Jacques Ellul Quotes
There is a limited elite that understands the secrets of their own techniques, but not necessarily of all techniques. These men are close to the seat of modern governmental power. The state is no longer founded on the 'average citizen', but on the ability and knowledge of this elite. The average man is altogether unable to penetrate technical secrets or governmental organization and consequently can exert no influence at all on the state.
Ellul, Jacques. The Technological Society. Translated by John Wilkinson, Vintage Books, 1964, p. 275.
Much depends on the culture of the people and the power of the rulers. In Pakistan, corruption and one disaster after another occurs and neither the government nor the army—the two ruling elites—does little or nothing to help the people, yet they retain their power and support of the majority of the population. The Palestinians have been led by the PLO, Hamas, and Hezbollah, and with each decision the elite rulers make, the Israeli’s obtain more territory than they were willing to settle for earlier, the standard of living of the Palestinians degrades, their employment prospects deteriorates, and their humiliation becomes greater. Yet, the elites maintain their power.
Jacques Ellul was a French philosopher, sociologist, lay theologian, and professor who was a noted Christian anarchist. Ellul was a longtime Professor of History and the Sociology of Institutions on the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences at the University of Bordeaux. A prolific writer, he authored more than 60 books and more than 600 articles over his lifetime, many of which discussed propaganda, the impact of technology on society, and the interaction between religion and politics.
