The Betrayal by Technology: Ellul
March 27, 2010
Ellul is a fascinating thinker — I hope you enjoy! It’s in French, but the subtitles do a good job translating what he says.
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Thank you for posting this. I was unaware of Ellul and will now read some of his works.
Dymphna: Ellul is quite respectable and indeed, I would say a genius. Of course, as I point out, I do think his Barthian approach undermines elements of that which is human — but, one can learn from his analysis despite disagreements in theology (it is to be expected, since he was a Protestant theologian; and he held major posts in France before his death — and was indeed involved with the resistance to Hitler in WWII — he earned the title Righteous Among the Nations for his work in saving the lives of Jews).
So compared to other religions in the U.S. Religions that say allow the pastor to be married. Do they have any problems like this on a wide scale?
Also, is anyone having trouble getting on facebook? I can’t even log in.
Cindy
I think you might have put the question in the wrong thread by mistake? I think the question is of the abuse scandal? And the answer is yes; it happens in all societies, in all religious traditions, and with married and celibate alike. Indeed, there is evidence of a great amount of such abuse by those who are married pastors — http://reformation.com/ is an example of one such list, made several years ago (and not kept up to date) which shows some of the problems. And if we moved beyond religion, this is something quite often the case also in the school systems — I have heard all kinds of things from people who teach who know how people have been moved around. It’s very sad. And I think it is what happens in the sexualization of the modern age — it has always been a problem, but it seems to have increased tremendously in the modern era, and is it surprising, when lust is connected to our consumer culture? It’s sad.
As for facebook, it looks like I can get on.
Thanks for posting this! had never seen video or heard him. Have only read a brief essay or two, and not in French, and was favorably impressed by E.’s discussion of the bonds of technique; just skimmed a few pages at Amazon of his Anarchy and Christianity and most definitely was not.
Great find, Henry!
Henry, I share your love of Ellul, and saw this highly stimulating documentary a while back. “The Humiliation of the Word” was a life-changing read. I’m sure you’ve already seen the extensive online archive of his work over at Jesus Radicals:
http://www.jesusradicals.com/theology/jacques-ellul/
Ryan
Yes, it is a good archive (and good for others to know).
Michael
I was to see it was on youtube; it’s great to find something like this to share and do more than a mere quote here and there.
Yes, we have moved to accept technology as sacred.
A prime example of this is the telephone. The phone rings, we (I) will (or at least be tempted to) interrupt aface-to-face conversation, a meal, a quiet time reading a book…
Why do we accept these interruptions?
And with technology becoming sacred and we becoming detached from nature, we encountered a short-coming in our understanding and how we reflect on scripture.
I work in a “leading edge” technology industry, though in recent years I’ve wondered about our detachment from the scripture.
What does it really mean to us when we read about the mustard seed, the Cedars of Lebanon, shepherds and sheep,etc, etc? Yes, it is interesting imagery for us in the modern world, but what are we missing? Wait is absent for us?
Dan
Yes, it is a very serious concern. I also think, though I was somewhat socialized to the computer age since a young child in school, I am seeing a new generation who was entirely immersed with the internet from birth, and I see it is affecting them– in some ways positively, but with all kinds of negatives because of it. We get used to control and power over and things accomplished in an instant; what does that tell us about us?
“We get used to control and power over and things accomplished in an instant; what does that tell us about us?”
Right…and who is controlling and who has the power?
Dan
While I will probably be using it for a post soon, here C.S. Lewis really does a good job bringing this question out:
Man’s conquest of Nature, if the dreams of some scientific planners are realized, means the rule of a few hundreds of men over billions upon billions of men. There neither is no can be any simple increase of power on Man’s side. Each new power won by man is a power over man as well. Each advance leaves him weaker as well as stronger. In every victory, besides being the general who triumphs, he is also the prisoner who follows the triumphal car. (The Abolition of Man).
One observation I have from the work place, is that people would rather send a colleague an email than walk over and talk to him or her (or in the case of someone at a remote office, make a call).
Had a recent experience where one colleague wondered aloud during a meeting why another did not yet reply to an email send two days before.
Said colleagues cubicles are 30 ft a part.
Odd how technology is changing how we want to communicate.