In Walter Ong’s Orality and Literacy, he argues that writing has drastically transformed human consciousness. Before writing, communication was entirely oral. People thought, learned, and interacted through spoken language. Writing, however, made human thought more abstract and organized. This change is fundamental in understanding how we process information today.
As a new born, the first sign of life is to make a sound, to wail if you may. As you grow into an infant you begin to coo and make sounds. As a toddler short sound words are introduced and then letters and their sounds. You aren’t taught how to write until your parents feel you can properly hold a pencil correctly. My point our orality grew into what is it now. Writing is the same.
Writing is a technology. It allows us to record thoughts, ideas, and memories outside of our minds. Ong stresses that oral cultures did not “study” as we do today; they learned through imitation and experience. In contrast, written texts allow us to revisit and examine ideas at our own pace. We can read and reflect on complex concepts like the Constitution or chemistry, something impossible in oral traditions.
In today’s world, communication has evolved even further. Technologies such as the internet and social media allow instant connection across the globe. These platforms blend elements of both oral and written communication. The internet can mimic real-time dialogue, yet texts remain unchanging, offering more space for reflection and detailed examination. Human Consciousness.
Ong’s insights remind us of the immense power of writing. It shapes not only how we communicate but how we think, learn, and interact with the world. Even in the digital age, writing’s legacy remains integral to our understanding of human thought and culture.
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