The Technological Society

The Technological Society is a book on technique by the French philosopher, theologian and sociologist Jacques Ellul. First published in French in 1954, it appeared in English in 1964. Its central concept is technique, which Ellul distinguishes from machines, from technology, and from mere procedures for reaching an end. For him, technique is the totality of methods rationally arrived at that seek absolute efficiency in every field of human activity.

The book argues that modern society is dominated by technique, understood as a series of means established to achieve an end, and ultimately oriented toward efficiency. The term covers virtually every area of life, from science and automation to politics and human relations.

The work has had a wide reception. Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, read it closely, and his brother David described it as "Ted's Bible".