CMNS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Walter J. Ong, John Stuart Mill, Oral Tradition
19 Apr 2016
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Orality: there have been cultures that are primarlt oral lack literate tradition. At one point, we were primarily oral too, until we learned how to write. Walter ong says that its interesting how much radio/tv changed society, but no technology has had the same impact as writing. Marshall mcluhan and ong approached the notion of historical development by examining the forms of communication technology that were dominant in each historical era. Historical era can be characterized in specific ways. Best way to describe these eras was what were the dominant forms of communication, according to mcluhan and ong. Moves communication from the backgeround to the foreground. Handwiritng envisions social relationships, instead of just a communication tool. Ongs main interest was in the way that oral societies differ, and his specific emophasis was to study how the change from orality to literacy had significant social, cultural, ad educ ational implications. Writing turns students into private entrepreneurs, competitive over grades.
