{"product_id":"into-the-universe-of-technical-images-9780816670215","title":"Into the Universe of Technical Images","description":"Poised between hope and despair for a humanity facing an urgent communication crisis, this work by Vilém Flusser forecasts either the first truly human, infinitely creative society in history or a society of unbearable, oppressive sameness, locked in a pattern it cannot change. First published in German in 1985 and now available in English for the first time, \u003ci\u003eInto the Universe of Technical\u003c\/i\u003e Images outlines the history of communication technology as a process of increasing abstraction. \u003cbr\u003eFlusser charts how communication evolved from direct interaction with the world to mediation through various technologies. The invention of writing marked one significant shift; the invention of photography marked another, heralding the current age of the technical image. The automation of the processing of technical images carries both promise and threat: the promise of freeing humans to play and invent and the threat for networks of automation to proceed independently of humans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVilém Flusser (1920-1991) was born in Prague; emigrated to Brazil, where he taught philosophy and wrote a daily newspaper colum; and later moved to France. Among his many books that have been translated into English are \u003ci\u003eThe Shape of Things\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTowards a Philosophy of Photography\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Freedom of the Migrant\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWritings\u003c\/i\u003e (Minnesota, 2004). Nancy Ann Roth is an arts writer and critic based in the United Kingdom. Mark Poster is professor of history at University of California, Irvine.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Minnesota Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50328876548370,"sku":"9780816670215","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_4db0974f-0c60-46ba-888b-5ce3fb89878e.jpg?v=1727753686","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/into-the-universe-of-technical-images-9780816670215","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}