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06713_Field_TCUM T278.txt
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1996-04-10
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communication, for that matter as a ritual extension of his
body. Once men have adopted the visual dynamic of the
phonetic alphabet, they begin to lose the tribal man’s
obsession with cosmic order and ritual as recurrent in the
physical organs and their social extension. Indifference to the
cosmic, however, fosters intense concentration on minute
segments and specialist tasks, which is the unique strength of
Western man. For the specialist is one who never makes small
mistakes while moving toward the grand fallacy.
Men live in round houses until they become sedentary and
specialized in their work organization. Anthropologists have
often noted this change from round to square without knowing
its cause. The media analyst can help the anthropologist in this
matter, although the explanation will not be obvious to people
of visual culture. The visual man, likewise, cannot see much