Central Themes in the Work of Jacques Ellul - 708 Words

Jacques Ellul was a professor of history and the Sociology of Institutions on the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences at the University of Bordeaux. He wrote 58 books and more than a thousand articles over his career, many of which discussed propaganda, the influence of technology on society, and also the correlation between religion and politics. The central theme of Ellul’s work proved to be the threat to human freedom and religion shaped by modern technology. Ellul’s continual concern was the rise of a technological oppression over humanity. According to the Boston Globe newspaper, he was a leader in the French resistance in World War II. For his determination to save the Jews, he was labeled â€Å"Righteous among the Nations† by Yad Vashem in 2001. He was also a layman in the Reformed Church of France and achieved a high position within it as part of the National Council. Ellul considered Karl Barth, a leader of the confrontation against the German state church in World War II, the greatest theologian of the 20th century. Ellul also considered his father his role model. He has been credited with coining the phrase, Think globally, act locally. According to the International Jacques Ellul Society (IJES), Ellul frequently said that he was born in Bordeaux by chance, but that it was by choice that he spent almost all his academic career there. Ellul viewed the domination of mass media as an example of technology utilizing control over human’s purpose. As an example ofShow MoreRelated Does Technology Drive History? Essay688 Words   |  3 PagesA theme that appears over and over in discussions about technology is whether or not technology is the cause of major social, cultural, political, and economic changes in modern society. Of course, we can find many, many examples of technologies associated with enormous social changes. The automobile, for example, is often spoke of as causing a whole array of social changes, from the creation of suburbia, to the development of the fast food industry, to the paving of farm land, to the importedRead MoreEssay on Soviet Propaganda1881 Words   |  8 PagesSoviet Propaganda The soviet communist party, or the Bolsheviks, always new that strong propaganda was essential to increase the consciousness of the masses. As stated in the Encyclopedia of Propaganda, propaganda was central to Marxist-Leninist ideology long before the Bolshevik revolution of 1917.(675) The power of persuasion and coercion were exercised with great force by Soviet leaders. The two leaders whom utilized propaganda to influence public opinion in the USSR were Vladimir LeninRead More A Theological Perspective of the Clash of Civilizations Essay7154 Words   |  29 Pagesarticle. So the outcome was a 1996 book titled The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order.4 In this work conceived as â€Å"an interpretation of the evolution of global politics after the Cold War,† Huntington aspires, as he says, â€Å"to present a framework, a paradigm, for viewing global politics that will be meaningful to scholars and useful to policymakers.†5 Its central theme is virtually identical to that of his article, namely â€Å"that culture and cultural identities, which at HuntingtonRead MoreThe Importance of Philosophy to Engineering8110 Words   |  33 Pagesthis thesis will, appropriately enough, rely in key respects on engineering experience. It will proceed by means of a historical review of engineering efforts to do philosophy in part as a self-defense against philosophical criticism. Then, in a central case study, it will summarize and reflect on efforts in the United States professional engineering community to incorporate philosophy into engineering education curricula. The later sections of the paper will, however, make a more reflective effortRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesBenson, Stephen Brier, and Roy Rosenzweig Also in this series: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left