The technological society
Jacques Ellul, John Wilkinson (Translator), Robert King Merton (Writer of introduction)
"The technological society is a rigorous, detailed, and persuasive analysis of virtually every aspect of contemporary civilization. With unsparing honesty, M. Ellul examiens the impact of the technical view of life on politics, economics, and the totality of relationships in our culture. By technique he means not only the machine technology so many thinkers have attacked, but the standardization of procedures and behavior in order to develop 'the one best method' for the achievement of any result. Thus, according to M. Ellul, the problem posed by technique lies in something more than the domination of machines over men; it lies in the domination of standardization over spontaneity and means over ends. Technique, and its substitution of 'know how' for 'know why,' imposes routine and rigidity on every activity in touches; it erodes moral values; and it leads, in time, to a complete dehumanization. And the danger is that all this occurs not by design but by drift -- by the very nature of technique itself."--From the dust-jacket front flap
eBook, English, 1964
[1st American ed.]
Knopf, New York, 1964