each other. His latest book, also called Team Human, calls for the retrieval of human autonomy in a digital age. Rushkoff is also no stranger to the psychedelic scene having collaborated with Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, Terence McKenna, Ralph Metzner, Mark Pesce, and Erik Davis. We discuss some of the parallels between digital and psychedelic mainstreaming, the mental health epidemic as an externality of capitalism, and placing our trust capitalist cures. Will COVID-19 be to psychedelics as 9/11 was to surveillance capitalism? September 11th became the excuse to implement a surveillance state and surrender digital technologies to corporations. Will we see psychedelic medicines become the go-to recovery option for COVID-related mental health fallout? We also explore what a true psychedelic renaissance might look like.”
“Psychedelics are going mainstream. With landmark studies in the last decade showing their incredible potential in treating serious mental health conditions, 2020 saw a goldrush of investment. But what are the implications as psychedelics move from the counterculture to the boardroom? In this short documentary, Alexander Beiner speaks to leading experts in the field – from clinicians and CEO’s to shamans and philosophers – to ask what the rise of psychedelic capitalism means for the future of culture and medicine. Includes interviews with Dr. Rosalind Watts (clinical lead of Imperial College’s groundbreaking psilocybin for depression study), Erik Davis (author of Techgnosis and High Weirdness), Jamie Wheal (author of Stealing Fire), Kat Conour of the Auryn Project, Bill Linton (CEO of The Usona Institute) and Shipibo shaman Jose Lopez Sanchez among others. Are we seeing the birth of a new era in mental health care, or late capitalism’s sneakiest cash grab yet? Turn on and tune in to find out.”
“In the last week so many of the topics that Rebel Wisdom has been covering burst onto the world stage, the birth of new religions, the overlap between spirituality and conspiracy/Q Anon, and more, all personified in the iconic image of the “Q Anon Shaman”, leading the mob that stormed the seat of American democracy. In this film, we try to pull apart the deeper strands of mythology, religious fervour and high weirdness with three experts in the esoteric, Erik Davis, Gary Lachman and Jules Evans.”
“In the midst of loss and death and suffering, our charge is to figure out what freedom really means—and how we take steps to get there. Join Marc Lamont Hill, phillip agnew, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor for an urgent conversation about the ongoing struggle for freedom in the wake of the 2020 election. The uprising of 2020 marked a new phase in the unfolding Movement for Black Lives. The brutal killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, and countless other injustices large and small, lit the spark of the largest protest movement in US history, a historic uprising against racism and the politics of disposability that the Covid-19 pandemic lays bare. In his urgent and incisive new book We Still Here: Pandemic, Policing, Protest, and Possibility, Marc Lamont Hill critically examines the “pre-existing conditions” that have led us to this moment of crisis and upheaval, guiding us through both the perils and possibilities, and helping us imagine an abolitionist future.”
brilliant discussion on meaning
“Sheldon Solomon is a social psychologist, a philosopher, co-developer of Terror Management Theory, co-author of The Worm at the Core.”
(the following is an excerpt from my book)
There is an absolutely brilliant 92Y interview that Hamilton Morris, one of the most prominent psychedelic advocates in America, did of Michael Pollan, the mainstream journalist who recently wrote a book on the current renaissance called How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. I think the book will probably ultimately be positive for the movement to mainstream psychedelics simply because he is such a square type of mainstream media figure, normies will be far more inclined to read him less antagonistically than they would read someone like me.
But he does problematically talk mad shit on Dr. Leary and the counterculture in that book, which is why Hamilton’s interview was so great. He pushed back on Pollan’s central thesis, which is that psychedelics seem like they could be great psychiatric medicines, but there is not enough science yet to fully prove their efficacy and they need to be used in strictly controlled clinical settings with guides to help people through their trips. As somebody who has tripped hundreds of times and never had a “guide,” I really object to the assertion that everybody needs a professional tripsitter in order to do these things safely and get great benefits out of them. Surely, it would be great if guides were available to folks who wanted one, especially on their first psychonautical expedition, but most people can get on just fine without one.
My favorite part of the interview was when Hamilton makes a profound analogy between the Prohibition on psychedelics and a hypothetical Prohibition on music. It’s perfect because both of those cultural phenomena are quite similarly foundational to the human experience:
“And of course I agree with all this, you know, I’m a believer. I want all of this to be true. I want them to be legal. I want them to be medicines. I want all this research to have tremendously promising results, but I’m also extremely worried because I think if we look at them exclusively as medicines and don’t emphasize just cognitive liberty—the freedom to do things regardless of whether or not they’re medicinal—it’d be like if somebody made music illegal, and instead of saying, “Well it should just be legal because why not? Just make it legal; it doesn’t hurt anyone,” everyone said, “Oh, no, we can prove that it’s a medicine. And then, if it’s a medicine, then then it’s okay for everyone to use it. And look, it actually helps people with neurodegenerative diseases and certain people with PTSD if they listen to a certain type of music under very controlled circumstances, it can actually be tremendously therapeutic. We need to make this legal.” But then it would cost money and the whole thing would be a mess, and you would sort of neglect the overarching issue, which is: Why is this even controlled in the first place?”
Absolutely brilliant new film from Peter Joseph, my absolute #1 intellectual influence and philosophical hero. There is so much to say about this film, but it articulates the central thesis of the Zeitgeist Movement probably more effectively than any of their other work. Peter is always epically on-point in all his films and books and lectures, but the rest of his works are more strictly cerebral & analytical. True reality is very complicated, but this film manages to articulate it as clearly as I can imagine. Thanks again Peter, for illuminating the Truth for us all to see.
“InterReflections explores deep social issues. In three timelines our main story takes us into the future when ecological crisis and inequality has destabilized society. John Taylor, a defected government intelligence agent turned revolutionary leader, is captured by his former colleague and nemesis, Simon Devoe.”
In this expedition, Neonn talks to legendary superconscious emcee Kalki das (aka Antony of Egypt / Kikwaakew / Legion / Sunya Das), manager of Revolt-Motion Records, founder of Mutant Akademy, & author of over 100 albums of paradigm-shifting radical Hip-Hop, to discuss the decolonization of mythology, anarchism as a spiritual philosophy, Hip Hop as a radically inclusive futuristic global culture, animal activism & the possibility of ethical commerce, the true nature of the apocalypse we’re living thru, the metaphysics of corruption in hierarchical power structures, the potency of artistic activism in the lifting of the veil, the beauty of diversity, the chasm between religions & the prophets who inspired them, science fiction as the new mythos for a technological age, what living sustainably really means, and lots more decolonial metagnostic activist philosophy.. 🎃
▲ Kikwaakew / Kalki / Antony of Egypt / Legion / Sunya Das ▲
Revolt-Motion Website ▲ Bandcamp ▲ Facebook
▲ Of A Great Red Cypress ▲ Soundcloud ▲ Facebook
▲ MRKRYL ▲ Soundcloud ▲ Facebook
UtopianCartography.com is an archive of evolutionary media, full of talks & music & books & movies (etc.), to shed light on the profound shift we’re living through on this planet, and how we can best respond.
Follow Utopian Cartography on YouTube, Facebook, Soundcloud, & Twitter
In this expedition, Neonn talks to Living Village Culture Co-Founder Isis Indriya about the phenomenology of ritual, the mythological roots of theater, the line of manifestation of conscious creativity, the decolonization of spirituality, esoteric metaphysics, principles for organizing healthy societies, art as a tool of collective evolution, the necessity of education reform to help people find their true purpose-work, the benefits of studying ancient history, the importance of community in these turbulent times, how we can relearn to be part of the ecosystem again from indigenous communities who still remember, & lots more psychedelic neopagan decolonial philosophy! 🎃
▲ Isis Indriya ▲ Living Village Culture Website ▲ Facebook
▲ Of A Great Red Cypress ▲ Soundcloud ▲ Facebook
▲ MRKRYL ▲ Soundcloud ▲ Facebook
▲ Kikwaakew / Kalki / Antony of Egypt / Legion / Sunya Das ▲ Revolt-Motion Website
UtopianCartography.com is an archive of evolutionary media, full of talks & music & books & movies (etc.), to shed light on the profound shift we’re living through on this planet, and how we can best respond.
Follow Utopian Cartography on YouTube, Facebook, Soundcloud, & Twitter
In this expedition, Neonn talks to Imagine Music & Arts Festival Producer Darin Leong about the phenomenology of conscious transformation at intentional tribal gatherings, the evolution of raving, the nature of sacred social ritual, transmedial psychedelic creativity, the origins of the myth of the rugged individual via theocratic colonialism, the ancient ancestral memory of tribal dance around a campfire, the age of self-discovery through the internet, the limits & potentials of politicization of festivals as vehicles for social change, utopia as a place where people’s needs are met so they can freely practice art & music, & lots more psychedelic activist philosophy.. 🎃
▲ Darin Leong ▲ Facebook
▲ Imagine Music & Arts Festival ▲ Website ▲ Facebook
▲ Imagine Convergence ▲ Website
▲ Of A Great Red Cypress ▲ Soundcloud
▲ Kalki / Antony of Egypt / Legion / Sunya Das / Kikwaakew ▲ Website
▲ Hanto ▲ Soundcloud
UtopianCartography.com is an archive of evolutionary media, full of talks & music & books & movies (etc.), to shed light on the profound shift we’re living through on this planet, and how we can best respond.
Follow Utopian Cartography on YouTube, Facebook, Soundcloud, & Twitter
In this expedition, Neonn talks to DSA Sacramento Co-Chair Jonah Paul about the philosophical & strategic path to expanding human rights to include housing, starting with rent control and working toward full-on social housing policies like they’ve already achieved in more progressive places. We talk about different catalysts for political activation, why millennials are trending towards socialism, the nature of capitalist exploitation & how to respond to it, rhetorical strategies to change public opinion, the effect of the 2008 collapse on today’s housing crisis, direct ballot measures vs. routine legislation, the futility of corrupt neoliberal solutions, the actual mechanics of rent control, how American real estate became a tax shelter, how to fight gentrification & financialization, what a decommodified housing policy would actually look like, how inadequate housing is detrimental to public health, egalitarian reasoning from humanist first principles, DSA as a great way to organize for working class power, utopia as a pluralistic participatory democracy, & lots more fun activist philosophy.. 🎃
Jonah Paul ▲ Facebook ▲ Twitter
Democratic Socialists of America ▲ Facebook ▲ Twitter
DSA Sacramento Chapter ▲ Facebook ▲ Twitter
intro music ▲ Of A Great Red Cypress
outro music ▲ Kalki / Antony of Egypt / Legion / Sunya Das / Kikwaakew
outro music ▲ Zieke Sounds
UtopianCartography.com is an archive of evolutionary media, full of talks & music & books & movies (etc.), to shed light on the profound shift we’re living through on this planet, and how we can best respond.
Follow Utopian Cartography on YouTube, Facebook, Soundcloud, & Twitter
In this episode of Utopian Cartography, Neonn Felicity sits down with the guerrilla poet laureate of Sacramento, Andru Defeye, to discuss the role of art in perpetuating or disrupting toxic patterns of complacency with the injustices in the world. Andru Defeye is a conscious existential emcee, founder of the guerrilla performance crew Zero Forbidden Goals, Communications Director for the community activist art space Sol Collective, & the vibrant host of a series of open mic events at Sol & on street corners around Sacramento.
Topics discussed include: popular culture as a narcissistic lullaby, art as a vehicle for collective consciousness, manifestation vs. privileged positivity culture, change as an inevitable process of unfolding, creativity as critical engagement with the world, how we can learn to listen to each other & why, how to prevent the robo-cops of the future from being racist, informal 2-way intergenerational education, how to love your enemies, how culture evolves from one generation to the next, the intuitive wokeness of kids these days, how to hunt for joy in your life, despite any tragedy, & how to respond effectively to a world in crisis. Thanks for joining us. ❤️
Andru Defeye ▲ Spotify ▲ Facebook ▲ YouTube ▲ Instagram ▲ Twitter
intro music ▲ Of A Great Red Cypress
outro music ▲ Andru Defeye
UtopianCartography.com is an archive of evolutionary media, full of talks & music & books & movies (etc.), to shed light on the profound shift we’re living through on this planet, and how we can best respond.
Follow Utopian Cartography on YouTube, Facebook, Soundcloud, & Twitter
Welcome comrades, to our maiden voyage into the tumultuous waters of civilizational prognostication! 🔮 ^^ It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the constant barrage of bad news. It’s easy to think humanity is hopeless. This is our first exploration into the possibility that everything can be different. We don’t have to delude ourselves with fantasies about why the future will be good. There are real reasons to be hopeful about where this planet is headed. 🦋 Utopian Cartography is a new podcast to explore those reasons, hosted by Neonn Felicity.
Scott Mills is a Transhumanist Activist & Social Scientist, a Geo-Political & Technological Analyst, a Non-Monogamy Communication and Life Coach, a Cryptocurrency Expert, & an all-around Progressive Futurist think tank. We met at Luminosity Gathering in Canada in 2017. We were both giving talks in the Metaphysics & Art space, and I was very impressed by his energy & his ability to apply profound insights from neuroscience & psychology to reinvent human social relations to embody a philosophy of radical love & radical openness. In the conversation you are about to hear, we discuss the path thru civilizational despair to becoming a utopian optimist, & how the only rational response to a world in crisis is to spread love & wisdom, as far & wide as possible. We are on the verge of human liberation, so get excited & enjoy the ride.
Scott Mills ▲ Facebook
UtopianCartography.com is an archive of evolutionary media, full of talks & music & books & movies (etc.), to shed light on the profound shift we’re living through on this planet, and how we can best respond.
Follow Utopian Cartography on YouTube, Facebook, Soundcloud, & Twitter
“Bestselling author Tim Ferriss (Tools of Titans, The 4-Hour Workweek, etc.) probes the science, mysteries, and future of psychedelics with Dr. Roland R. Griffiths, a clinical pharmacologist at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Griffiths has been researching mood-altering compounds for more than 40 years, has published more than 370 scientific papers, and started the psilocybin (think “magic mushrooms”) research program at Johns Hopkins nearly 20 years ago. Dr. Griffiths and his colleagues have been leaders in the re-initiation of research with classic psychedelic drugs, which was blocked for a period of several decades. This session offers details and stories that can help both novices and experienced psychonauts get a better understanding of the applications of these incredible compounds.”
“Electronic Awakening is an ethnographic documentary film by Director / Producer Andrew Johner that investigates the spirituality of Electronic Dance Music culture and its ties to ancient shamanic rituals. The film features dozens of experts, visionaries, and published authors who explore the premise that “Electronic Music is spiritual technology that allows access to higher states of consciousness”. Filmed over a period of 5 years at events such as Burning Man, Earthdance, LoveFest, Moontribe, Wicked, Shambhala and the Boom Festival in Portugal, it highlights the project’s significant breadth.”
“This highly provocative documentary explores the relationship between spirituality, religion, and plant medicine. Featuring top thought leaders including Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Marianne Williamson, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and hosted by Mike “Zappy” Zapolin, the film explores how to access the true reality through plant medicine, Ayahuasca and meditation. It includes first of its kind interviews with top spiritual gurus, celebrities, and people of all faiths, about this intriguing connection and their personal experiences with spirituality and transcendence.
Throughout history human beings have searched for gateways to spirituality that have included meditation, prayer and plant medicine. The Judeo Christian religions, Vedic traditions, and Shamanistic rituals all incorporate techniques focused on transcending the physical reality. These ancient techniques have been uncovered and are now available to society, enabling our ability to tap into our true reality and awakening.
Interviews with leading scientists validate the merging of spirituality and science. The worldwide awareness of the film is meant to break through the “illusion of reality,” and allow viewers to move forward toward a more meaningful and peaceful future. The filmmakers are conducting interviews with today’s thought leaders from around the globe, while capturing the culture and energy of some of the most spiritual places on earth, including Peru, Rome, Maui, Costa Rica and the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa. ~ https://therealityoftruth.com ~ http://www.PortalToAscension.org
“Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, the psychologist, neuroscientist and Head of the Psychedelic Research Centre at Imperial College London. Yours is the world’s first organisation dedicated to the research of mind-altering substances and focuses on three key areas of study: mental health, social science and neuroscience. He was the first in the world to investigate the effects of LSD using modern brain imaging, and the first to study psilocybin – the active compound in magic mushrooms – for treating severe depression.”
“This film series explores many aspects of our society. To rethink what is possible in our world, we need to consider what kind of world we want to live in. Although we refer to it as a civilization, it is anything but civilized. Visions of global unity & fellowship have long inspired humanity, yet the social arrangements up to the present have largely failed to produce a peaceful and productive world. While we appear to be technically advanced, our values and behaviors are not. The possibility of an optimistic future is in stark contrast to our current social, economic, and environmental dilemmas. The Choice Is Ours includes interviews with notable scientists, media professionals, authors, and other thinkers exploring the difficulties we face.
Part I provides an introduction and overview of cultural & environmental conditions that are untenable for a sustainable world civilization. It explores the determinants of behavior to dispel the myth of “human nature” while demonstrating how the environment shapes behavior. The science of behavior is an important – yet largely missing – ingredient in our culture.
Part II questions the values, behaviors, and consequences of our social structures, and illustrates how our global monetary system is obsolete and increasingly insufficient to meet the needs of most people. Critical consideration of the banking, media, and criminal justice systems reveals these institutions for what they really are: tools of social control managed by the established political and economic elite. If we stay the present course, the familiar cycles of crime, economic booms & busts, war, and further environmental destruction are inevitable.
Part III explains the methods and potential of science. It proposes solutions that we can apply at present to eliminate the use of non-renewable sources of energy. It depicts the vision of The Venus Project to build an entirely new world from the ground up, a “redesign of the culture,” where all enjoy a high standard of living, free of servitude and debt, while also protecting the environment.
Part IV explains how it is not just architecture and a social structure that is in desperate need of change, but our values which have been handed down from centuries ago. They too need to be updated to our technological age, which has the potential to eliminate our scarcity-driven societies of today. Our problems are mostly of our own making, but we can still turn things around before the point of no return. It’s not too late for an optimistic outlook on the fantastic possibilities that lie before us.”
“As one of the pioneers of Hip-Hop, Grandmaster Caz has seen a massive shift in the culture since its inception, and he took a moment to focus on the gangsta rap movement during the ’90s. The New York emcee explained that he saw a detrimental impact on the culture when gangsta rap was on the rise, because it killed out all of the conscious rappers at the time. Grandmaster Caz then gave props to N.W.A., and shared that Eazy-E used to come to a Zulu Nation club in L.A., but the East Coast legend stuck by his thoughts on the negative impact he feels their group and others had on the Hip-Hop culture.”
“Retired Police Officer Jack Cole is the cofounder of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). His organization is dedicated to ending the massive failure known as the War on Drugs. In this riveting interview, Jack shares his personal history in undercover narcotics and talks about the many evils on the War on Drugs.”
“Peter Christ retired as a police captain after a 20-year career enforcing drug laws. From the beginning, Peter believed “the drug war can never be won and it is doing more harm than good.” After retiring in 1989, Peter began speaking out publicly against that War. In 1993, he became one of the first members of “ReconsiDer”, one of the original forums on drug policy, involving speakers from many diverse backgrounds. Peter quickly developed into the group’s leading spokesperson, appearing at hundreds of venues. Peter then originated the idea of creating LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition – http://www.leap.cc/), a drug policy reform group of current and former members of law enforcement modeled on “Vietnam Veterans Against the War”. In 2002, after four years of Peter’s preparation, LEAP finally emerged as a viable international nonprofit educational organization. Christ is one of the most experienced of the LEAP speakers, having performed before hundreds of civic, professional, educational, and religious organizations, plus conducting television and radio interviews in dozens of markets. Peter speaks of the Drug War’s impact on: police/community relations; the safety of law enforcement officers and suspects; police corruption and misconduct; and the financial and human costs associated with current drug policies. These issues include the effect of drug prohibition on the judiciary, sentencing issues, prison populations and minority communities, as well as the usefulness of drug education programs in reducing drug abuse.”
❝ For millennia, great thinkers have contemplated the meaning and purpose of human existence; but while most assumed that humanity was the end point of creation or the pinnacle of evolution, Ted Chu makes the provocative claim that the human race may in fact be a means rather than an end–that humankind will give rise to evolutionary successors. In this wide-ranging and authoritative work, Chu reexamines the question of human purpose in light of the extraordinary developments of science and technology. Arguing that a deep understanding of our place in the universe is required to navigate the magnitude of the choices that lie ahead, he surveys human wisdom from both East and West, traces the evolutionary trajectory that has led to this point, and explores the potentials emerging on the scientific frontier. The book addresses the legitimate fears and concerns of “playing God” but embraces the possibility of transcending biological forms and becoming or creating entirely new life-forms. ❞
“Following on from his explosive & controversial interview on BBC Newsnight, Russell Brand sat down for an evening with Mehdi Hasan to discuss his opinions on the world order, politics, drugs & their treatment & also anything else that Russell felt like talking about.”
“Immortal Technique at the conference Activism in The Age of Mass Incarceration from Dec 4, 2012 featuring Dr. Cornel West, Immortal Technique & Schomburg Center Director Khalil Gibran Muhammad.”
“Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011) focuses on “Monetary-Market Economics” and its repercussions. Chapter 1 is treatment on “Human Nature”, noting that our social traditions are out of line with what constitutes positive human development. Chapter 2 details the core flaws of our economic system and how it is destroying us and the planet. Chapter 3 begins a thought exercise where our modern scientific understanding is considered as the starting point for human decision-making and Chapter 4 sets predictions of what is to come as society becomes more destabilized due to our outdated practices.”
This is the film that launched the Zeitgeist Movement. After Peter’s first film presented a brutal ruthless criticism of everything existing without proposing an alternative system, Roxanne Meadows of the Venus Project sent him a copy of Jacque Fresco’s manifesto, The Best That Money Can’t Buy. That inspired him to make a film showing people why civilization indeed does not have to be this way. ~💜Neonn
“Zeitgeist: Addendum (2008) features former “Economic Hit-Man” and New York Times bestselling author, John Perkins, along with The Venus Project, an organization for social redesign created by Industrial Designer Jacque Fresco. Broken into four chapters, the 1st explains “Fractional Reserve Banking” and how Debt and Bankruptcy are inevitable realities. The 2nd exposes various levels of international corruption via the financial/corporate system. The 3rd then considers solutions to current social woes and the 4th gives a philosophical view with the hope to inspire change in the viewer.”
❝ Noted media pundit and author of Playing the Future Douglas Rushkoff gives a devastating critique of the influence techniques behind our culture of rampant consumerism. With a skilled analysis of how experts in the fields of marketing, advertising, retail atmospherics, and hand-selling attempt to take away our ability to make rational decisions, Rushkoff delivers a bracing account of media ecology today, consumerism in America, and why we buy what we buy, helping us recognize when we’re being treated like consumers instead of human beings. ❞
❝ How does our fascination with technology intersect with the religious imagination? In TechGnosis—a cult classic now updated and reissued with a new afterword—Erik Davis argues that while the realms of the digital and the spiritual may seem worlds apart, esoteric and religious impulses have in fact always permeated (and sometimes inspired) technological communication. Davis uncovers startling connections between such seemingly disparate topics as electricity and alchemy; online roleplaying games and religious and occult practices; virtual reality and gnostic mythology; programming languages and Kabbalah. The final chapters address the apocalyptic dreams that haunt technology, providing vital historical context as well as new ways to think about a future defined by the mutant intermingling of mind and machine, nightmare and fantasy. ❞
❝ The most virulent viruses today are composed of information. In this information-driven age, the easiest way to manipulate the culture is through the media. A hip and caustically humorous McLuhan for the ’90s, culture watcher Douglas Rushkoff now offers a fascinating expose of media manipulation in today’s age of instant information. ❞
❝ In a vivid journalistic portrait of the underground trendsetters of the 1990s, Rushkoff ventures headlong into cyberspace–the weird and unmapped terrain of hackers, smart drugs, virtual reality, cyberliterature, and technoshamans ❞
❝ When first published, Marshall McLuhan’s Understanding Media made history with its radical view of the effects of electronic communications upon man and life in the twentieth century. This edition of McLuhan’s best-known book both enhances its accessibility to a general audience and provides the full critical apparatus necessary for scholars. In Terrence Gordon’s own words, “McLuhan is in full flight already in the introduction, challenging us to plunge with him into what he calls ‘the creative process of knowing.'” Much to the chagrin of his contemporary critics McLuhan’s preference was for a prose style that explored rather than explained. Probes, or aphorisms, were an indispensable tool with which he sought to prompt and prod the reader into an “understanding of how media operates” and to provoke reflection.
In the 1960s McLuhan s theories aroused both wrath and admiration. It is intriguing to speculate what he might have to say 40 years later on subjects to which he devoted whole chapters such as Television, The Telephone, Weapons, Housing and Money. Today few would dispute that mass media have indeed decentralized modern living and turned the world into a global village. ❞