Albert Walton, op. cit., p. 27.and those who model it at once determine the human material to accomplish it. The know-how developed by such a formation makes the personality a means for purposes that perpetuate the human existence understood in an instrumental mode and replaceable in the short term by another instrument of the same […]
The Individual and Mass Are Contradictory Terms Conceptually and Empirically Incompatible
It seems at first obvious first that the individual and mass are contradictory terms conceptually and empirically incompatible. The crowd “is certainly composed of individuals, but of individuals who cease to be isolated, who cease to think. Isolated individuals in a crowd can not help thinking, criticizing emotions. The others, on the other hand, stop […]
The Growing Power of the Device is Not the Only Responsible Influence
However, the growing power of the device is not the only responsible influence. The incorporation of a large section of the opposition into the apparatus (while retaining the title of opposition) has also long contributed to render critical rationality ineffective socially. The history of this process is well known and perfectly illustrated by the development […]
Technological Rationality Also Affects Critical Truth Values.
The standardization of thought under the influence of technological rationality also affects critical truth values. These are torn from their original context and, in their new form, are the object of extensive and sometimes even official publicity. By way of example, proposals which in Europe fell within the exclusive domain of the workers’ movement are […]
Fundamentals of Industrial Psychology
Albert Walton, Fundamentals of Industrial Psychology, New York, …It is true that the force that transforms human actions into a succession of predictable reactions is an external force: the machine imposes on men the patterns of mechanized behavior, and the less competitive the individual becomes, the more the standards of competitive performance are imposed from […]
Mechanisms of Technological Rationality Extend to the Whole Society
The notion of docile efficiency perfectly illustrates the technological rationality structure. Rational thinking is being transformed from a critical force into a force of adjustment and conformity. The autonomy of reason loses its meaning to the same extent that the thoughts, emotions and actions of men are shaped by the technical requirements of a device […]
Improving the Organization and Management of Extension
The free economic subject has rather become the object of a large-scale organization and coordination. Individual achievement has been transformed into standardized performance, with motivations, guidance, and evaluation of the individual’s action being defined by predetermined tasks and functions external to him. The effective individual is one whose action is the adequate response to the […]
Technology and Civilization, Paris, Seuil, …
In this article, technology is understood as a social process in which the technology itself (ie the technical apparatus of industry, transport and communications) is only a partial factor. We will not question the influence of technology on human individuals. This is because men are both an integral part and a factor of technology, not […]