a wonderful blog-post by Michel Sacasas on Ellul’s latest book and his thoughts about the status of technology and the compensatory factors that should occur. “We have no choice but to live in a world dominated by technique,” he (i.e. Ellul, mp) explains, “but we are forced to find something providing satisfactions elsewhere and permitting us to live otherwise.” When it comes to architecture I guess there are valuable options for ‘compensation’ – man as homo faber or universalis – which to me should not be regarded as such since they are as valuable, rewarding and inescapable as ever.
Tag archieven: Ellul
“Technology will not save us”
A most interesting article published last month, on Sept. 27th.: “Technology will not save us“, by Michael Sacasas on “The Frailest Thing’. “Entering the complex and messy realm of of human desires and cultural dynamics”, Sacasas argues that “technological determinism is the product of cultural capitulation. It is symptom of social fragmentation.” Referring to Ellul and Winner he states that “due to a focus on technological innovation our society is in thrall of technique.” (ital orig.) With regard to architecture this is in any case a most valid statement, as the recent EC-discussion has illustrated.