The End of Literacy and the Triumph of the Spectacle

LEON S. PETERS ETHICS LECTURE
Empire of Illusion

The End of Literacy and the Triumph of the Spectacle

Chris Hedges
Wednesday, October 6
8 – 9 p.m.
Henry Madden Library
Table Mountain Rancheria Reading Room

Pulitzer prize–winning author and journalist Chris Hedges charts the
dramatic and disturbing rise of a post-literate society that craves fan-
tasy, ecstasy, and illusion. Hedges argues in his new book, Empire of
Illusion, that we now live in two societies. One, the minority, func-
tions in a print-based, literate world that can cope with complexity
and can separate illusion from truth. The other, a growing majority,
is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and
magic. In this “other society,” serious film and theatre, as well as
newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins.

References and Citations

Sponsored by The Ethics Center at Fresno State, the Leon S. Peters Foundation,
The Printise J. Womack Lectures endowment fund, and the Henry Madden Library

Contact Andrew Fiala @ afiala@csufresno.edu or visit The Ethics Center's web site at
www.csufresno.edu/ethicscenter

Related Terms

Comments

Calendar of Events

«  

May

  »
S M T W T F S
 
 
1
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
5
 
6
 
7
 
8
 
9
 
10
 
11
 
12
 
13
 
14
 
15
 
16
 
17
 
18
 
19
 
20
 
21
 
22
 
23
 
24
 
25
 
26
 
27
 
28
 
29
 
30
 
31
 
 
 
more
Add to calendar

Related Material

Image of Geospatial Analysis (2nd Edition)
FAIR USE NOTICE This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues vital to a democracy. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.