Against Digital Saturation

We are surrounded by technology, glued to telephones and tablets and constantly surfing a sea of data and information, all the while becoming less capable of sustained, focused, attentive reading. This is the thesis of the philosopher Roberto Casati who, in Elogio del papel (In Praise of Paper – Ariel, 2015), argues that technology should not be obligatory and he does so by presenting the book in paper as an emblem of resistance against it. Refuting those who forecast the demise of printed literature, Casati holds that the book in paper will never disappear because this is the format which offers the reader the best possibility of immersion, and without the constant distractions of technology. Will we be able to find a balanced coexistence between the obvious advantages of technological progress and the irreplaceable virtues of the book in paper?

The writers Jordi Puntí and Sílvia Soler will close this session on the future of the book—jointly organized by the CCCB and the publisher Grup 62—with a conversation on the relevance of reading in the paper format.

Programme

6.30 p.m. – Lecture by Roberto Casati
Presented by Josep Ramoneda, president of Grup 62

7.30 p.m. – Conversation between Jordi Puntí and Sílvia Soler
Moderator: Vicenç Villatoro, director of the CCCB