Acoustic Technics [Paperback]

While Acoustic Technics will be at home on shelves of readers already familiar with his work, it is a book that deserves recognition by a wider readership because the issues he raises concern us all. . . .Ihde draws on more than 40 years of careful thought and reflection about sight and sound in human experience and practice, and extensive and wideranging reading across both arts and sciences. This experience is evident in the breath-taking number of historical figures and topics that are covered within its 148 pages, from prehistoric rock art and Galileo the musician, to modern espionage, big data, and radical new ways of detecting cancer cells. One might think that such coverage would lack depth but Ihdes ability to step back from detail, distill information gained from a lifetimes experience, and provide a framework within which it is possible to locate and critically examine past, present and (possibly) future technologies, negates any such thought. . . .Acoustic Technics is a slim volume...but it has changed the way I think about technology and it highlights the part we can all play in looking beyond the early hype of new inventions.In Acoustic Technics, Don Ihde provides fascinating insights into the embodied, sensory experience of sound. Unlike the majority of analysis in science and technology studies (STS), that reinforces the visual dominance of science, Ihdes work has always acknowledged the important role of the other senses in the practice and representation of science. His substantial body of work in the phenomenology of sound has led to this wide-ranging and inspirational book that not only examines the many reasons for the visual dominance of science in the modern era, but amplifies the often hidden and obscure history of embodied sound and multi-sensory tools and experiments. The book is an excellent resource for those working in science studies, technological development, and contemporary music and the arts.Reading Don Ihde is better than l3-