Blog post #2 - The spoken word vs. writing

 Hi everyone!


         This week, we were told we could post something related to course material that we found interesting. When Innis mentioned the time of Plato and the argument about the balance between the spoken word and writing, Plato’s dialogue Phaedrus came to mind. Plato’s argument revolves around two types of love for most of the dialogue, the discussion revolves around the idea that a relationship in which you aren’t in love is better than the one you are. Phaedrus delivers Lysias’  speech to Socrates, however, Phaedrus gives us more by revealing the transition from orality to literacy in society and the effects of the development of new communication technologies. According to Socrates, there is a problem with writing since you can’t engage with it, it prevents learning, and there are limitations since the written word can’t be understood by all because words cannot explain or defend themselves. Socrates values the spoken word which he called “dialectic” as it is a cooperative conversation, nevertheless, he still recognized it for preserving and passing down information.

After taking Plato's dialogue into consideration, do you believe that there truly is a problem with writing?

Comments

  1. JamieOctober 7, 2022 at 2:42 PM

    Hello! Very interesting post. I can understand the connection made between the balance of the spoken word with writing, and the Phaedrus dialogue. Whereas Socrates holds views of resentment toward the written word, I do not necessarily believe there is a problem with it. Writing not only acts as a unique medium, but allows for the passing of knowledge and stories over great periods of time that which we learn from. Overall, enjoyed reading, chat soon!!

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  2. JustinCoutoOctober 7, 2022 at 6:06 PM

    Great post! This is a question that I have been asked for a couple years now and still I hold no clear position. Writing certainly does have its deficiencies as the same issues that Socrates addresses are still evident in our social media climate. Words can be so easily misunderstood because the person reading the post or tweet is not able to completely comprehend the tone and intentions behind what is being said. These are two important factors that writing is unable to portray. However, Socrates criticism saying we cannot learn from writing and we cannot engage with it has also been lessened because of how we are able to respond to and form our own critiques of books and share our thoughts online through social media and internet websites. Just like original forms of writing that could be preserved for long periods of time, written word online is also, for better or worse, permanent. As soon as something is put out online, you cannot completely take it back.

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