"Modern technology has become a total phenomenon for civilization, the defining force of a new social order in which efficiency is no longer an option but a necessity imposed on all human activity."

Technology

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Technology as articulated by Jacques Ellul. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Technology provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Jacques Ellul

Jacques Ellul was a French-born philosopher, sociologist, lay theologian, resistance fighter and professor. Noted as a Christian anarchist, Ellul was a longtime professor of History and the Sociology of Institutions on the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences at the University of Bordeaux. A prolific writer, he authored more than 60 books and more than 600 articles over his lifetime, many of which discussed propaganda, the impact of technology on society, and the interaction between religion and politics.

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More by Jacques Ellul

"All human language draws its nature and value from the fact that it both comes from the Word of God and is chosen by God to manifest himself. But this relationship is secret and incomprehensible, beyond the bounds of reason and analysis."

— Jacques Ellul
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"The Holy Spirit alone can do this, the Holy Spirit alone can establish this link with one's neighbor."

— Jacques Ellul
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More about Technology

"The way you want to respond is to ask a question: Is this technology directly relevant to our hedgehog concept? If the answer is YES, then we want to become pioneers, not in the technology, but in the application of that technology specifically linked to our hedgehog concept."

— James Collins
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"I am turned into a sort of machine for observing facts and grinding out conclusions."

— Charles Darwin
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"To make a rock'n'roll record, technology is the least important thing."

— Keith Richards
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