French thinker and theologian Jacques Ellul is one of the most important, yet under-read, writers of the 20th century. As we will see in “A Guide to Reading the Books of Jacques Ellul” – his works cover a wide range of topics, including technology, propaganda, and social psychology. While Ellul can be difficult to understand at times, his insights are well worth the effort. Here is a guide to reading the books of Jacques Ellul.
The Meaning of the Word and Other Essays
In his book, “The Meaning of the Word and Other Essays”, Jacques Ellul delves into the etymology and history of words to explore their true meaning. He argues that the original meaning of a word is often lost over time, and that this loss has had a negative impact on society. For example, the word “hustle” originally meant to shake or stir. Over time, it came to mean to hurry or rush. Today, the word has taken on a negative connotation, often used to describe someone who is dishonest or shady. However, Ellul argues that the original meaning of the word was positive, and that its negative connotation is a result of its lost history. Another example is the word ‘communism’ – originally, it meant ‘community’ or ‘society’ but over time it has come to mean a system of government in which the people are controlled by the government. Ellul argues that this change in meaning is due to the fact that the original meaning of the word was lost over time. He also argues that the meaning of words is often determined by the context in which they are used. This makes it difficult to determine the true meaning of a word when it is used in a specific context. This is why it is so difficult to understand Ellul’s work at times. However, his insights are worth the effort.
Another example is the word “liberty”, which originally meant freedom from physical restraints. However, over time it came to mean freedom from government oppression. Today, the word is often used to describe personal freedoms, such as the right to free speech or free association. Ellul argues that this shift in meaning has had a negative impact on society, as it has led to a belief that liberty is an individual right rather than a collective one. This is a problem because liberty is essential to a free society. He also points out that the negative connotations of words often arise from their misuse. For example, the word ‘terrorism’ is often used to describe acts of violence against civilians. However, this word has a negative connotation because it is used to describe a whole range of activities.
Ellul argues that it is important to be aware of the potential consequences of our words and to use them correctly.
In addition to exploring the history and meaning of words, Ellul also discusses how words can be used to control and manipulate people. He argues that political leaders and advertisers use words to control the thoughts and actions of people. For example, Ellul points out that politicians often use terms like “national security” or “public safety” to justify their actions, even when those actions violate basic civil liberties. For example, when the United States government sought to seize control of Iraq’s oil resources, it used the term ‘national security’ to justify its actions.
Advertisers also use words to manipulate people into buying products they don’t need or want. There are many examples of this type of advertising – for example, the commercials that tell people to buy products to keep their family safe are often misleading. Ellul points out that advertisers often use these types of ads to control the thoughts and actions of people. By using these words, advertisers can influence people to make decisions that may be harmful to their own interests. Let’s look at another example – the commercials that tell people to buy products to help them lose weight, or to keep their hair looking good, or to reduce their risk of heart disease. These ads are often misleading, because they don’t actually tell people what the products do. They tell people that the products will make them look or feel better. Aside from the fact that these ads aree ‘pseudo-scientific’ and often untrue, they also manipulate people into making poor decisions. They are capable of doing this because they prey on the fear and anxiety that people have about their own bodies and their health.
The Technological Society
In this lengthy work, Ellul addresses the question of how technology has come to play such a dominant role in our lives. He argues that it is not simply an innocent tool that we can use for good or ill; rather, it has a logic of its own that shapes and controls us whether we are aware of it or not. If you’re interested in exploring Ellul’s thoughts on technology in depth, this is the book for you.
In “The Technological Society,” French philosopher Jacques Ellul offers a scathing critique of what he saw as the blindly optimistic acceptance of technology by many in the West. His argument is that technology has become an end in itself, rather than a means to an end, and as such, it has begun to control and shape society in ways that are detrimental to our freedom and wellbeing. Let’s take a closer look at his argument.
The Dangers of Technology
Ellul argues that technology is not an objective force that can be used for good or evil; instead, it is intrinsically neutral. However, he also believes that it is inevitable and irreversible, meaning that we cannot simply choose to go back to a pre-technological age. This might sound pessimistic, but Ellul’s arguments are not based on a purely pessimistic view. He claims that the benefits of technological advances far outweigh the risks. For example, he believes that the benefits of automated driving have far outweighed the risks of accidents caused by human error. In the end, it all comes down to the question of how we use technology. If we use it wisely, then it will be good for us; if we misuse it, then it will be bad for us.
But fundamentally, he believes that technology is slowly but surely eroding our autonomy and freedom, turning us into passive observers of our own lives. This has something to do with the nature of technology itself, but also has much to do with the way we use technology. The Internet is one example of how technology can be used to turn us into passive participants in our own lives. The Internet can give us access to a wealth of information that would have been unavailable to us before. In other words, we are gradually being turned into ‘human automata’.
However, as this information grows, so too does the opportunity for us to be exposed to dangerous and harmful content. For example, the internet has made it easy for people to access child pornography. In fact, according to a study published in the journal “Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking”, as of 2016, one in five internet users has viewed child pornography at some point in their lives. This is a serious problem, because child pornography is defined as any visual depiction of a child under the age of 18 engaged in sexual activity. It also becomes harder and harder to discern what is true and what is not. We are constantly exposed to a bombardment of information, both good and bad, and it is hard to filter the good from the bad.
As a result, we become less and less capable of making our own decisions. This is especially true when it comes to politics. We are constantly bombarded with political information, but it is difficult to separate the true from the false. Take the Russia-Ukraine war, for example. How much information can the average person take in about this complex conflict? It is hard enough for experts to understand all the nuances and machinations of this war. For the average person, it is impossible. As a result, we rely on the media to give us information about what is going on. And yet, the media is often biased and can be unreliable. It can be difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
This difficulty is not simply due to the presence of information overload or biased media, but also to the way technology has changed the way information is delivered. It is now easier than ever for information to be disseminated quickly and easily, and it is more difficult than ever for people to distinguish between the true and the false. The information glut, combined with the easy access to information and the speed with which information travels, has made it difficult for people to absorb and make decisions about complex topics.
Imagine what it was like for the average person in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. With little to no access to the news, you would have had to rely on propagandain order to find out what was going on. Now, the average person has instant access to information on a plethora of topics. But we also have the instant access to misinformation. The result is that we are bombarded with information that is not only false but confusing. The average person in the Soviet Union might have known that he was being lied to by the government, but the danger today is that truth is mixed in with falsehoods and it is very difficult to discern which is which.
For Ellul, the key issue is not the content of particular technologies (e.g., nuclear weapons), but rather the way in which they are used. He believes that all technologies share certain characteristics which make them particularly dangerous:
– They are brutal and anonymous, meaning that they can be used without empathy or responsibility;
– They are efficient and cumulative, meaning that they tend to get faster, better, and cheaper over time;
– They have an inevitability about them, meaning that once they are introduced they are very difficult to get rid of;
– They create dependencies, meaning that we become increasingly reliant on them as we use them more;
– They enter into every aspect of our lives, meaning that escaping them becomes increasingly difficult.
What Can We Do?
Given the power and reach of technology, it might seem like there’s not much we can do to prevent it from taking over our lives entirely. However, Ellul believes there are some things we can do to resist its control. First and foremost amongst these is developing a critical awareness of the role technology plays in our lives. Once we become aware of how technology shapes our behavior and decision-making, we can start to make choices about when and how to use it—rather than allowing it to use us.
Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes
In his book “Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes”, sociologist and philosopher Jacques Ellul provides a detailed and insightful analysis of the propaganda machine. Published in 1965, the book is as relevant today as it was over 50 years ago.
Ellul defines propaganda as “the entire body of methods employed by an organized group to bring about the desired changes in the attitudes and behavior of another group.” He argues that propaganda is not simply a tool of governments or political parties, but is used by all sorts of organizations, including businesses, churches, and schools.
Ellul identifies four main types of propaganda:
– Economic propaganda, which is used to sell products or services;
– Political propaganda, which is used to promote a particular ideology or point of view;
– Ideological propaganda, which is used to further a particular worldview; and
– Psychoanalytical propaganda, which is used to manipulate people’s emotions.
All forms of propaganda share certain common characteristics, such as the use of symbols and slogans, the carefully selected use of information and misinformation, and the creation of an artificial reality. Propaganda also relies heavily on emotional manipulation, rather than rational arg