The Conquest of Nature

Book Reviews The Conquest of Nature: Technology and Its Consequences. By R. J. Forbes. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., 1968. Pp. xiii+98. $4.95. In looking at “technology and its consequences,” this slender volume of ninety-eight pages touches briefly upon a large diversity of subjects. The book is neatly divided into three parts—“Man and Machine,” “Ma­ chine and Milieu,” and “Milieu and Man”—which discuss in turn: the development of technology, the environmental changes that technol­ ogy has produced, and the consequences of these changes for man in his economic, political, social, artistic, and religious milieus. From the size of the book in relation to its subject matter, one might deduce that the style is descriptive rather than analytic. And indeed, for the most part, this is the case. In the first section, the reader is treated to a onceover -lightly history of technology ranging from the first use of fire to the development of computers and automation. The second section de­ tails the growth of agricultural and communications technologies, the rise of megalopolis, and current and future problems of energy supply and conservation of resources. Toward the end of the second section, Forbes takes up the question: “Is Technology Natural?” His answer is refreshing to read. Using stones and branches as he found them, and then devising new combina­ tions of these natural materials, he [man] gradually made other environment changes. Descending a river on a tree trunk, or a log hollowed out by his new tool, fire, or maybe a raft, was as natural as harnessing the wind to propel his canoe or ship. If this proposition is sound there is nothing unnatural in the progression that led to a steel ship propelled by twin screws driven by a steam turbine; nor is a man on horseback more natural than a man in a motor car. ... As the man-made sectors of human environment grow in importance, technology, rather than being merely an activity of man, partakes more and more of the nature of man. The urge to alter the conditions of life and to improve them in directions of his own choosing is clearly a basic instinct. . . . Technology is natural from yet another point of view: it still involves obedience to the laws of Nature. . . . Most contemporary techno­ logical achievements are based on a logical array of scientifically measured and checked data and facts—all determined in accord with the laws of Nature as defined by science [pp. 57-58]. Although there is nothing startlingly new about these assertions, in a time that is all too filled with romantic notions about the “natural state of man” and the “dehumanization” wrought by technology, there is some merit in making these points. 304 TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 305 The author likewise does not accept the currently voguish concep­ tion of the autonomy of technology. He begins the third section of his book by arguing against the Ellulist position. Technology, he contends, has no “internal dynamism” of its own. Rather, technology develops and changes as a result of earlier imperfections or because of “impulses from outside technology.” Moreover, “every technological achieve­ ment [does not] carry within itself the imperative toward a further step.” Ellul’s proposition that man is losing freedom to technology is also rejected as it stands. Forbes points out that while some freedoms may be lost as a result of technology, others are gained. In the light of this balanced view of the consequences of technology, it is rather strange that, when he turns to a discussion of the economic, political, and social effects of technology, Forbes focuses almost en­ tirely on the negative aspects. The quick catalogue of technology’s effects includes the following economic consequences: by introducing new complexities into the economy, technology makes economic con­ trol more difficult; the proliferation of advertising made possible by communications technology often produces a distortion of values and creates artificial markets; and, finally, there is the problem of “struc­ tural unemployment.” One wonders why there is no mention of the new techniques of economic control and the increased willingness to use them. More striking is the absence of any reference to affluence. In

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