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    Christopher Lasch essay

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    Christopher Lasch essay

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    11 views6 pages

    Lasch Lost Art

    Uploaded by

    scribblybark
    Christopher Lasch essay

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 6
    “purmal Publicity Gannett Center for Media Studies A Gant Fountnion Pram at Cohiba ier Journalism, Publicity and the Lost Art of Argument CHRISTOPHER LASCH ET US BEGIN WITH A SIMPLE PROPOSITION: What | democracy requires is public debate, not information. OF course it needs information, too, but the kind of information ic needs ‘an be generated only by vigorous popular debate. We do not know ‘what we need to know until we ask che right questions, and we can identify che right questions only by subjecting our own ideas about the world to the text of public conteoversy. Information, usualy seen as the precondition of debate, is etter understood as its by-product. ‘When we get into arguments that focus and fully engage our atten- tion, we become avid seekers of relevant information. Otherwise we ‘take in information pasively—if we take it in at ll From these considerations i follows thatthe jb of the pres is to encourage debate, not to supply the public with information. But a things now stand the press generates information in abundance, tnd nobody pays any attention, Its no secret thatthe public knows less about public afsrs chan it used co know. Millions of Americans cannot begin to cll you what is in the Bill of Rights, what Congress ‘docs, what the Constitution says about the powers ofthe presidency, how che party system emerged or how i operates. A sizable majority, acconding fo a recent survey, believe that Ira is an Arab nation, Ignorance of public affirs is commonly aributed to the failure of the public schools, and only secondatily tothe flue ofthe pres to inform. But since the public no longce participates in debates on national isues, it has no reason to be better informed. When debate ‘becomes lost at information makes no impression THOUGH THE QUESTION AT FIRST may com o have lide to do with the issues raised by modern publicity, le us ak why debate has become a lose art. The answer may surprise: Debate began to decline around the turn of the century, when the pest became more “responsible,” more profesional, more conscious ofits

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