Al Gore's Defense of Reason

It is a pleasure to take in the message of Vice-President Al Gore as given in his new book The Assault on Reason. In this introduction to a series of reviews I will present some opening comments.

First, although I cannot say I agree with every statement in the book, the introduction and first chapter of the book alone are worth the purchase price. Mr. Gore presents in clear terms how the public sphere -- the area in which the national discussion of great issues takes place -- has been co-opted by a shallow one-way delivery system known as televison. This is no diatribe, nor is it any vindictive essay of regret about the 2000 election. This is a thoughtful and well-researched description of the loss of a method for learning about our nation's problems and collectively coming to solutions. Later in the book, Gore presents some beginning solutions to the problem.

For now I can say that the elucidation of the history of print media, public discourse, and the degeneration of this discourse currently being experienced chiefly through the national television media, and to a lesser extent through radio, is an extremely valuable explication of the vital role played by the press and media in a democracy and how the degradation of these media has seriously threatened our democracy. I am grateful for this book! It is a pleasure to recommend this book not simply for enjoyment but for its necessity in helping to maintain one's sanity in a deeply anti-intellectual environment. Get this book, and get it soon. You will be glad you did.