French historian, sociological, and theologian Jacques Ellul had some interesting insights about technology. In chapter thirteen of his book, Jacques Ellul on Religion, Technology, and Politics: Conversations with Patrick Troude-Chastenet, Ellul was asked, "How would you summarize the main thrust of your work on technology?" Ellul responded:
I would say that I have tried to show how technology is developing completely independently of any human control. Carried away in some Promethean dream modern man has always thought he could harness Nature whereas what is happening is that he is building an artificial universe for himself where he is increasingly being constrained. He thought he would achieve his goal by using technology but he has ended up its slave.
Ellul, like Marshall McLuhan, Martin Heidegger and others, writes about the influence of technology on human being. Here, Ellul appears to suggest that technology acts autonomously from humans and in ways that subjugate people. However, unlike colonization where one group exerts their will over another, technology is generally embraced willingly and freely by those who use it. As we build our digital universe we begin to function within technological perimeters and limit our potential for being human. Human being gives way to technological being.
I think the application here is obvious: Be careful in your embrace of technology because you may find it's hold on your to be highly constrictive. So put down your phone, close your laptop lid, shut down the tablet, take off the smartwatch and go for a walk, pick up a book, spend some time in contemplation and meditation. You will find yourself set free.
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