Difference between revisions of "Technocracy"
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[[Image:Technocracy_smyth.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Smyth first wrote about his ideas of Technocracy in 1919.]] | [[Image:Technocracy_smyth.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Smyth first wrote about his ideas of Technocracy in 1919.]] | ||
| − | A '''Technocracy''' is defined as ''a system in which people with a lot of knowledge about science or technology control a society''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technocracy |title=technocracy: definition |work=[[Merriam-Webster]] }}</ref> A technocratic state, or a state controlled by engineers and expertise<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=rLiGAAAAMAAJ Technocracy and the Politics of Expertise]</ref> | + | A '''Technocracy''' is defined as ''a system in which people with a lot of knowledge about science or technology control a society''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technocracy |title=technocracy: definition |work=[[Merriam-Webster]] }}</ref> A technocratic state, or a state controlled by engineers and expertise,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=rLiGAAAAMAAJ Technocracy and the Politics of Expertise]</ref> generally has experts secluded into unelected bureaucracies.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=NeJjEkYGF_MC&pg=PA9 The Rise of the Unelected: Democracy and the New Separation of Powers]</ref> |
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Early Technocrats=== | ===Early Technocrats=== | ||
| − | The origins of ''Technocracy'' have been the subject of some debate, but William Henry Smyth has been generally recognized as having invented the word "technocracy" in 1919 to describe as he put it: "''the rule of the people made effective through the agency of their servants, the scientists and engineers''"<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Barry|title=Sleepers, Wake! Technology and the Future of Work|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=214}}</ref> | + | The origins of ''Technocracy'' have been the subject of some debate, but William Henry Smyth has been generally recognized as having invented the word "technocracy" in 1919 to describe as he put it: "''the rule of the people made effective through the agency of their servants, the scientists and engineers''".<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Barry|title=Sleepers, Wake! Technology and the Future of Work|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=214}}</ref> Smyth had [[Industrial Democracy]] in mind when he coined the term.<ref>{{cite book|last=Smyth|first=William H.|title=Technocracy Parts I-IV., Working Explosively, A Protest Against Mechanistic Efficiency. Working Explosively Versus Working Efficiently|publisher=Berkeley Gazette|quote=Technocracy Part III., "Technocracy" - Ways and Means To Gain Industrial Democracy}}</ref> |
| − | [[Thorstein Veblen]] is also regarded to be an early father of technocracy<ref name=utopianism>[https://books.google.com/books?id=n6RabZ8t48gC&pg=PA259 Technological Utopianism in American Culture]</ref> | + | [[Thorstein Veblen]] is also regarded to be an early father of technocracy,<ref name=utopianism>[https://books.google.com/books?id=n6RabZ8t48gC&pg=PA259 Technological Utopianism in American Culture]</ref> when he called for a ''Soviet of Technicians'' in 1921.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/engineersandpri01veblgoog ''The engineers and the price system ''], by [[Thorstein Veblen]], p. 138</ref> Other influence upon the formation of ''technocracy'' include [[Edward Bellamy]] and his book [[Looking Backward]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=1kvifvNro9MC&pg=PR13 Life in a Technocracy: What it Might be Like], p. 12-13</ref> |
===Technocracy Movement=== | ===Technocracy Movement=== | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
==Critiques== | ==Critiques== | ||
===James Burnham=== | ===James Burnham=== | ||
| − | In his seminal work [[James Burnham#The Managerial Revolution|''The Managerial Revolution'']], Burnham lists ''Technocracy'' as one of four managerial ideologies alongside [[Communism]], [[Nazism]], and [[New Deal | + | In his seminal work [[James Burnham#The Managerial Revolution|''The Managerial Revolution'']], Burnham lists ''Technocracy'' as one of four managerial ideologies alongside [[Communism]], [[Nazism]], and [[New Deal]]ism. |
===Elected and Unelected=== | ===Elected and Unelected=== | ||
| − | As a political term, ''Technocracy'' tends to be a bit elastic<ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/21538698 Minds like machines -Government by experts sounds tempting, especially in a crisis. It can work. But brief stints have the best chances], [[The Economist]]</ref> | + | As a political term, ''Technocracy'' tends to be a bit elastic,<ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/21538698 Minds like machines -Government by experts sounds tempting, especially in a crisis. It can work. But brief stints have the best chances], [[The Economist]]</ref> meaning that the definition of both the word and the application(s) have shifted over time. |
====Elected==== | ====Elected==== | ||
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
===Technocracy and Socialism=== | ===Technocracy and Socialism=== | ||
| − | Daniel Bell, an influential sociologist<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/biography/Daniel-Bell Daniel Bell]</ref> | + | Daniel Bell, an influential sociologist,<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/biography/Daniel-Bell Daniel Bell]</ref> made a direct comparison between technocracy and early socialist theorists, particularly that of [[Henri de Saint-Simon]]. He wrote that "St. Simon's vision of industrial society, a vision of pure technocracy, was a system of planning and rational order in which society would specify its needs and organize the factors of production to achieve them."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q6_56x5tB7gC&pg=PA76|last1=Bell|first1=Daniel|year=2008|title=The Coming Of Post-industrial Society|isbn=978-0465097135}}</ref> Bell concluded that the "administration of things" is the "hallmark of technocracy". G. D. H. Cole agrees with Bell, that Saint-Simon "anticipated modern notions of technocracy in his insistence on the master-function of the industrial experts and organizers".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s6UgAQAAIAAJ&q=anticipated+modern+notions+of+technocracy+in+his+insistence+on+the&dq=anticipated+modern+notions+of+technocracy+in+his+insistence+on+the&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWiu_hn6_KAhUM6yYKHTxGDGIQ6AEIKjAD|last1=Cole|first1=George Douglas Howard|year=1962|title=A History of Socialist Thought: Socialist thought, the forerunners, 1789-1850, Volume 1|pages=49}}</ref> |
In addition, [[Upton Sinclair]] was very excited<ref>Arthur M. Schlesinger (2003). [http://books.google.com/books?id=UAjls3YykzgC&pg=PA463 The Crisis of the Old Order, 1919-1933] Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, p. 463.</ref> about the coming Technocracy movement and lauded its arrival. He wrote: | In addition, [[Upton Sinclair]] was very excited<ref>Arthur M. Schlesinger (2003). [http://books.google.com/books?id=UAjls3YykzgC&pg=PA463 The Crisis of the Old Order, 1919-1933] Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, p. 463.</ref> about the coming Technocracy movement and lauded its arrival. He wrote: | ||
| Line 47: | Line 47: | ||
But for unelected bureaucrats of a technocratic nature, meritocracy itself is undermined, and any technocratic merit will be superceded by the quagmire that the citizens are being arbitrarily dictated to. This has led critics to point out that technocracy is undemocratic.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UR6Q6LugtLoC&pg=PA361 User Behavior and Technology Development: Shaping Sustainable Relations Between Consumers and Technologies], The Technocracy versus Democracy issue</ref> | But for unelected bureaucrats of a technocratic nature, meritocracy itself is undermined, and any technocratic merit will be superceded by the quagmire that the citizens are being arbitrarily dictated to. This has led critics to point out that technocracy is undemocratic.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UR6Q6LugtLoC&pg=PA361 User Behavior and Technology Development: Shaping Sustainable Relations Between Consumers and Technologies], The Technocracy versus Democracy issue</ref> | ||
| − | ==See | + | ==See also== |
* [[Central planning]] | * [[Central planning]] | ||
* [[Economic planning]] | * [[Economic planning]] | ||
| Line 56: | Line 56: | ||
{{reflist|3}} | {{reflist|3}} | ||
| − | ==External | + | ==External links== |
* [https://archive.org/details/technocracyworki00smytrich William Henry Smyth, Technocracy Parts I-IV., Working Explosively, A Protest Against Mechanistic Efficiency. Working Explosively Versus Working Efficiently.] at [[archive.org]] | * [https://archive.org/details/technocracyworki00smytrich William Henry Smyth, Technocracy Parts I-IV., Working Explosively, A Protest Against Mechanistic Efficiency. Working Explosively Versus Working Efficiently.] at [[archive.org]] | ||
* [https://archive.org/details/TechnocracyStuartChase ''Technocracy: An Interpretation''], by [[Stuart Chase]] | * [https://archive.org/details/TechnocracyStuartChase ''Technocracy: An Interpretation''], by [[Stuart Chase]] | ||
Revision as of 20:07, July 13, 2016
A Technocracy is defined as a system in which people with a lot of knowledge about science or technology control a society.[1] A technocratic state, or a state controlled by engineers and expertise,[2] generally has experts secluded into unelected bureaucracies.[3]
History
Early Technocrats
The origins of Technocracy have been the subject of some debate, but William Henry Smyth has been generally recognized as having invented the word "technocracy" in 1919 to describe as he put it: "the rule of the people made effective through the agency of their servants, the scientists and engineers".[4] Smyth had Industrial Democracy in mind when he coined the term.[5]
Thorstein Veblen is also regarded to be an early father of technocracy,[6] when he called for a Soviet of Technicians in 1921.[7] Other influence upon the formation of technocracy include Edward Bellamy and his book Looking Backward.[8]
Technocracy Movement
A second group of technocrats in the 1930's, led by Howard Scott, built what was at the time known as the Technocracy Movement.[6] One of the big topics was the "price system", and replacing it with a unit that was more measurable, such as joules or ergs.[9][10]
Forerunners
Technocracy has drawn comparison with early socialist theorists such as Henri de Saint-Simon.[11]
Similarly, the book Philip Dru: Administrator was written by President Woodrow Wilson's advisor Colonel House, and has a very strong technocratic construct[12] with its propensity to describe the important role of expertise, bureaucracies, and quick decision.
Alexander Bogdanov, a Russian Socialist and engineer, is considered another early advocate of technocracy.[13] Bogdanov called his theory Tektology in a book titled Tektology: Universal Organization Science.[14]
Critiques
James Burnham
In his seminal work The Managerial Revolution, Burnham lists Technocracy as one of four managerial ideologies alongside Communism, Nazism, and New Dealism.
Elected and Unelected
As a political term, Technocracy tends to be a bit elastic,[15] meaning that the definition of both the word and the application(s) have shifted over time.
Elected
Prime Ministers Mario Monti and Lucas Papademos have both been considered technocrats.[16]
Unelected
More often than not, technocrats exercise influence from unelected boards and bureaus, as is often seen both in the European Union[17][18] and in the United States from agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency.[19]
Technocracy and Socialism
Daniel Bell, an influential sociologist,[20] made a direct comparison between technocracy and early socialist theorists, particularly that of Henri de Saint-Simon. He wrote that "St. Simon's vision of industrial society, a vision of pure technocracy, was a system of planning and rational order in which society would specify its needs and organize the factors of production to achieve them."[21] Bell concluded that the "administration of things" is the "hallmark of technocracy". G. D. H. Cole agrees with Bell, that Saint-Simon "anticipated modern notions of technocracy in his insistence on the master-function of the industrial experts and organizers".[22]
In addition, Upton Sinclair was very excited[23] about the coming Technocracy movement and lauded its arrival. He wrote:
| “ | Socialists have been saying pretty much the same thing for the past two generations. But then, nobody pays much attention to us Socialists. This time, however, it is the leading experts of the engineering profession who are speaking - the sort of people the American public looks up to.[24] | ” |
Stuart Chase, an early member of the Technical Alliance, was also an ardent socialist. Alexander Bogdanov, who advocated a system called Tektology which bears a marked resemblance to technocracy, was a socialist as well.
Redistribution of Ergs
Under the system proposed by technocrats,[9] the "price system" would be replaced by what they viewed as a more "rational" approach: the use of an energy unit. Technocrats viewed man power as a stable, quantifiable[25] energy unit[26] that would be less prone to fluctuation than a commodities-based dollar. In addition, they believed that a "high tax"[9] system with government giving everybody an allowance of 20,000 x-ergs would guarantee series of government services such as water, schooling, and protection.[9]
Meritocracy or Authoritarianism
Some advocates of technocracy uphold the system as a meritocracy.[27] For elected officials, this can hold true as the voting populace would have actively made that choice and presumably a candidate's engineering or other specialization will be discussed in open debate.
But for unelected bureaucrats of a technocratic nature, meritocracy itself is undermined, and any technocratic merit will be superceded by the quagmire that the citizens are being arbitrarily dictated to. This has led critics to point out that technocracy is undemocratic.[28]
See also
References
- ↑ technocracy: definition. Merriam-Webster.
- ↑ Technocracy and the Politics of Expertise
- ↑ The Rise of the Unelected: Democracy and the New Separation of Powers
- ↑ Jones, Barry. Sleepers, Wake! Technology and the Future of Work. Oxford University Press, 214.
- ↑ Smyth, William H.. Technocracy Parts I-IV., Working Explosively, A Protest Against Mechanistic Efficiency. Working Explosively Versus Working Efficiently. Berkeley Gazette. “Technocracy Part III., "Technocracy" - Ways and Means To Gain Industrial Democracy”
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Technological Utopianism in American Culture
- ↑ The engineers and the price system , by Thorstein Veblen, p. 138
- ↑ Life in a Technocracy: What it Might be Like, p. 12-13
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Life in a Technocracy: What it Might be Like
- ↑ More: The Politics of Economic Growth in Postwar America
- ↑ Concepts of Technocracy
- ↑ Pathology of the Elites: How the Arrogant Classes Plan to Run Your Life
- ↑ Bogdanov, technocracy and socialism
- ↑ Alexander Bogdanov
- ↑ Minds like machines -Government by experts sounds tempting, especially in a crisis. It can work. But brief stints have the best chances, The Economist
- ↑ Who, What, Why: What can technocrats achieve that politicians can't?, BBC
- ↑ EU Chief: Our Work Should Not be Transparent, Breitbart.com
- ↑ The rise of governments led by technocrats in Europe illustrates the failure of mainstream political parties., London School of Economics
- ↑ Take Control, Congress, National Review
- ↑ Daniel Bell
- ↑ (2008) The Coming Of Post-industrial Society. ISBN 978-0465097135.
- ↑ (1962) A History of Socialist Thought: Socialist thought, the forerunners, 1789-1850, Volume 1, 49.
- ↑ Arthur M. Schlesinger (2003). The Crisis of the Old Order, 1919-1933 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, p. 463.
- ↑ "Technocracy's Theory Lauded by Socialists", 23 December 1932.
- ↑ Technocracy and the American Dream: The Technocrat Movement, 1900-1941, "But despite the shortcomings of the "theory of energy determinants," it allowed the technocrats to claim they used scientifically valid measurements of industry rather than relativistic pecuniary economic ones."
- ↑ Roosevelt and technocracy
- ↑ Technocracy at Work
- ↑ User Behavior and Technology Development: Shaping Sustainable Relations Between Consumers and Technologies, The Technocracy versus Democracy issue