Esteemed Canadian philosopher and media theorist, Marshall McLuhan, renowned for coining, “the medium is the message”, is the subject of a new book by UWinnipeg’s Dr. Jaqueline McLeod Rogers, a recognized leading scholar in the studies of McLuhan.
Crises Then as Now, Marshall McLuhan, with Urbanist Jaqueline Tyrwhitt and Artist Gyorgy Kepes, by Dr. McLeod Rogers, explores how McLuhan, Tyrwhitt and Kepes, responded to crises in the ’60s and ’70s. As we face similar challenges of that time with our expansion of the information technology and AI, the book is timely, as it offers reflections on how to manage “the medium”.
We are becoming less human and more tech dependent, but like McLuhan prescribed, you can’t just let it run itself, or we are doomed.
Dr. Jaqueline McLeod Rogers
“We are becoming less human and more tech dependent, but like McLuhan prescribed, you can’t just let it run itself, or we are doomed,” said Dr. McLeod Rogers.
Dr. McLeod Rogers synthesizes the lessons of the intellectual trio’s prolific collaboration, whose work resonates with the current issues of our day. In her introduction Dr. McLeod Rogers writes, “Identifying McLuhan, Kepes, and Tyrwhitt as early allies in recognizing the intersectional damage arising from ‘human activity’ gone rogue advances a conception of shared generational logics.”
Calling for a redesign that stimulates sensory engagement and participation, the trio argued merging art and science knowledge was vital to creating counter environments and livable futures allowing humans to work with (rather than under or over) machines.
Framed in dialogue, the three figures map out paths of hope as well as danger zones – geographies that speak to our present as we grapple with the role of technology in infrastructure and environment, art and culture.
The book also includes two invited chapters by Dr. Ellen Shoshkes (Portland State University) and Dr. Charissa Terranova (University of Texas at Dallas), experts on Tyrwhitt and Kepes, respectively.
Dr. Jaqueline McLeod Rogers is researcher and Professor in UWinnipeg’s Department of Rhetoric, Writing, and Communications. She is author of three other books, co-author of two, and co-editor of three. Many of her publications address writing strategies and ethics.
