Technology’s ornamental resemblance to older power only ends when it openly serves domination.
Evidence
Veblen had `noticed the temporal disparity between the castle and the railway station but not the law behind this disparity. The railway station assumes the aspect of the castle but this aspect is its truth. Only when the technological world is a direct servant of domination is it capable of shedding the disguise. Only in fascism does it equal itself.’ — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 334
Categorization
- DEFINE: Adorno’s compressed theory of technological disguise and its only escape into truth.
- XREF: connects to: Technology is never neutral but already carries domination in its construction. — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the…, 98; Technology only matters when powerful groups weaponize it against rivals — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, 379; Technology’s liberating or enslaving character is decided politically, not intrinsic — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, 63 (+5 more)
- yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Technology is never neutral but already carries domination in its construction. — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the…, 98; Technology only matters when powerful groups weaponize it against rivals — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, 379; Technology’s liberating or enslaving character is decided politically, not intrinsic — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, 63 (+5 more)
Broader Connections
- Technology itself is neutral; class interests corrupt its organization
#complicates(0.82) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1238 - Technology’s liberating or enslaving character is decided politically, not intrinsic
#complicates(0.80) — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism, 63 - Technology is never neutral but already carries domination in its construction.
#complicates(0.78) — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 98