Media and the Power of Knowledge

In Media and the Power of Knowledge, Fuller argues that from literacy to digitality, access and control of the available media have arguably done the most to shape the course of knowledge. Fuller radically extends Marshall McLuhan's slogan, 'The medium is the message', by reading the distinction between 'hot' and 'cool' media through the lens of sociologist Max Weber's 'prophetic' and 'priestly' religious voices, the former demanding that receivers complete the message, the latter that they conform to it. Readers will find a comparative appraisal of Socrates and Jesus as long-standing media personalities, as well as the fate of individual integrity, expert authority and the public sphere in the radically democratized landscape of the post-truth condition, in which truth-telling has been turned into a performing art that may adopt many forms. Does the tweet signal the return of the aphorism as a conveyor of insight about the world? Historically and philosophically informed, while presenting provocative arguments that address today's concerns, this book considers the likely future developments of the media and its far-reaching implications for the human condition.

Steve Fuller is Professor of Sociology at Warwick University, UK. He has written extensively on politics and social theory and the sociology of science. His many books include Kuhn vs Popper, which was named book of the month (Feb 2005) by Popular Science; The Intellectual was named a book of the year by the New Statesman for 2005; and Dissent over Descent was named book of the week by Times Higher Education in July 2008. He has spoken in 30 countries, often keynoting professional academic conferences, and has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts since 1995. His writings have been translated into over twenty languages.