The Inhuman: Reflections on Time [Paperback]

Jean-FranCois Lyotard (Author), Geoffrey Bennington (Translator), Rachel Bowlby (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1992

“Extremely important for everyone interested in issues of (post)modern literature, art, and music.”—Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Stanford University
“In this collection of 17 essays, all written or presented between 1980 and 1989, Lyotard addresses a variety of topics related to the transition from modernity to postmodernity. . . . Addressing issues of relevance to art, music, literature, and philosophy, Lyotard’s collection will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners in each of these areas as well as to a general readership interested in aesthetic postmodernity and the avante-garde.”—Choice

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Extremely important for everyone interested in issues of (post)modern literature, art, and music.”—Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Stanford University

“In this collection of 17 essays, all written or presented between 1980 and 1989, Lyotard addresses a variety of topics related to the transition from modernity to postmodernity. . . . Addressing issues of relevance to art, music, literature, and philosophy, Lyotard’s collection will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners in each of these areas as well as to a general readership interested in aesthetic postmodernity and the avante-garde.”—Choice

From the Back Cover

“Extremely important for everyone interested in issues of (post)modern literature, art, and music.”—Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Stanford University
“In this collection of 17 essays, all written or presented between 1980 and 1989, Lyotard addresses a variety of topics related to the transition from modernity to postmodernity. . . . Addressing issues of relevance to art, music, literature, and philosophy, Lyotard’s collection will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners in each of these areas as well as to a general readership interested in aesthetic postmodernity and the avante-garde.”—Choice

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (March 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804720088
• ISBN-13: 978-0804720083
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars stunning!, March 21, 2009

By 

E. Burch (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Inhuman: Reflections on Time (Paperback)

The Inhuman is a delightfully urgent series of theoretical texts calling the reader to action. Lyotard begins by almost yelling at us, presenting the current state of information as a restricting future of automated isolation that prohibits the freedom of expression, compromising quality of life through self regulated participation. Ouch, this is a painfully clear concept if one is to consider the history of western religiosity-politics and the current state of new media. Both rely on virtual consumption.

To follow Lyotard's concepts it may be best to familiarize one's self with some post modern philosophy and general media theory. It is my personal feeling that those I've spoken to, that felt unclear about the work didn't understand some assumptions the text makes. First of all, the construction is brilliant, playful and participatory its self-using the medium to further convey core concepts. These ideas include mass culture's descent from reality, general concepts of linguistic reception and the important gender divisions that occur in isolated system designs.

This is a frightening series of essays, it is almost as if Lyotard was mapping relationships between economics and communication. If so, this might be the research he decided to share at the end of his life. Sadly, this is his final work. I personally find The Inhuman, essential reading for anyone working in new media, especially during our current economic climate.