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Quote by Jacques Ellul

“The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries abandoned the idea of spiritual or intellectual happiness in order to have this material happiness, consisting of a certain number of essential consumer goods. And hence, in the nineteenth century, happiness was linked to a well-being obtained by mechanical means, industrial means, production. The new thing that Saint-Just spoke about was that, in the past, happiness could appear as a very vague, very distant prospect for humanity, whereas now, people seemed to be within reach of the concrete, material possibility of attaining it. That was why happiness was to become an absolutely essential image for the nineteenth-century bourgeoisie, and for modern society. Happiness was attainable thanks to industrial development, and this image of happiness brought us fully into the consumer society.”

Quote by Jacques Ellul

Book:Perspectives on Our Age
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Perspectives on Our Age

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Jacques Ellul
Jacques Ellul

Jacques Ellul (January 6, 1912 - May 19, 1994) was a prominent French philosopher known for his work in the fields of technological philosophy, sociology, and Christian theology. His research focused on the profound reflections on the impact of technology and society on modern life. more

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