Commentary on The Sleep Of Reason Essay

The Sleep of Reason is an article by author Michael Gorman. Mr. Gorman has extensive credentials to back up his work, yet what he lacks is the ability to capture the reader and not insult the web surfers/learners in most of us.

One of his quotes into his research and subsequent visit to an authoritative printed source to further his knowledge of Goyas etching Number 43, is akin to him trying to convince me that his way of getting his information was superior to getting the same information from the internet: These reference works were not only created by scholars and pushed by reputable publishers but also contained the paratextual elements (subject headings, indexes, bibliographies, content lists, etc.) also created by professionals that enabled me to find the recorded knowledge and information I wanted in seconds. (423). Mr. Gorman is trying to prove to his readers that he can find the same knowledge as quickly as one could find on a computer and that its more authentic. But he still had to make the trip to the authoritative printed source while I could just turn on my computer and probably find the authoritative printed source online.

Some of the quotes in Mr. Gormans piece I can agree on, but only partially. Such as his quote regarding the way human beings learn. He says Human beings learn, essentially, in only two ways. They learn from experience the oldest and earliest type of learning and they learn from people who know more than they do. The second kind of learning comes from either personal contact with living people teachers, gurus, etc. or through interaction with the human record, that vast assemblage of text, images, and symbolic representations that have come to us from the past and is being added to in the present. It is this latter way of learning that is under threat in the realm of digital resources. (424). Mr. Gorman goes on to say that in order for humans to be successful in learning, one must have a physical connection in order for what youve learned is authentic. I agree that experience is essential to learning and teaching. However, while human connection is important, I dont feel it is necessary for me to have another person in front of me to know that what Im learning from my e-book is not authentic and true!

Mr. Gorman makes a valid argument, albeit a one-sided argument, into confirming that what youve read on the internet is true and correct before accepting it as fact. But that does not mean that if I didnt learn it from a book or from a person telling me, Im a product of a collective mind. (427). Thanks, Mr. Gorman, but I believe we are a little more intelligent than to just follow the masses. We can use books, more experienced people, AND the internet to learn.

Yes, I love a book in my hand, but almost always go to the web for information that is needed quickly. As a child, I loved our old set of Encyclopedia Britannica with the gold writing on the spine, but if I had to rely on just those books for information today, I think I would be missing out on a lot more current information. I can only concur from his viewpoint that his audience would be older, intellectual gentlemen/women who dislike the new-fangled way of learning. I can almost hear them politely yelling hear, hear at the end of the article.