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The Technological Society, a book that, decades after its publication, feels less like a historical analysis and more like a chilling prophecy unfolding before our eyes. It’s a book that forces us to confront a profound truth: We are not just using technology; we are being used by it.
The common fear is that of robots rising up, or machines taking over, but Ellul points to a far more subtle and insidious threat: the rise of “Technique.” This isn’t simply about machines or gadgets. It’s about the principle of efficiency becoming the dominant force in all human endeavors. Technique, in Ellul’s view, is the search for the “one best means” to achieve any given end. It is the relentless pursuit of the optimal, applied not just to industrial production, but to politics, education, medicine, even our personal relationships. Think about it: data driven decisions, algorithmic recommendations, metrics to measure everything from happiness to productivity. This is Technique at work.
Anything that slows down the process, anything that deviates from the optimal path, a moment of spontaneous creativity, a lengthy conversation that isn’t productive, a decision based on intuition or empathy rather than data, becomes an inefficiency. Something to be minimized or eliminated.
Was discussing this book in a different post earlier I’ve always wanted read it but never had a chance.
Definitely seems relevant for a lot of reasons.
solrize@lemmy.ml 6 days ago
Book was published in 1954. I hadn’t heard of it previously. Based on the video blurb, the longwinded but interesting article “Meditations on Moloch” by Scott Alexander might also be of interest.
AcidicBasicGlitch@lemm.ee 6 days ago
Thanks! Might repost that link instead.
I actually only know about it bc it’s the book that seemed to send Ted Kaczynski over the edge lol.
It’s pretty spooky how accurate it has become especially since it was written so long ago.