Michael Patti
Notes on Ellul Text
Chapter 6 – A Look to the
Future
First Half of Chapter
Ellul
begins chapter 6 by reiterating points he has made throughout the chapters we
have read, mainly:
-
Technique forces
man to loose contact with nature
-
Technique now
operates autonomously
-
Technology has
changed the social fabric of man irreparably
-
Technology is
artificial
Ellul
then begins to work with ideas concerning means and ends. His main ideas
include:
-
Technique is in
firm control of the means (production, organization, etc)
-
“Proliferation of
means brings about the disappearance of the ends” (430)
-
He details our
“preoccupation” with rediscovering the ends or essentially finding a purpose or
goal.
-
He states,
“Everything today seems to happen as though ends disappear, as a result of the
magnitude of the very means at our disposal.” (430)
-
Only technical
inquiry into the ends can be provided (i.e. “A technical problem demands a
technical solution”)
Second Half of Chapter: “A
Look at the Year 2000”
Ellul
starts by detailing predictions for the year 2000 by notable scientific figures
of the time. The predictions include: completely synthetic food, quadrupling of
the world population, elimination of all disease, no energy production issues,
complete control of human reproduction, and direct connection of the human
brain to machine.
Ellul
is skeptical about these predictions and he is concerned with the transition
between his present day world and the world presented by the scientists. He
states, “How socially, politically, morally, and humanly, shall we contrive to
get there?”
Ellul
thinks that by shaping society through technique, (control over human
reproduction, etc) a complete dictatorship will result. He also doubts the
scientists overall capacity to select the best traits to breed men.
Questions for discussion:
-
To what degree is
technique autonomous?
-
What do you think
about the claims of the scientists? Will we get there someday? Are there ways
to avoid technological dictatorship?
-
If technique is
artificial as Ellul states, and technique is in every part of our lives, what
is the nature of reality?
-
Do you think that
“ends” have really disappeared, or are ends relative? Do you agree with Ellul
that our world lacks focus and goals, or that we are “preoccupied” with the
search for goals?
-
To what degree is
the shaping of society a form of dictatorship? Does technique have an effect
upon freedom? (Consider his arguments in chapter 5 regarding education)