Prometheus Wired: The Hope for Democracy in the Age of Network Technology [Hardcover]

Darin Barney (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226037452 | ISBN-13: 978-0226037455 | Publication Date: August 2000 | Edition: 1

From all sides, we hear that computer technology, with its undeniable power to disseminate information and connect individuals, holds enormous potential for a reinvigoration of political life. But will the Internet really spark a democratic revolution? And will the changes it brings be so profound that past political thought will be of little use in helping us to understand them?

In Prometheus Wired, Darin Barney debunks claims that a networked society will provide the infrastructure for a political revolution and shows that the resources we need for understanding and making sound judgments about this new technology are surprisingly close at hand. By looking to thinkers who grappled with the relationship of society and technology, such as Plato, Aristotle, Marx, and Heidegger, Barney critically examines such assertions about the character of digital networks.

Along the way, Barney offers an eye-opening history of digital networks and then explores a wide range of contemporary issues, such as electronic commerce, telecommuting, privacy, virtual community, digital surveillance, and the possibility of sovereign governance in an age of global networks. Ultimately, Barney argues that instead of placing power back in the hands of the public, a networked economy seems to exacerbate the worst features of industrial capitalism, and, in terms of the surveillance and control it exerts, reduces our political freedom.

Of vital interest to politicians, communicators, and anyone concerned about the future of democracy in the digital age, Prometheus Wired adds a provocative new voice to the debate swirling around "the Net" and the ways in which it will, or will not, change our political lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a welcome and provocative addition to the growing literature on the politics of the Internet. In addition to its rich intellectual texture and mother-lode of information about computer hard- and software, it is a quick read because the author has a sharpe tongue and makes excellent points. - Ted Becker, American Political Science Review The book presents an originality that is refreshing. Few authors have analysed information technology from the 'meta-perspective' of Barney. While reading the book I spontaneously felt 'this is a book that concerns everyone.' Ideally, the text should be recommended to all students involved in economic, technical and philosophical disciplines. Prometheus Wired is superbly written and thought provoking. - Fabian von Schéele, Telecommunications Policy --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

From all sides, we hear that computer technology, with its undeniable power to disseminate information and connect individuals, holds enormous potential for a reinvigoration of political life. But will the Internet really spark a democratic revolution? And will the changes it brings be so profound that past political thought will be of little use in helping us to understand them?

In Prometheus Wired, Darin Barney debunks claims that a networked society will provide the infrastructure for a political revolution and shows that the resources we need for understanding and making sound judgments about this new technology are surprisingly close at hand. By looking to thinkers who grappled with the relationship of society and technology, such as Plato, Aristotle, Marx, and Heidegger, Barney critically examines such assertions about the character of digital networks.

Along the way, Barney offers an eye-opening history of digital networks and then explores a wide range of contemporary issues, such as electronic commerce, telecommuting, privacy, virtual community, digital surveillance, and the possibility of sovereign governance in an age of global networks. Ultimately, Barney argues that instead of placing power back in the hands of the public, a networked economy seems to exacerbate the worst features of industrial capitalism, and, in terms of the surveillance and control it exerts, reduces our political freedom.

Of vital interest to politicians, communicators, and anyone concerned about the future of democracy in the digital age, Prometheus Wired adds a provocative new voice to the debate swirling around "the Net" and the ways in which it will, or will not, change our political lives.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 354 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226037452
• ISBN-13: 978-0226037455
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,780,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He's wrong, but he's wonderful, February 2, 2001

By 

David Ellis (East Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prometheus Wired: The Hope for Democracy in the Age of Network Technology (Hardcover)

Prometheus Wired is so well researched and written, and its thesis so well argued, that it caused me seriously to review my own feelings about technology and its relationships to democracy. Dr. Barney takes to task folks who, like me, believe that technology is fundamentally ungovernable. In the end, I was not persuaded to change my own views, but I was much enlightened by his explication of arguments against my own position, and that earns my greatest respect and thanks.

As one unschooled in philosophy, I found myself initially chafing at the philosophical groundlaying of chapter one, though by the end of the book one understands the necessity of it. For the opposite reason, as a techie from way back I chafed also at the computing/networking primer that constitutes chapters 2 and 3, but I must tell you that the primer (1) is expertly written and (2) is also essential background for the rest of the book, so don't skip it unless you are already an expert yourself. In any case, don't skip the part of chapter 3 dealing with networks as control utilities, which is where he really starts to weave the philosophy and technology together.

The culmination of the weaving process - the "whole cloth" of his thesis was (to me) represented in chapter 6, the penultimate chapter. And it was in this chapter that he really had me re-examining my own knowledge and beliefs. But in the end, while I very much respect his arguments and his positions on the issues, in general I was not persuaded that technology is tamable, or that society is necessarily worse off for it, or that the un-effing of the ineffable would ruin our very Being (as he seems to argue.)

I base my own views partly on my own study of the accelerating, exponential change in technologies and in a belief that it's "turtles all the way down" - that one mystery revealed will only present us with two more, and that we're in no danger of losing our Being through technology's machinations (pun intended!) Rather, in my own research I see reason to hope (thanks, Prometheus!) that through technology we will arrive at an enhanced stage of Being.

Being one myself, I confess to feeling a bit miffed with his assertion (on p. 250) that "those who promote the belief that digital networks are technically immune to legal authority of any kind express a normative preference rather than a fact." I like to think I am expressing a belief premised on the facts of technology - especially the accelerating change in technology, and not at all a normative preference. And I most strongly - but respectfully - disagree with his statement (also p. 250) that "the operative question is not whether network-mediated activity CAN be subject to the limitations of laws and rules, but rather whether it SHOULD be and, if so, by whom." It is true his statement is based upon strong argument presented earlier in the chapter, but if (like me) one disagrees with those arguments, then the statement seems very wrong.

In the spirit of his own call for more thought and deliberation on the subject, I would urge Dr. Barney (and others) to consider the following questions: CAN the net be governed, and if so, HOW; and if NOT, what is the prognosis for society and based on that prognosis what, if anything, must we do?

I would also urge everyone interested in the topic enough to have read my review to this point, to read Dr. Barney's book. It is an excellent starting point for answering the question as I have just posed it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Examines the history and nature of digital networks, February 13, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prometheus Wired: The Hope for Democracy in the Age of Network Technology (Hardcover)

How can a newly networked social structure lead to changes in social, economic and political structures which take into account past non-networked knowledge? In Prometheus Wired Barney examines the history and nature of digital networks with an eye to exploring modern issues of privacy, telecommuting, and economics.