Umberto Eco “The lost art of handwriting” http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/21/umberto-eco-handwriting
ウンベルト・エーコによれば、西洋でもコンピュータや携帯電話による「手書き（handwriting）」の衰退を嘆く声は強い。最近、伊太利の新聞に手書きの衰退と誤ったスペリングの横行とを関連づける記事が載ったという。しかし、エーコはそれは「別個の問題」だろうという。エーコによれば、手書きの危機はコンピュータやケータイの遙か以前から始まっている。彼が重視するのは「ボールペンの出現」；
手で上手く字を書けなくてもキーボードを速く打てればいいし、スペリングが間違っていてもワープロ・ソフトにはスペル・チェッカーがついている。でもそれだけでいいの？ というのがエーコの問い。
The crisis began with the advent of the ballpoint pen. Early ballpoints were also very messy and if, immediately after writing, you ran your finger over the last few words, a smudge inevitably appeared. And people no longer felt much interest in writing well, since handwriting, when produced with a ballpoint, even a clean one, no longer had soul, style or personality.
手書きは思考の自動化を阻止し、熟慮を促進するという効能があることになる*2。エーコに言わせれば、手書きはコンピュータ時代において寧ろ「スポーツや美的快楽」として再発見されることになる；
The art of handwriting teaches us to control our hands and encourages hand-eye coordination.The three-page article*1 pointed out that writing by hand obliges us to compose the phrase mentally before writing it down. Thanks to the resistance of pen and paper, it does make one slow down and think. Many writers, though accustomed to writing on the computer, would sometimes prefer even to impress letters on a clay tablet, just so they could think with greater calm.
People no longer travel on horseback but some go to a riding school; motor yachts exist but many people are as devoted to true sailing as the Phoenicians of 3,000 years ago; there are tunnels and railroads but many still enjoy walking or climbing Alpine passes; people collect stamps even in the age of email; and armies go to war with Kalashnikovs but we also hold peaceful fencing tournaments.It would be a good thing if parents sent kids off to handwriting schools so they could take part in competitions and tournaments – not only to acquire grounding in what is beautiful, but also for psychomotor wellbeing. Such schools already exist; just search for "calligraphy school" on the internet. And perhaps for those with a steady hand but without a steady job, teaching this art could become a good business.
「手書き」については、http://d.hatena.ne.jp/sumita-m/20090826/1251288655も参照のこと。
ウンベルト・エーコについては、http://d.hatena.ne.jp/sumita-m/20060813/1155440006 http://d.hatena.ne.jp/sumita-m/20070305/1173067919 http://d.hatena.ne.jp/sumita-m/20070307/1173234120 http://d.hatena.ne.jp/sumita-m/20070315/1173952265も。
