The Rise of the American Technopoly

Whatever man does not know, he imagines; creates and shapes from the ground up, and justifies with whatever tools available. Before the Enlightenment, this brought about morality and faith. These two sisters directed mankind in nearly all affairs, and any that failed to obey them were labeled as anti-social. In this way, humanity became “humane,” establishing values that prized life and the continuation of Man: the Ten Commandments, the justice system, democracy, chivalry, and charity.

However, the 18^th century shook the traditional ‘tool-wielding’ and belief-oriented society. As Neil Postman notes, “there developed a profound belief in all the principals through which invention succeeds: efficiency, expertise, standardization, measurement, and progress” (Postman 42). This took two forms—invention under the flag of science, and capitalism under the flag of Adam Smith. Smith even defined man as a being “born with an instinct to barter and acquire wealth". This ran contrary to previous ideals, which perceived money as the root of all evil, and straying from traditional notions of reality to be blasphemy. And leading the charge on this front was the United States of America.

America was founded on the freedom of religion, and therefore seems an unlikely candidate for Postman’s theory. Yet the idea of freedom of religion actually runs against the grain of tool-wielding societies, sitting far closer to technocracy, and the age of disbelief. Individuals could now believe in whatever they wished, but they could also disbelieve anything they wished—a social heresy that could have toppled most old world governments. However, after the initial shock wore off, and the world realized that not only were they still standing, but that they were falling behind, the age of technology took hold. Now, as Postman notes, “There were empires to build, opportunities to exploit, exciting freedoms to enjoy, especially in America. There, on the wings of technocracy, the Unites States soared to unprecedented heights as a world power” (Postman 45).

Indeed, as America grew (and eventually rebelled against its own social “god”, the King of England), it surpassed every other nation in its thirst for technology. The Founding Fathers were, for the majority, not children of tradition, but children of the Enlightenment; of change and radicalism and Kurzweil’s exponential growth curve. As America expanded its knowledge, tradition became less and less viable. Religion separated from state, and after the Scopes Trial, from education. This marked the beginning of a new era—the age of technopoly.

Until the end of the 19^th century, “the citizens of a technocracy knew that science and technology did not provide philosophies by which to live, and they clung to the philosophies of their fathers” (Postman 47). However, there was no balance between the two mediums; only paradox. One would have to win out over the other, and this “other” would then die. Yet the outcome was possibly determined from the outset—after all, every weapon the tool-wielding society used had been designed and then improved upon by the technocracy.

This triumph led to the final question: what would the technocracy do with its subdued foe? Technopoly had learned from history. One could not live side by side with opposing values. Just as Zeus chained Chronos to a rock and left him to wonder aimlessly, so did technopoly tie religion with political and economic knots and leave it to die. It was a slow death, but a sure one, and no one (not even the final and noble crusaders of the old world) could challenge it. Finally, man had begun to change his worldview. He finally understood, and therefore did not need justification or faith. The new morality did not serve Man, but the Machine.