Ep. 188: What Has Printing Ever Done For Us?
History of the Germans
Dirk Hoffmann-Becking
4.9 • 550 Ratings
🗓️ 3 April 2025
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
“We should note the force, effect, and consequences of inventions which are nowhere more conspicuous than in those three which were unknown to the ancients, namely printing, gunpowder and the compass. For these three have changed the appearance and the state of the world.” wrote Francis Bacon in 1620. And almost everybody agreed.
Printing changed everything, but how exactly did it change everything? That is a question nobody posed properly until Elisabeth L. Eisenstein got on the academic stage in the 1970s and the debate has not yet stopped.
In this episode I will try to take you through some of Eisenstein’s ideas on the how of the change and, in the end, attempt a raincheck on what we can learn from it for the information revolution we are living through right now. No worries, this is still the History of the Germans, so we will talk facts and dates and processes, with only occasional attempts at breaking into the ivory tower…
The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.
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Salian Emperors and Investiture Controversy
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the history of the Germans. |
| 0:08.0 | Episode 188. |
| 0:11.0 | What has printing ever done for us? |
| 0:15.0 | Which is also episode 4 of season 11, the empire in the 15th century. Quote, we should note the force, effect and consequences of inventions which are nowhere |
| 0:28.4 | more conspicuous than in those three which were unknown to the ancients, namely printing, |
| 0:35.2 | gunpowder and the compass. For these three have changed the appearance and the state of the world, |
| 0:42.3 | wrote Francis Bacon in 1620, and almost everybody agreed. |
| 0:48.3 | Printing changed everything, but how exactly did it change everything? That is a question nobody posed |
| 0:59.0 | properly until Elizabeth L. Eisenstein got on the academic stage in the 1970s and the |
| 1:05.7 | debate has not yet stopped. In this episode, I will try to take you through some of Eisenstein's ideas on the how |
| 1:14.7 | of the change, and in the end attempt a rain check on what we can learn from it for the |
| 1:19.8 | information revolution we're living through right now. |
| 1:23.5 | No worries, this is still the history of the Germans, so we will talk facts and dates and processes |
| 1:28.6 | with only very occasional attempts at breaking into the ivory tower. |
| 1:34.4 | But before we start, let me again press the point that the History of the Germans podcast |
| 1:40.8 | is advertising free, thanks to the support of our patrons. |
| 1:45.9 | And you can become a patron too by signing up on my website, |
| 1:50.0 | Historyof the Germans.com slash support. |
| 1:53.5 | And enjoy the warm glow of your fellow listeners' appreciation. |
| 1:59.9 | And special thanks go to Christina K., |
| 2:03.2 | Kurt Borkhard, James L, Mark Pearson, Dave G, and Dr. Volker-Schulte, who have |
| 2:10.8 | already taken the plunge. And with that, back to the show. |
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