The Technological Society
by Jacques Ellul · first published 1964
69% recommend31% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Sociological and philosophical critique of technology as a self-driving force that standardizes society and shifts power from individuals to systems. Suits readers wanting deeper framing of tech, AI, and politics.
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Anyone who disagrees with Kaczynski's ideas because they came from a convicted terrorist should read the works of Jacques Ellul instead, of which Kaczynski's was largely a popular reduction. The Technological Society is the clearest influence on Kaczynski's manifesto, but Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes is possibly more pertinent in this day and age. Ellul was a professor, a pacifist, and a Christian…
on “Ted Kaczynski, ‘Unabomber’ Who Attacked Modern Life, Dies at 81” ↗…easy should be metaphorically incinerated. These things aren't increasing empathy. They're the opposite: They are empathy sinks! y'all do yourselves a favor and read Jacques Ellul "La Technique" (The Technological Society) and stop peddling and defending more Tech just for the Benjamins.
on “Secret’s founder returns with anti-loneliness app Ikaria” ↗…brothers were tear-gassed protesting it, just a decade ago or so protesting against it. (More discussion here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13682260 along with a promising book on the subject, 'The Technological Society' by Jacques Ellul suggested by Drumlin. Still waiting for it to come from Amazon)
on “Encouraging individual sovereignty and a healthy commons” ↗…listening a great reading of 1984 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM3GFyuJwQ8) and am in very dark place. / If you don't mind that dark place becoming even darker may I suggest: - Jacques Ellul "The Technological Society" https://archive.org/details/JacquesEllulTheTechnologicalSoci... and his other book "Propaganda" https://archive.org/details/Propaganda_201512 this is basically what drove Ted Kaczynski to a place of…
on “Hey advertisers, track this” ↗…stuff written by Mumford, Jacques Ellul, and even Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber). Their stuff is worth reading. Industrial Society and Its Future http://wildism.org/rca/items/show/13 Also Ellul's The Technological Society
on “The Doomed Mouse Utopia That Inspired the 'Rats of NIMH'” ↗The Technological Society by Jacques Ellul. You will not see the world the same way. You can then read Industrial Society by Ted Kaczynski and understand his desperation.
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗…propaganda on all such indigestible pieces of information; (3) they consider themselves capable of 'judging for themselves'. Ellul's book on propaganda is well worth reading, as is his classic "The Technological Society".
on “The Lost Tools of Learning: Grammar, Dialectic, Rhetoric (1947)” ↗…Balashov's and Rosenberg's "Philosophy of Science: Contemporary Readings" On the Continental side, the classic essay is Heidegger's "The Question Concerning Technology". I'd also recommend Jacques Ellul's "Technological Society". And, while not dealing directly with science, I think Foucault's critiques of power in discourse are very relevant. Earlier in this thread I'd mentioned: "Naturalism and the Human Condition: Against…
on “The Folly of Scientism” ↗Not necessarily true. It depends on whether you think technology is a part of the problem or the solution. I would recommend Jacques Ellul's "The Technological Society" for a decent treatment of this point and a fairly convincing refusal of the idea that decentralised technology makes dystopia harder - it's just a different kind of dystopia.
on “Can We Avoid a Surveillance State Dystopia?” ↗I suggest you read 'The Technological Society' by Jacques Ellul. It's not an easy read, the sort of book where you take lots of notes and then learn from the notes: https://www.amazon.com/Technological-Society-Jacques-Ellul/d... Recent generations…
on “As Obesity Rises, Remote Pacific Islands Plan to Abandon Junk Food” ↗…against us. It's infinitely complex to proof it does. What we live through is a constant and incremental power shift from the individual to the system. I highly recommend Jaques Ellul "La Technique", The Technological Society. The conclusion for me is that we have already every reason to panic. 2 more links on the problem of courts relying to much on external specialists specifically in Germany (sorry in German, please google…
on “Faked Out” ↗…'True Detectives' has ripped part of the dialogue straight from this book without giving credit - The Trouble with being born (Emil Cioran) - The Industrial Society and its Future (Ted Kaczynski) - The Technological Society (Jaques Ellul) - Propaganda (Jaques Ellul) - McMafia - A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (Misha Glenny) - The Doors Of Perception (Aldous Huxley) - The Manipulation of Human Behavior…
on “Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?” ↗Now I'm curious about what you have read lately. The Technological Society by Ellul was a good start for me. Yes, there's a lot of wishful thinking and religious zeal out there, helped by the modern "we can f* up your brain and you won't even notice it" techniques. It seems…
on “On Being a Free Software Maintainer” ↗Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society (La Technique) https://ratical.org/ratville/AoS/TheTechnologicalSociety.pdf Jacques Ellul, Propaganda https://archive.org/details/Propaganda_201512 Thomas Ligotti The Conspiracy Against The Human Race…
on “Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?” ↗I’m currently reading Jacques Ellul’s The Technological Society (really a must-read these days, like Mumford’s Pentagon of Power and Kaczynski’s Industrial Society and its Future) and I underlined this summary of Homans: “‘Formerly, when a New England family convoked…
on “Most book clubs are doing it wrong (2017)” ↗