Person
Vilém Flusser
Philosophy & Ethics
Writing & NarrativeWho is Vilém Flusser in the Agency editorial?
Vilém Flusser is the thinker the Agency editorial cites for arguing that writing does not have a future. Writing.1 ties his name to the book Does Writing have a Future? and answers him with its own thesis, the Titanic Theory.
In short
In Writing.1, Vilém Flusser is the author who, in the article's words, bravely argued that writing does not have a future. The book it points to is Does Writing have a Future? The article admits that announcing a post-literary era feels like heresy, yet takes the idea seriously. Its reply is that the death of writing may only come if writers do not wake up from their numbness.
Key facts
- What does the article say Vilém Flusser argued?
- That writing does not have a future. The article says he argued it bravely and points to his book, Does Writing have a Future?
- How does the article respond to Flusser?
- It says the death of writing may only truly come if writers do not wake up from their numbness and lack of responsibility for the gift that was given to them.
- Which idea of the article is tied to Flusser's argument?
- The post-literary era. The article says that claiming we are entering it feels like heresy, and then cites Flusser, who argued that writing does not have a future.
Who is Vilém Flusser?
In the Agency editorial, Vilém Flusser is named in The Ship, a section of Writing.1, as the author who bravely argued that writing does not have a future. The article gives no biography of him. It places the title Does Writing have a Future? next to his name, with a link to the book, and brings his argument in right after raising the idea that we are entering a post-literary era.
How does Vilém Flusser appear in the Agency editorial?
Writing.1 mentions Flusser right after recalling that the Titanic was said to be unsinkable and yet sank. The author writes that claiming we are entering a post-literary era feels like heresy, and that Flusser nevertheless argued that writing has no future.
The article does not dispute him directly. It replies that the death of writing may only truly come if writers do not wake up from their numbness, and presents the Titanic Theory as a wake-up call to all writers.
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Also from these editions: concepts
Also from these editions: terms
Related terms
Related concepts
- Post-Literary EraA post-literary era is a cultural epoch where linear alphabetic reading ceases to be the dominant medium for storing, transmitting, and processing human knowledge. It is…
- The Titanic TheoryThe Titanic Theory is a literary manifesto and philosophical framework for writers navigating an automated, post-literary era. It posits that writers must act as…