When Contemporary Society Stops Thinking

Greg Twemlow's article argues that contemporary society's decline in deep reading is negatively impacting critical thinking and democratic discourse. Drawing on the work of Eric Levitz, Walter Ong, and Maryanne Wolf, the author suggests that digital media encourages shallow consumption and moves society towards a "second oral age" where immediate responses and tribal thinking are prioritised over reasoned argument and abstract thought. The author also proposes that restoring a relationship with reading and authorship, through initiatives like workshops, is crucial for rebuilding individual agency and fostering deeper engagement with ideas and the world. Read the article.About the Author - Greg Twemlow writes and teaches at the intersection of technology, education, and human judgment. He works with educators and businesses to make AI explainable and assessable in classrooms and boardrooms — to ensure AI users show their process and own their decisions. His cognition protocol, the Context & Critique Rule™, is built on a three-step process: Evidence → Cognition → Discernment — a bridge from what’s scattered to what’s chosen. Context & Critique → Accountable AI™. © 2025 Greg Twemlow. “Context & Critique → Accountable AI” and “Context & Critique Rule” are unregistered trademarks (™).