Overview

Are all governments--east and west, Muslim and secular, authoritarian and constitutional, Republican and Democratic--fundamentally the same, all of them under the extraordinary, growing power of ""technique"" and bureaucracy? Is all politics, then, just an illusory affair of lies, deception, propaganda, partisan passions, and chaos on the surface of government and party? In his vast and penetrating writings, Bordeaux sociologist Jacques Ellul (1912-1994) points in those directions. Political Illusion and Reality is a collection of twenty-three essays on Ellul's political thought. Veteran as well as younger Ellul scholars, political leaders, activists, and pastors, discuss aspects of Ellul's thought as they relate to their own fields of study and political experience. Beginning with his 1936 essay ""Fascism, Son of Liberalism,"" translated and published here in English for the first time, Ellul and these authors will provoke readers to think some new thoughts about politics and government, and think more deeply about the main issues we face in our politically divided and troubled times.

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9781532649066

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Reviews

"""This is a very beautiful, passionate collection of essays. If for Jacques Ellul La Technique was already 'the wager of the century' in 1954, when he wrote his famous book, in the twenty-first century it has become a nightmare! More than ever, the thought of Ellul helps us to analyze, understand, and act in the face of the propaganda for efficiency at any price, the political illusion, and ecological and climate change threats. By their contributions, the authors in this collection allow a new generation to discover what for me was an awakening of conscience and a guide for my activism."" --José Bové, ecologist, social activist, former student of Jacques Ellul ""It's an educational pleasure to endorse this magnificent book. It benefits in coherence from the Berkeley conference, where its chapter authors were in conversation. Its competent scholarship makes Political Illusion & Reality one of the most valuable books I have ever read on the topic."" --Cliff Christians, emeritus professor of Media and Communications at the University of Illinois ""In my four years on the Davis City Council, Ellul accompanied me to the dais, and everywhere I went in my community. Ellul challenged me to confront the damaging spirit of 'technique' by creating local, face-to-face, and truly human responses to the challenges of my city. He cautioned me to consider the true ends of human flourishing and to not become enamored with efficient means without reference to those ends. Finally, he provided a language that helped me challenge the 'technicians' in places of power who 'do not accept [the] moral judgement' of their actions. This book is a reminder of the spiritual and moral grounding of this great man's work. Without him and his ideas, I could not have succeeded in helping guide my small city in these turbulent times."" --Robb Davis, former mayor and city council member in Davis, California ""Provocative. Informative. Enlightening. At a time when we place our trust in the political system and the state to meet all our needs and protect us from harm, Ellul challenges us to rethink the object of our trust and affections. Anyone seriously interested in understanding the place of government in our lives today will want to read this book."" --Geraldine E. Forsberg, instructor of media ecology at Western Washington University ""Jacques Ellul's insights on politics and faith are profound and, in our current crisis of political illusion, are needed more than ever. The essays in Political Illusion & Reality are a labor of love that will bear fruit as a helpful and inspiring guide through Ellul's thought."" --Sharon Gallagher, editor of Radix Magazine ""This stimulating and varied international collection of essays shows how the insights of Jacques Ellul on technique, politics, propaganda and so much else help us understand what is going on today beneath the headline political turmoil, and how in various contexts those inspired by Ellul are not just thinking in fresh ways, but acting to make a difference."" --Andrew Goddard, senior research fellow, Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics ""Once Ellul teaches you how to see the world, you will never view it the same way again. We are, therefore, fortunate to have Political Illusion & Reality to help us see Ellul for the extraordinary sociological and theological thinker he was. Be warned, however--seeing the way Ellul sees will not make your life easy."" --Stanley Hauerwas, emeritus professor of Ethics and Law at Duke University ""Political Illusion & Reality provides hope for those discouraged by current cruel political realities. Drawing on Jacques Ellul's deep and illuminating insights, a new narrative is proposed here which allows an exit from traditional social contract clichés. The Jewish and Christian peaceable kingdom myth (Andy Alexis-Baker) enables 'ideological detoxification.' Practical essays--by activists like Sylvie Justome and mayors like Noel Mamere and Robb Davis--demonstrate the relevance of this perspective. This is a must-read for regaining spiritual and political courage!"" --Carole J. Lambert, professor of English at Azusa Pacific University ""The essays in this international collection can only help Jacques Ellul to be recognized, at last, as one of the great thinkers of our time. They do real justice to someone who anticipated the political and philosophical crises which stretch across the so-called developed world in the present. If we want to understand where we are today, we must read and reread Ellul. This book from an International Jacques Ellul Society colloquium at Berkeley, California, will help everyone to better grasp the universal relevance of Ellul's thought. Even in France, where we often quote the saying 'A prophet is not without honor save in his own country, ' I hope this indispensable collection will also be translated and published in France."" --Noël Mamère, former mayor of Bègles, France, and former student of Jacques Ellul ""Political Illusion & Reality is a stunning collection of essays by a remarkable community of scholars influenced by Jacques Ellul. I was taken aback by its range and insightfulness, and its testimony to the continuing vitality of Ellul. I commend it to anyone who doubts the relevance of Ellul's sociological, philosophical, and theological analyses of the technological way of life within which we are all now increasingly enmeshed."" --Carl Mitcham, international professor of Philosophy of Technology at Renmin University of China in Beijing ""No two readers understand an author in exactly the same way. There are few authors like Jacques Ellul who write existentially, pushing us to confront our various beliefs, ideas, and lives. This stimulating collection of essays demonstrates this. No one will agree with each essay, but everyone will discover new insights into and new applications of Ellul's thought."" --Richard Stivers, distinguished professor of Sociology at Illinois State University ""The essays in Political Illusion & Reality show us why Jacques Ellul's prophetic analyses of politics, the state, and international relations still matter. Understanding the world can be a way of already beginning to change it. In these essays, Ellul's ideas 'out-narrate' the existing stories of what is going on and provide multiple concrete examples of how to appropriate and apply his insights."" --Scott M. Thomas, associate professor of International Relations at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom ""For years, Jacques Ellul was required reading in the Sojourners community. Political Illusion & Reality is a well-curated collection of essays and commentaries that reminds us of his continued timeliness, as well as the depth and complexity of thought that he has to offer us. Ellul's vision of political society is morally challenging, provocative, and constructive, and this edition has been edited in such a salient way for the times in which we now find ourselves."" --Jim Wallis, author of America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America"

This is a very beautiful, passionate collection of essays. If for Jacques Ellul La Technique was already 'the wager of the century' in 1954, when he wrote his famous book, in the twenty-first century it has become a nightmare! More than ever, the thought of Ellul helps us to analyze, understand, and act in the face of the propaganda for efficiency at any price, the political illusion, and ecological and climate change threats. By their contributions, the authors in this collection allow a new generation to discover what for me was an awakening of conscience and a guide for my activism. --Jose Bove, ecologist, social activist, former student of Jacques Ellul It's an educational pleasure to endorse this magnificent book. It benefits in coherence from the Berkeley conference, where its chapter authors were in conversation. Its competent scholarship makes Political Illusion & Reality one of the most valuable books I have ever read on the topic. --Cliff Christians, emeritus professor of Media and Communications at the University of Illinois In my four years on the Davis City Council, Ellul accompanied me to the dais, and everywhere I went in my community. Ellul challenged me to confront the damaging spirit of 'technique' by creating local, face-to-face, and truly human responses to the challenges of my city. He cautioned me to consider the true ends of human flourishing and to not become enamored with efficient means without reference to those ends. Finally, he provided a language that helped me challenge the 'technicians' in places of power who 'do not accept [the] moral judgement' of their actions. This book is a reminder of the spiritual and moral grounding of this great man's work. Without him and his ideas, I could not have succeeded in helping guide my small city in these turbulent times. --Robb Davis, former mayor and city council member in Davis, California Provocative. Informative. Enlightening. At a time when we place our trust in the political system and the state to meet all our needs and protect us from harm, Ellul challenges us to rethink the object of our trust and affections. Anyone seriously interested in understanding the place of government in our lives today will want to read this book. --Geraldine E. Forsberg, instructor of media ecology at Western Washington University Jacques Ellul's insights on politics and faith are profound and, in our current crisis of political illusion, are needed more than ever. The essays in Political Illusion & Reality are a labor of love that will bear fruit as a helpful and inspiring guide through Ellul's thought. --Sharon Gallagher, editor of Radix Magazine This stimulating and varied international collection of essays shows how the insights of Jacques Ellul on technique, politics, propaganda and so much else help us understand what is going on today beneath the headline political turmoil, and how in various contexts those inspired by Ellul are not just thinking in fresh ways, but acting to make a difference. --Andrew Goddard, senior research fellow, Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics Once Ellul teaches you how to see the world, you will never view it the same way again. We are, therefore, fortunate to have Political Illusion & Reality to help us see Ellul for the extraordinary sociological and theological thinker he was. Be warned, however--seeing the way Ellul sees will not make your life easy. --Stanley Hauerwas, emeritus professor of Ethics and Law at Duke University Political Illusion & Reality provides hope for those discouraged by current cruel political realities. Drawing on Jacques Ellul's deep and illuminating insights, a new narrative is proposed here which allows an exit from traditional social contract cliches. The Jewish and Christian peaceable kingdom myth (Andy Alexis-Baker) enables 'ideological detoxification.' Practical essays--by activists like Sylvie Justome and mayors like Noel Mamere and Robb Davis--demonstrate the relevance of this perspective. This is a must-read for regaining spiritual and political courage! --Carole J. Lambert, professor of English at Azusa Pacific University The essays in this international collection can only help Jacques Ellul to be recognized, at last, as one of the great thinkers of our time. They do real justice to someone who anticipated the political and philosophical crises which stretch across the so-called developed world in the present. If we want to understand where we are today, we must read and reread Ellul. This book from an International Jacques Ellul Society colloquium at Berkeley, California, will help everyone to better grasp the universal relevance of Ellul's thought. Even in France, where we often quote the saying 'A prophet is not without honor save in his own country, ' I hope this indispensable collection will also be translated and published in France. --Noel Mamere, former mayor of Begles, France, and former student of Jacques Ellul Political Illusion & Reality is a stunning collection of essays by a remarkable community of scholars influenced by Jacques Ellul. I was taken aback by its range and insightfulness, and its testimony to the continuing vitality of Ellul. I commend it to anyone who doubts the relevance of Ellul's sociological, philosophical, and theological analyses of the technological way of life within which we are all now increasingly enmeshed. --Carl Mitcham, international professor of Philosophy of Technology at Renmin University of China in Beijing No two readers understand an author in exactly the same way. There are few authors like Jacques Ellul who write existentially, pushing us to confront our various beliefs, ideas, and lives. This stimulating collection of essays demonstrates this. No one will agree with each essay, but everyone will discover new insights into and new applications of Ellul's thought. --Richard Stivers, distinguished professor of Sociology at Illinois State University The essays in Political Illusion & Reality show us why Jacques Ellul's prophetic analyses of politics, the state, and international relations still matter. Understanding the world can be a way of already beginning to change it. In these essays, Ellul's ideas 'out-narrate' the existing stories of what is going on and provide multiple concrete examples of how to appropriate and apply his insights. --Scott M. Thomas, associate professor of International Relations at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom For years, Jacques Ellul was required reading in the Sojourners community. Political Illusion & Reality is a well-curated collection of essays and commentaries that reminds us of his continued timeliness, as well as the depth and complexity of thought that he has to offer us. Ellul's vision of political society is morally challenging, provocative, and constructive, and this edition has been edited in such a salient way for the times in which we now find ourselves. --Jim Wallis, author of America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America

Author Information

David W. Gill recently retired after forty years as a business school and seminary professor of ethics. He is the author of seven books and the founding president of the International Jacques Ellul Society. David Lovekin is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Hastings College (Nebraska). He is author of Technique, Discourse, and Consciousness: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Jacques Ellul.

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