Rezension

Mike Sandbothe: Pragmatische Medienphilosophie. Grundlegung einer neuen Disziplin im Zeitalter des Internet. Weilerswist: Velbrück 2001, 276 S., ISBN 3-934730-39-6, 24,50 €.

Mike Sandbothe's Pragmatische Medienphilosophie is a remarkable work of intellectual synthesis. Sandbothe offers both a very clear and well-informed account of recent trends in metaphilosophy and an equally lucid account of the state of the new discipline of 'media studies.' He brings these two areas together in interesting and illuminating ways. Sandbothe's discussion of the impact of the so-called 'linguistic turn' on the self-image and social role of philosophy, both in anglophone countries and in others, is particularly valuable. He weaves together treatments of Wittgenstein, Sellars and Davidson with discussions of Heidegger, Derrida and Lyotard with great skill. I am not well acquainted with media studies, and feel somewhat uncertain about the idea that the Internet will prove important for, for example, "eine pragmatische Enthierarchisierung der Unterrichstssituation." But I found Sandbothe's discussion of such possibilities very intriguing and quite plausible. I should be delighted if he turns out to be right that "unter Internetbedingungen vollzieht sich der Übergang von einer theoretizistischen Raumzeitlichkeit der Repräsentation zu einer raumzeitlichen Pragmatik semiotischen Handelns." This is an exciting suggestion, and Sandbothe's book gives us a good argument for it.