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, co

Postman states that ones education is helpful not only in advancing the idea of the resistance fighter, but in helping the young understand the meaning of subjects in an idea-centered and coherence-centered manner. Postman points out that it is necessary to change the curriculum of the educational system so it will be able to provide students with an understanding of the Technopoly process. Technopoly is denying the youth of today access to many applicable notions and theories of the past; instead it clutters their mind with many seemingly unimportant events. The change in curriculum will focus on the history of subjects, which teaches students connections: that events are interrelated, building off one another. Teachers should go beyond the event and into concepts, theories, hypotheses, comparisons, deductions, and evaluations. By doing that students should gain a more holistic view of the world they live in (connecting the present with the past) and where technology is 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.

Another example of a resistance fighter is a person who does not allow psychology or any “social science” to pre-empt the language and thought of common sense. This example clearly relates to chapter 9 (“Scientism”), in which Postman expresses his annoyance of the many people who have a strong faith in social science. These people go to experts to find out how to raise children, how to fall in love, and how to make friends, as if they believe that because these subjects are “sciences” that they are getting verifiable, indisputable truths about the world. People believe that the standard set of procedures called “science” can provide them with methods of handling their personal lives. Although social research may be able to provide some suggestions, it cannot provide legitimate answers to everyday life problems. There is no moral authority that can predict the outcome of specific per

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