Re: <nettime> The banality of blogging

[Newmedia {AT} aol.com]

Folks:
 
Okay -- Felix finally brought it up. He's a early nettimer (as am I)
and it's often not clear what some of the newer posters have heard of
and/or not.
 
Formal causality is the topic at hand as Felix correctly noted.   Formal 
cause is one of the four Aristotelean causes -- along with Efficient,  Material 
and Final.
 
My guess is that most people on nettime have never heard of this  fundamental 
underpinning of Western Culture.  I'm not trying to insult  anyone and I hope 
I'm wrong.
 
McLuhan was a student of the classics.  His PhD thesis has finally  been 
published, which broadly illustrates his training.
 
"The Medium is the Message" is simply an advertising sloganeered version of  
Formal Causality.
 
McLuhan wasn't interested in "arguing" with anyone about these things  (nor 
am I) but there are probably a few thousand people throughout history  who 
were.  
 
I doubt that any of them are on nettime. <g>
 
Best,
 
Mark Stahlman
New York City




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