External Manifestations and Internal Mechanisms of the Technological System——A Critical Review of Jacques Ellul’s Theory of the Technological System 
Sun Zhanling1  Xu Chenjie2

1 School of Marxism Harbin Normal University, Harbin Heilongjiang，150025；

2 College of Marxism Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou Henan，450001；

Abstract：Jacques Ellul argues that in our contemporary world, technology is no longer content with being a primary or decisive factor; rather, it has developed into an integrated whole with its own inherent logic—a technological system. Beginning with a broad understanding of technology, this article examines the external manifestations of the technological system—namely technological autonomy, unity, and universality—and analyzes its internal operational mechanisms, including self-augmentation, automation, causal progression and interminability, and acceleration. The article concludes by assessing the fundamental challenges posed by the technological system to human subjectivity, human existence, and social governance as human beings are increasingly absorbed into the system as its components, and explores the possibility of preserving human meaning and dignity from within the system itself.

Keywords: Jacques Ellul; technological system; technology; efficiency

References

[1]Jacques Ellul. The Technological system[ M] . trans. Joachim NeuGroschel. New york: continuum, 1980.

[2]Jacques Ellul. The Technological society[M] . trans. John wilkinson. New york: Alfred A. knopf, 1964.

[3]Simondon, Gilbert. On the Mode of Existence of Technical Objects. Trans. Yuk Hui. Nanjing: Nanjing University Press, 2024.

[4]DIEBOLD J. Automation: the advent of the automatic factory [M]. New York: Van Nostrand, 1952: 138.