The Word: Jacques Ellul\u27s Dialogic Response To La Technique

The focus of this interpretive work is primarily to bring two Ellulian metaphors into conversation with one another: la technique, and “the word.” Jacques Ellul (1912-1994), a prominent French philosopher, sociologist, and theologian, is predominantly known for his critique of what he calls la technique, an underlying system which acts as an all-encompassing feature of necessity, which privileges the values of efficiency, speed, and progress in all societal endeavors, and which serves as the predominant interpretive lens by which we can examine and understand our current historical and cultural moment. Technique had its origination in the value system of the machine, but its tentacles have now reached into every aspect of human lived experience, turning humanity into a means, limiting human freedom, and reconstructing truth in terms of fact. In response to what Ellul calls the Technological Society, he presents the idea of “the word,” a dialogic metaphor which illuminates the intersubjective intentionality in human relation by recognizing the value of authentic “encounter” in a phenomenological space which Martin Buber described as “the between.” Ellul prioritizes dialogue over and against the totality of a world given over to Technique. This dissertation seeks to understand the dialectic between these two oppositions, to bring them into conversation with one another in an effort to understand how Ellul’s dialogic hermeneutic can serve as a response to Technique, and to present some possible solutions which can serve to guide human beings seeking liberation within the tyranny of the Technological Society

Communication and the Global Landscape of Faith

This edited collection examines how geography and space, two key constructs of communication, affect the public understanding of religion.Intro -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Part 1: The Philosophical Landscape -- 1 From Here to Eternity -- 2 The Equivocal Tao of "Nature" -- Part 2: The "Built" Landscape -- 3 Building a House of Worship One (Agnostic) Platform at a Time -- 4 The Tourist Gaze and the Church -- 5 Sanctuar(ies) for Sanctuary -- Part 3: The Performative Landscape -- 6 Salvation on the Wicked Stage -- 7 Pope Francis's Semiotic-Ethotic Conversion -- 8 Identification and Unity -- 9 The Public Work of Faith in Senegal -- Part 4: The Political Landscape -- 10 Virtues as a Horizon for Intercultural Understanding -- 11 Rhetorical Tapestry -- 12 Human Price Tags and the Politics of Representation in Sex Trafficking -- 13 All Who Do Not Lay Their Oblations on the Same Altar -- Part 5: The Intercultural Landscape -- 14 "This is What God Wills" -- 15 "Moving Forward" -- 16 Bringing Together and Setting Apart -- Index -- About the ContributorsThis edited collection examines how geography and space, two key constructs of communication, affect the public understanding of religion.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries