The Technological Society
Also known as La Technique ou l'Enjeu du siècle
Jacques Ellul's 1954 argument that technique has come to dominate modern society.
At a glance
Key ideas
Technique, not machines, Efficiency, Seven characteristics …
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Ted Kaczynski, Dian Million
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Jacques Ellul and Lewis Mumford
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Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Ellul argues that modern society is dominated by technique, the drive for efficient methods in every area of life.
- Technique is broader than machines or technology: it covers science, automation, politics and human relations.
- He describes it as rational, artificial, self-augmenting, universal and autonomous.
- People must adapt to it rather than the other way round.
Why it matters
- It is one of the founding texts of the critique of technology.
Key facts
- Author
- Jacques Ellul1
- Published
- 1954 in French; English translation 19641
- French title
- La Technique ou l'Enjeu du siècle1
Key ideas
-
Technique, not machines1
Technique is not machines or procedures but the totality of efficient methods.
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Efficiency1
Technique is ultimately about efficiency.
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Seven characteristics2
Rationality, artificiality, automatism of choice, self-augmentation, monism, universalism and autonomy.
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The humanities lose2
A technical society questions the value of learning that does not pay.
Influence
Connections
Links
Sources
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