In chapter 11 (?The Loving Resistance Fighter?) of the book Technopoly, published in 1992, Neil Postman focuses on a solution to the problems created by Technopoly. A ?Technopoly? (a word postman capitalizes throughout the book) is a society that no longer merely uses technology as a support system but instead is shaped by it. Postman proposes that we become ?loving resistance fighter(s)? who retain ?the narratives and symbols that once made the United States the hope of the world?(p.182). He believes education is to lead the resistance against technology by changing the curriculum to help restore a sense of meaning and purpose lost to the Technopoly. This change in curriculum puts a large emphasis on humanity?s historical development.

As an engaging cultural critic, professor at New York University, and author of numerous books on the themes of education and technology, Neil Postman is well positioned to comment on the relation of technology to culture. The relation as he sees it is one in which culture is subservient to and controlled by both invisible (I.Q. scores, statistics, polling techniques) and visible (television, computers, automobiles

) technologies. Technology, Postman admits, is a friend but mostly it is a dangerous enemy that intrudes into a culture, changing everything, while destroying the vital sources of our humanity.

Postman had the difficult task of writing a book concerning the very complicated subject of Technology and its severe effects on society. His clever writing style helps readers understand and also become interested in a topic that most neither care nor think about. Postman is writing to a broad audience with varying intellectual levels, but is successful in capturing and keeping the attention of any reader. Every chapter in Technoply is a separate and important part of the book, but chapter 11 (?The Loving Resistance Fighter?), connects the ideas expressed in every chapter and serves as a conclusion to the book and the important thoughts contained within it. The chapter clearly relates back to many topics Postman commented on earlier in the book and finally proposes his idea that Technopoly can possibly be conquered through a new curriculum, although it may be an extreme challenge. As a cultural critic, Postman goes beyond just complaining, but also gives the reader a sense of closure and a suggestion for a possible change. His description of the world as he sees it does force us to ask many important questions-questions about the role of technology and science, our relation to them, how they change us and how we change them. Technopoly is an inspiring book that made me look at the insane way we live our lives, and how dependent we are on technology. Postman stresses where and when technologies took over, without forgetting to give credit for many advances that come from technology. I recommend this book for anyone that has ever questioned technology and the way its leading us.

In addition to the history, Postman states that semantics and comparative religion are also an important part of a curriculum. Semantics is the study of the relationship between words and meanings. The idea of semantics relates to chapter 8 (?Invisible Technologies?), where Postman discusses language as a powerful ideological instrument. When language gives something a name it gives it control, by transforming unknown to known. Names reassure us, but do we really understand the meaning. Consider quantitative tests, the numbers given as results make us feel better, but what do the numbers mean. Semantics would teach youth to answer questions such as ?What is the meaning of (the word) X?? They do this by studying what signs are, as well as how signs possess significance-that is, how they are intended by speakers, how they designate (make reference to things and ideas), and how they are interpreted by listeners. The goal of semantics is to match the meanings of signs-what they stand for-with the process of assigning those meanings. Moreover, because it teaches a varied way of thinking, semantics has the power to altar the deepest levels of student intelligence.

Postman states that ones education is helpful not only in advancing the idea of the resistance fighter, but in helping th

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