Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Hype about Hyperlinks -- How Far is Distance Learning from Education? -- Disembodied Telepresence and the Remoteness of the Real -- Nihilism on the Information Highway: Anonymity vs. Commitment in the Present Age.

On the Internet is an original and stimulating discussion of the promises and dangers of the Internet. Going beyond the hype surrounding the World Wide Web, Hubert Dreyfus, a celebrated writer on philosophy and technology, asks what price we pay when we leave our bodies behind and go on-line.

Drawing on a diverse array of thinkers from Plato to Kierkegaard, On the Internet is one of the first books to bring philosophical analysis to such questions as whether the Internet can solve the problems of mass education, and bring humanity to a new level of community. Dreyfus shows the source of the attraction of being a ubiquitous net surfer in Plato's disdain for the body, and how Kierkegaard's criticism of the press and public opinion for its lack of commitment anticipates the dangers of the risk-free interactions made possible by the anonymity of the Web. Drawing on recent studies of the isolation experienced by many Internet users, Dreyfus shows how the Internet deprives users of essential embodied human capacities such as trust and involvement in shared local concerns. With reference to compelling examples from his own teaching experience, the author also shows that 'interactive' education leaves out the shared moods and risks that make possible the acquisition of expertise.

Concise and accessible, this is essential reading for anyone wishing to think clearly about the role of the Internet in our future.