The author argues that "an easily distracted consumer society is caught up in a rapidly developing, uncontrollable technological system . . . . Every problem generates a technological solution; computers breed ever larger, more fragile, and vulnerable systems. But the solutions raise more and greater problems than they solve . . . . Responsibility, contemplation, civility, and spirituality suffer." (Choice)
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French
Original Language: French
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
DO NOT PASS ELLUL: DO NOT COLLECT 100 DOLLARS.,
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This review is from: The Technological Bluff (Paperback)
This is a pretty good book for Ellul, with a few of his most common failings. I'll start with those. Written much later in his life (mid-1980s I believe) Ellul is much older, and discernably more crotchety. He complains of "music that is just noise" and that "kids wear their stupid headphones too much!" So sometimes the eloquence of his discourse is interrupted by personal opinion, and here it really hurts some very fine threads he weaves. I am always amazed at how Ellul can start to think on one thing that everyone knows about, describe it, pick at it for a while: then assess it in a startlingly objective way. To me it always comes off not as superhuman intelligence, but as a very passionate desire for understanding. Uh oh, I haven't finished complaining and I got myself all turned around.
Anyway, the other problem is that you won't understand a lot of the examples he uses if you're not French. I don't know what Minitel is, and I have no insight/longing for insight on the French Government's various boards and committees. I just want those good world-encompassing ideas. Of which there are many here, but it takes patience through some of the more obscure stuff. Books that should DEFINITELY come before this in your readings: Technological Society Propaganda (after those) Conversations with Patrick Troude-Chastenet Finally, a thing that might prove good about this book (if you think so): in it Ellul disavows some of his earlier ideas. I have used it as somewhat of a guide for what not to read, since this book from his later life has statements like "In the Political Illusion, I was totally wrong when I said..." and so forth. Was he wrong? If he thinks so, then maybe it's not worth studying... but that's up to you!
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