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The Illusion of Technique: A Search for Meaning in a Technological Civilization Paperback – September 5, 1979

by William Barrett (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 10 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 392 pages
  • Publisher: Anchor (September 5, 1979)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385112025
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385112024
  • Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 4.2 x 7.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,302,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsPhilosophy in the late XX century
By George V. Woodrow III on May 23, 2000
Format: Paperback
This is a wonderful introduction to many of the central philosophical questions of the twentieth century. The author focuses on Wittgenstein, Heidegger, and William James as a means to highlight the problems of elevating technique over substance. The book does not assume any familiarity with any of these philosophers, and so provides an entry into their thought. By focusing on Wittgenstein instead of the later logical positivists and Heidegger rather than Sartre or another existentialist, the author can bring out the true greatness of Wittgenstein and Heidegger compared to later philosophers. I recommende this book to anyone interested in critical thinking.
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5.0 out of 5 starsSharply observed, excellently written
By A Customer on May 5, 2003
Format: Paperback
Here is a sample of Barrett's prose.
"One of the disservices of positivism (for which the early Wittgenstein bears some responsibility) was to erect into dogma the slogan 'Mathematics tells us nothing about the real world.' The dogma should have been suspect from the start. It is entirely unlikely that we should have been able to build airplanes or launch rockets without the aid of mathematics."
Here we see Barrett moving bravely through some areas of modern philosophy that are usually clogged with jargon and overly technical treatment, we see him dispensing with crutches, using plain language -- and he takes us with him.
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5.0 out of 5 starsHighly Recommended/Excellent Writing
By Ewerb on March 29, 2011
Format: Paperback
I find William Barrett's books on modern philosophy accessible for all readers. I have read all his books, some of them several times, and each time find new insights into the persistent philophical questions of our modern age.
What I particularly like about this book is that he gets somewhat autobiographcial at the end, demonstrating his philophical belief in God.
The Illusion of Technique is at the same level of excellance as Irrational Man,his most famous book, which is quite an achievement.
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4.0 out of 5 starsIf Not Pantheism, Then Nihilism
By not me on January 12, 2012
Format: Paperback
William Barrett must have had a flimsy grip on happiness. In "The Illusion of Technique" he described human life as a "pilgrimage" from "darkness to darkness," with nihilism and loss of meaning ever-nipping at our heels. He thought we needed a faith to fend off despair -- or just to get out of bed in the morning! -- but, unfortunately, the theistic God of yore is incomprehensible and remote, and faith in Him is no longer an option. In place of theism, Barrett would have had us cultivate a new faith in Being -- the mystery of existence -- by making connections to non-human nature. As he wrote: "The bond that attaches us to the life outside ourselves is the same bond that holds us to our own life." And in the same vein: "We have only to open ourselves to the world for it to pour its riches are our feet." The argument was embroidered with ideas and themes from Wittgenstein, Heidegger, and William James.

I first read "The Illusion of Technique" years ago in my 30s. I loved it. I just re-read it at 53, and I still love it. Admittedly, the book isn't perfect. It meanders badly, taking up in jumbled order huge topics like Logic, Technology, Freedom, Phenomenology, Being, Nihilism, Faith, etc. And for a book written by a university philosophy professor, it is astonishingly underargued, with its many gaps in logic disguised by lovely, if fuzzy, writing. But that said, the book is deeply rewarding. Barrett's sensibility was elegaic and intoxicating, he offered arresting insights and great one-liners, and he had an incredible ability to sum up complex intellectual history in only a few paragraphs or pages. I wouldn't say that his book has converted me to pantheism, but it has inspired me to read more William James. (Maybe Husserl, too.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsInformative
By Peter Baklava on July 25, 2013
Format: Paperback
William Barrett's "The Illusion of Technique" is a very approachable book on philosophy, much like Victor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning", which used to be hitched to the syllabus of most incoming college freshmen.

Written in the late 60's and early 1970's, "Illusion.." seems to find its impetus in Barrett's apprehensions about the effects of B.F. Skinner and Bucky Fuller upon his young university students. Barrett himself had helped introduce a popular volume of D.T.Suzuki writings, and he seems to have tried here to rein in what he saw as loopy, utopian beliefs that could easily be imprinted on young minds.

Barrett has a firm grasp on the importance of Wittgenstein and Heidegger, and the chapters about them are informative for any neophyte. Heidegger's fascination with the role of the poet, which was forged from his appreciation for a German poet named Holderlin, was particularly enlightening for this reader.

Reading this book, I found myself thinking that Barrett must have been a very entertaining professor, with such a wealth of knowledge at his beck and call. This book, which I'm sure echoes his lectures, suffers only from his desire to touch so many bases. His approach is so catholic, and sometimes he could benefit from including a few more specifics. For instance, when he discusses the attitudes common to the minds of "naturalists", he could easily have referenced one or two of them that were well-known to the popular culture at that time.

The passing of years has also altered the nature of the debate about social regimentation. China, the Soviet Union, and the bomb still pose threats, but not to the same degree they once did. And the rise of the "information age" has brought new threats that Barrett hadn't envisioned.
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