The New Dark Ages: The Death of Reading and the Dawn of the Post-Literate Society

A provocative argument about how an increase in literacy jumpstarted modern civilization, and how its decline threatens democracy and the future of humanity

The beginning of the modern era saw the widespread adoption of new printing technologies that allowed the written word to spread far and wide. It's not by chance this period also saw the rise of revolutions and the decline of the aristocratic order. For the first time, a critical mass of people could share and debate ideas about individu...