What does Jacques Ellul mean by technique?
Jacques Ellul’s “technique” isn’t just your grandma’s knitting method or your uncle’s questionable BBQ “hacks.” No, no. Think bigger. Think of technique as a hyper-efficient, self-awarded trophy for humanity’s obsession with optimizing everything—from assembly lines to your morning coffee routine. According to Ellul, technique isn’t just tools or gadgets; it’s the invisible rulebook that says, “Hey, why do something humanly when you can do it systematically, impersonally, and with the emotional warmth of a toaster?” It’s the reason your smart fridge judges you for eating leftovers past their prime.
Technique: The Ultimate Party Crasher
Ellul argued that technique isn’t content just running the show behind the scenes. Oh, it wants center stage. Imagine a world where efficiency becomes the cult leader, and we’re all chanting “Optimize!” while sacrificing creativity, spontaneity, and the right to occasionally fail at assembling IKEA furniture. Technique, in his view, is like that friend who turns every hangout into a spreadsheet—it reorganizes society into a machine where even your “mindful” meditation app demands productivity metrics. Namaste, indeed.
But Wait, There’s a Plot Twist
Here’s the kicker: technique isn’t evil. It’s just… relentless. Ellul warned that once it’s unleashed, it morphs into an autonomous force—a runaway train powered by algorithms, bureaucratic red tape, and the unshakable belief that faster = better. Suddenly, you’re not just using technology; you’re adapting to it, serving it, and apologizing to your robot vacuum for existing in its path. It’s the reason we’ve all collectively agreed that typing “LOL” counts as laughter. Progress!
- The Toaster Example: Your bread is toasted by a machine that doesn’t care if you wanted “artisanal char” or “lightly kissed by warmth.” It’s got quotas.
- The Coffee Paradox: Your pour-over ritual? Technique hijacked it. Now you’re a barista algorithm, grinding beans to the beat of a productivity podcast.
- The Human Glitch: Ellul’s point? We built the system, but the system’s out here building our obsolescence. Cool cool cool.
So next time you’re stuck in a self-checkout line, muttering at a machine that’s judging your avocado selection, remember: Jacques Ellul called it. Technique isn’t just what we use—it’s what uses us. Now, if you’ll excuse him, he’s busy haunting Silicon Valley from beyond the grave.
What did Jacques Ellul say about technology?
Jacques Ellul, the French philosopher who probably side-eyed every toaster and traffic light as existential threats, argued that technology wasn’t just a “tool” but a runaway train piloted by a caffeinated raccoon. In his 1954 book *The Technological Society*, he introduced the concept of “La Technique”—not a fancy dance move, but the idea that technology evolves into an autonomous system that hijacks human goals. Think of it like your smartphone deciding it’s no longer your “assistant” but your overlord, demanding you binge TikTok until 3 a.m. for the sake of “efficiency.”
Efficiency: The New French Pastime?
Ellul warned that society had become obsessed with efficiency—not just in factories, but in everything. Why walk a dog when you could optimize its walk route via GPS, calorie-burn metrics, and a post-walk LinkedIn update? He saw tech as a self-replicating force, creating problems just to solve them (looking at you, blockchain for pet rock ownership). His take? Humans weren’t using technology; they were auditioning to be its interns.
- “Technical necessity”: The illusion that because we can build AI-powered forks, we must.
- Moral myopia: Forgetting to ask “should we?” while high-fiving over “can we?”
- The autonomy trap: When your Roomba starts writing its memoir, you’ll know Ellul was right.
When Your Toaster Starts Giving You Life Advice
Ellul’s kicker? Technology isn’t neutral. That “mindless” algorithm curating your playlist? It’s stealthily reshaping your tastes, relationships, and whether you think pineapples belong on pizza (they don’t). He argued tech creates a “technological morality”—where convenience trumps ethics, and humans adapt to serve machines, not vice versa. Imagine a world where Siri sighs and says, “You’re emotionally unprepared for this weather forecast.” That’s Ellul’s nightmare—and honestly, ours too.
So, next time you ask Alexa to water your plants, remember: Ellul would’ve nodded solemnly, then hidden all your charging cables. Just in case.
Who coined the idea of technological society?
If you’ve ever stared at your smartphone and whispered, “Why have you done this to us?” you might owe a cosmic debt to Jacques Ellul. This French philosopher-prophet (okay, fine, just a philosopher) first slapped the term “technological society” into the cultural lexicon in 1954 with his book The Technological Society. Ellul didn’t just predict our doomscrolling future—he practically invented the concept of tech-induced existential crisis before the internet was even a twinkle in a computer scientist’s eye.
The Man Who Saw the Matrix (Before the Matrix)
Ellul’s big idea? Technology isn’t just a tool—it’s a self-augmenting system that shapes human behavior, values, and even our souls (dramatic gasp). He argued that once tech gets rolling, it becomes an autonomous force, like a Roomba that’s secretly plotting world domination. His warnings included:
- “Technique” (his term for tech’s invisible logic) would infiltrate every aspect of life, from education to burrito delivery apps.
- Humans would become “efficient” cogs, optimizing ourselves into oblivion.
- We’d forget how to not check notifications during funerals.
Why Ellul Would’ve Hated Your Smart Fridge
Ellul wasn’t just grumpy about factories or nuclear reactors. He foresaw a world where efficiency and technical processes would dominate everything, including your ability to enjoy a sandwich without your fridge tweeting about it. His critique wasn’t anti-tech—it was anti-“letting tech drive the bus while we nap in the trunk.” If he’d lived to see TikTok trends, he’d probably have written a sequel called The Technological Society: I Told You So.
Today, scholars and anxious Redditors alike cite Ellul as the OG of “we’re all trapped in a system we don’t understand” discourse. His work is a reminder that every time you agree to an app’s terms of service without reading them, a French philosopher somewhere sighs and mutters, “Oui, exactement.”
