Monday, March 10, 2008
Levy's Ark
“Deluge” means “flood.” The two floods that Lévy compares are the Biblical Flood and the current flood of information. Explain the comparison. How is the current “deluge” like and unlike the Biblical Flood, according to Lévy? Evaluate the comparison. Which parts of the analogy, if any, do you find helpful or intriguing? Which parts bunk?
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The similarity between the Biblical flood and the current flood of information is that both leave a mark. The biblical flood drowned everything in its way, and "that is how civilizations are founded." And the current flood of technology is just as powerful, since it also "has produced nuclear destruction." We learn about both "floods" in different ways, but the key is that people take interest in the history of the Biblical flood and the current flood of information. Therefore they both are equally important.
I found it interesting when Lévy stated that "the floodwaters will never wash away the signs that have been engraved." This relates to how new technology is being invented and produced through old technology. We use our past as a stepping stone for the future, and this will never change. Our present is pure evidence to how we use the past to learn and grow from the mistakes we have previously made. So the Biblical Flood is unlike the new technology because the Biblical Flood was first in history, and no one could learn from it until after it occurred. However, the current flood of information is new and is rooted from old technology.
Sacha Morales
Explain the comparison. How is the current “deluge” like and unlike the Biblical Flood, according to Lévy? Evaluate the comparison. Which parts of the analogy, if any, do you find helpful or intriguing? Which parts bunk?
The comparison between the deluge and the flood have the same effect in that things are started a new in the technological world as well as in the earthly world. However, something that confuses me is the fact that the deluge of information cannot wipe away old information, yet the flood wipes away the land and the people, ( at least according to Noah's ark), so how can Levy make this comparison when one completely wipes away everything yet the other (deluge) does not wipe away anything. I think this is where his argument is flawed and creates confusion in the audience and the reader. However, some similarities I see between the two are that the microcosm of information or species will eventually lead to a macrocosm through reproduction and technological advances. I think that Levy uses this comparison to focus supremely on the word, "flood" because it discusses the flood of information and the flood of waters. So it can be interpreted more as a play on words vs. an actual comparison that is fool proof.
I believe that Levy did not intend for his Ark reference to go beyond and be taken into a more literal account. Noah's Ark is a (relatively) well known story, or idea, and the comparison to technology is a simple to understand concept-- that is, if we refrain from making the matter more complex,such as deliberately trying to debunk it.
^_^
There is a similarity between the Biblical flood and the current flood of information in that both of them are the cause of something big. The Biblical flood wiped out everything that was not in the ark and made a path for rebuilding. The current flood of information is a flood that is increasing in our society as technology improves. With human minds, nuclear bombs are being made which can also wipe out everything.
The biblical flood and the current flood of information, mentioned by Levy, are similar in that they both cause a big change. The flood in the bible brought about a new era, with a whole new population and way of life lead by Noah. The current flood of information, through sources such as the internet, is changing life as we know it. It is easier to find answers to questions, libraries are becoming a second choice for research over online databases and many social outlets. The difference between the two is that the biblical flood got rid of everything in its path, where as, information does not delete other information it builds on it. The whole flood comparison helps put the information magnitude in perspective. I agree that Levy did not mean for the Noah's Ark reference to be taken literal, just the flood idea and effects it can bring.
Shannan's Post:
The two arks for both floods are similar in that they both occur in the middle of a chaotic time. The biblical ark is built prior to a huge flood that will kill human kind and the telecommunications is built after the dot com crash. In both instances samples are collected. In the biblical case, two of every animal was collected as a way of adapting to our changing world, and during the second flood, research was conducted to improve man's method for contemplation. about ways of thinking.The part where Noah sees many arks is similar to the many different technological methods for organizing information.
The two floods are dissimilar as the information flood never stops, but the biblical flood stops after a period. Similarly, the more recent flood (information) will never stop, but Noah's ark stopped on Mont Ararat. The biblical flood kills those not in the ark where as in cyberculture those affected by the flood are simply left out. In this case the technological ark does not keep you safe like the biblical one, but it simply improves and makes communication and life in general easier.
nice posts--and some good contrasts. i found the metaphor interesting (enough to disagree with), because metaphors and analogies do really subtle work, by attaching the characteristics of one thing (usually more concrete, and called the vehicle--in this case, the ark) to another thing (usually more abstract, and called the tenor--in this case, the cyberspace). so things we associate with the vehicle, we then associate with the tenor, and if we like the vehicle (or buy its example), we might be more inclined to like the tenor. in this case, i was thinking about how the simple ark as a biblical metaphor that we all might be familiar with would not have the same cultural flow. i was thinking about cultures and religions that do not take the bible as their central text, like the religions of islam, hinduism, and buddhism, and others that you guys could more easily fill in. so in terms of levy and his rhetoric, clearly the universal he envisions is already really particular, in that he is referring to christianity (and judaism?) as if all would hold their religious stories in good regard. so does this immediately exclude (in the sense that texts ask people to identify with what they are saying) and include certain people? i don't know. does it matter? i don't know. it's a question.
The two floods that Lévy compares are similar in that they both caused a big change to happen. The difference is that the biblical flood caused the slate to be wiped clean and it brought a new era. The current flood of information changed life, as we know it and it will never end, unlike the biblical flood, which did end.
What I found intriguing is when Lévy states that the new “deluge” “cannot erase the marks of the intellect”. I guess its trying to say that cyberspace will still allow what has been discovered or thought to stay.
I believe that the two floods being compared here are almost on the same level. Because the biblical flood purged the earth of the evil,and filth. Just as the internet is a great tool to use to find the truth, about what ever topic you want. But on the other hand it has put more vile material out on the internet, make us more like the filth that needs to be purged from the earth. So it honestly a call of judgment on whether this flood is really the same.
I feel that although Levy's use of the Ark aided his argument...almost any well known story could have done the same. Although there is a similarity between a flood of water and a "flood" of information i feel that Levy used this analogy because everybody would understand it. For example he could have compared the wave of technology to the events of Hurricane Kartina, or any other major event. Now the one thing that i think might make the use of the Ark seem stronger is that in the case of the flood it encompassed the whole world. and in the case of technology it also consumes the whole world. so i think his analogy touches on the global influence that technology and information play in todays society.
The Biblical flood regarding Noah's arc is similar to Levy's flood of new informatoin inthat they both set the stage for something entirely new. The Biblical flood was to create a new world over one that was previously corrupted and needed to be repaired, in the same sense, though the technology now is not necessarily corrupt or bad, it can still be improved. This improvement i think can correlate to the improvement of people after the great flood in Noah's arc. They are different in the sense that one completely wiped away what was there before while the technological flood does not completely wipe away everything previously there but rather they have become obsolete.
The comparison between Levy's ark and the biblical counterpart is that both of them essentially leave a lasting mark on the world and in history. The biblical flood allowed the world to be reborn and progress towards a more desirable end. The information flood similarly allowed the world to progress towards a more informative and easily accessible world.
The comparison between Levy's ark and the biblical counterpart is that both of them essentially leave a lasting mark on the world and in history. The biblical flood allowed the world to be reborn and progress towards a more desirable end. The information flood similarly allowed the world to progress towards a more informative and easily accessible world.
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