WarandPeaceinTheGlobalVillageisacollageofimagesandtextthatsharplyillustratestheeffectsofelectronicmediaandnewtechnologyonman.MarshallMcLuhanwrotethisbookthirtyyearsagoandfollowingitspublicationpredictedthattheforthcominginformationagewouldbe“atransitionaleraofprofoundpainandtragicidentityquest.“MarshallMcLuhanillustratesthefactthatallsocialchangesarecausedbyintroductionofnewtechnologies.Heinterpretsthesenewtechnologiesasextensionsor“self-amputationsofourownbeing,“becausetechnologiesextendbodilyreach.McLuhan’sideasandobservationsseemdisturbinglyaccurateandclearlyapplicabletotheworldinwhichwelive.WarandPeaceintheGlobalVillageisameditationonacceleratinginnovationsleadingtoidentitylossandwar.Initiallypublishedin1968,thistextisregardedasarevolutionaryworkforitsdepictionofaplanetmadeeversmallerbynewtechnologies.Amosaicofpointedinsightsandprobes,thistextpredictsaworldwithoutcentresorboundaries.Itillustrateshowtheelectronicinformationtravellingaroundtheglobeatthespeedoflighthaserodedtherulesofthelinear,literateworld.Nolongercantherebefixedpositionsorgoals.
