A revolutionary age is an age of action; ours is the age of advertisement and publicity. Nothing ever happens but there is immediate publicity everywhere. FromThe Present Age

InThe Present Age(1846), Sren Kierkegaard analyzes the philosophical implications of a society dominated by the mass-media. What makes the essay so remarkable is the way it seems to speak directly to our timei.e. the Information Agewhere life is dominated by mere information not true knowledge. Kierkegaard even goes so far as to say that advertising and publicity almost immediately co-opts and suppresses revolutionary actions/thoughts.

A stunningly prescient essay that foresaw the rise of twenty-four-hour news and social media, The Present Ageexamines the philosophical and political implications of a culture of endless, inconsequential commentary and debate.

In times of crisis, the great works of philosophy help us make sense of the world. The Harper Perennial Resistance Library is a special five-book series highlighting short classic works of independent thought that illuminate the nature of truth, humanity’s dangerous attraction to authoritarianism, the influence of media and mass communication, and the philosophy of resistanceall critical in understanding today’s politically charged world.