[U.S.] Lin Wengang, ed.: Media Ecology

[U.S.] Lin Wengang, ed., *Media Ecology: Intellectual Development and Multiple Perspectives*, translated by He Daokuan, Peking University Press, October 2007, 45 yuan

This is another book in the Media Ecology translation series, a collection of essays on the development of media ecology. The core of the collection consists of several introductions to figures of major significance in the “intellectual development” of media ecology. The first figure is Mumford, the second is Ellul—there are two essays introducing Ellul, the second of which focuses specifically on his theological perspective. The third figure is Innis; the fourth is McLuhan; the fifth is Neil Postman, and here almost all of Postman’s important works are introduced one by one in chronological order; next come James Carey and two introductions to Susan Langer. I skimmed through it roughly, and I feel that, overall, this book is still quite good; it offers a fairly comprehensive introduction to the resources and positioning of “media ecology” or “technological ecology.” I won’t copy out my notes—they’re exhausting.

I think “media ecology” or “technological ecology” is something that philosophy of technology research needs to take seriously. Besides its reflection on and critique of technology, and its attention to media technology, the distinctive feature of media ecology is that a broader range of academic resources can be brought into the purview of philosophy of technology through it—media ecology itself is precisely a synthesis of communication studies, linguistics, education (these three are Postman’s own specialties, especially linguistics and education), history of science and technology, ecology, and other disciplines.

December 4, 2007

Translated from the Chinese original with AI assistance. The original text is authoritative.