Pragmatism and Popular Culture: Shusterman, Popular Art, and the Challenge of Visuality

by Stefán Snaevarr

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In this article I will discuss Richard Shusterman's defense of popular culture. I intend to show that while his arguments are highly interesting, the entertainment industry has a dark side, which he tends to ignore. Actually, I fear that higher culture and even civilization itself might be endangered by the predominance of popular culture. I am especially skeptical of visual entertainment. Its triumph in the last decades seems to have had a negative impact on linguistic skills, lead to the decline of reading, and caused an increase in attentional deficiency among children. The relevance for educational matters should be obvious.