Illusions of Freedom

Thomas Merton and Jacques Ellul on Technology and the Human Condition

Shaw

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781630871871
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Philosophy History & Theory

Illusions of Freedom examines the opinions and ideas of two twentieth-century writers--Thomas Merton, a Catholic monk living in the United States, and Jacques Ellul, a French Protestant. Contemporaries, they never met or corresponded with each other, but their critique of the influence that technology was beginning to have on the human condition is strikingly similar. Both Merton and Ellul drew upon the ideas of others in formulating their worldview, to include Karl Barth, Soren Kierkegaard, Aldous Huxley, and Karl Marx. Jeffrey Shaw examines the influence that these other philosophers had on Merton and Ellul as they formulated their own ideas on technology's impact on freedom. Tracing the similarities, and in some cases the differences, between their critiques of technology and the idea that progress is always to be seen as something inherently good, one finds that they bring a unique perspective to the debate and offer readers an alternative avenue for reflecting on the meaning of technology and its impact on our lives in the twenty-first century.

1

Introduction

Technology has been a liberating force, which has for millions of people increased standards of living and longevity. Whether in the field of healthcare, nutrition, computers, weaponry, transportation, and education, various innovations and technological advancements have radically changed the way of life for many people on the planet over the last centuries, with very noticeable changes even just over the last decade or two. Millions, if not billions of people have benefited tremendously from the march of progress. Who would argue otherwise? Two twentieth-century figures have a different view of the impact that technology has had on the human condition. Thomas Merton and Jacques Ellul viewed technology differently than their contemporaries. In order to understand their particular points of view, one must first come to terms with their definitions of both technology and freedom. This introductory chapter will provided those definitions, as well as provide an overview of the chapters that outline the various perspectives that Merton and Ellul used to advance their argument that technology can and should be seen as a hindrance to humankind’s attainment of freedom.

It should be noted that this book is not an attempt to label either Merton’s or Ellul’s particular point of view as “correct,” or more accurate than other points of view that one might encounter in contemporary culture regarding technology. It is incumbent on the reader to discern the merits (or lack thereof) of the arguments presented herein. The intent is to compare the viewpoints that Merton and Ellul offer, identifying similarities, and occasionally differences, between their assertion that technology has had, and continues to have, a negative aspect. An additional objective is to provide scholars working in the fields of Merton and/or Ellul studies with avenues for further inquiry regarding the intellectual approaches that these two men brought to bear on this topic, as well as on other topics relating to the human condition in contemporary society. One final hope is that this book might compel the general reader to investigate both Merton and Ellul more closely, inviting new participants to the debate about our interaction with technology. Seven chapters support this discussion, focusing on three overarching perspectives through which Merton and Ellul formulated their thinking on technology. The first perspective will be the theological, followed by the sociological, and finally the political, presenting a general trajectory from the transcendent to the immanent. Following the examination of their political perspective will be a chapter comparing their literary output.

Chapter 1 is the introduction, which provides the definitions of technology and freedom that Merton and Ellul employed in their writing. Readers will note that these definitions are radically different from anything that might be encountered in popular culture, or encountered in the Western philosophical tradition in general. The similarity between their particular definitions of freedom is striking, and the chapters which follow illustrate the implications of their adherence to this definition.

Chapter 2 will provide an overview of both men’s lives, although the intent is not to provide a simple biographical sketch. The objective will be to identify some common experiential sources for their worldviews as adults, specifically, their similar religious conversion experiences, and their upbringing in rural environments. The chapter will also address Ellul’s theory of technique and explore both Ellul’s and Merton’s use of the dialectic as an intellectual device.

The third chapter will look at Merton and Ellul from a theological perspective, and begins with an overview of Karl Barth’s (1886–1968) thought and its impact on both men. Barth’s thought regarding the nature of freedom is foundational to Ellul’s entire body of work. Merton refines some of this own thinking on the subject of freedom through his engagement with Barth’s work. Critiques of the institutional church, referred to as the “visible church” as opposed to the “invisible church,” are examined in this chapter, as both Merton and Ellul saw a disconnect between the individual practice of Christian faith and the institutional structures that purport to further such practice. They believe that the church has a specific role in helping humankind to identify the true self, and that technology has hindered the church in this regard. The true and false self are addressed in detail in chapter 4.

Chapter 4 examines the sociological perspective. Both Merton and Ellul were deeply influenced, but in different ways, by the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855). English philosopher Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) also influenced various aspects of both men’s thinking. This examination consists of another set of point-by-point Merton-Ellul comparisons beginning with their thinking on propaganda and the notion of the “mass man.” The idea of self-transcendence in their thinking will also be addressed. Throughout Merton’s writing, one finds references both implicitly and explicitly stated referring to the need to cast away the false self and seek the true self, allowing us to recognize and accept the gift of true freedom. Ellul does not emphasize the necessity to transcend the false self as emphatically as Merton does, but this idea is still one that he proposes as an essential step on the road to attaining freedom. Also discussed in this chapter will be technology’s role in the furtherance of propaganda and the role that it plays in hindering self-transcendence, the City as the ultimate manifestation of technique, and their respective views on non-violence.

Chapter 5 will cover the political perspective. Karl Marx influenced both Merton and Ellul. This profound antecedent to their thought is addressed first, followed by a point-by-point comparison of Merton’s and Ellul’s views on the city—a phenomenon that they both see as the ultimate manifestation of human technology, and a major impediment to the discovery of the true self, a discovery which both men believe to be a first step on the road to achieving freedom. Another point of comparison is their similar approach to social work and Roman Catholic social teaching, which provides an example of the type of life that one might live upon accepting the gift of true freedom as defined in chapter 2. Although a Protestant, Ellul shares an affinity for the work and writing of Roman Catholic luminaries such as Dorothy Day (1897–1980) and Peter Maurin (1877–1949). Day and Maurin both profoundly influenced Merton. Ellul, although a member of the Protestant French Reformed Church and not a Roman Catholic, provided some of the intellectual framework for this movement although he did not participate in the movement directly.

Merton and Ellul often directed their societal critiques at both the capitalist societies of the West and the communist societies of the East. A section is devoted to this tendency in their writing. This chapter concludes with a look at their quest for a “third way” in politics. While this third way does not directly correlate into a prescription for achieving true freedom, it suggests that both men believe that one can evade the grip of propaganda and technique to various degrees, ultimately serving as a point of departure from which one can potentially overcome the false self.

The sixth chapter evaluates Merton and Ellul as poets and literary figures. Both men wrote poems that allowed them to express many of their ideas regarding the insidious effects of technology on the human condition. In addition to comparing their poetry, this chapter will also look at their engagement with the work of Albert Camus (1913–1960) and Eugène Ionesco (1909–1994). Also considered in this chapter will be an assessment of the status of language and the written word in both Merton’s and Ellul’s thinkin...