Synthesizing Humane Futures: Taylor, Ellul, and the Critique of Technique

This commentary examines the pervasive influence of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s scientific management and Jacques Ellul’s critique of “technique” on contemporary technological culture. Taylor’s legacy of efficiency as the ultimate measure has shaped modern approaches to big data, globalization, and management consulting. Drawing on Ellul’s warnings about the dehumanizing effects of technical absolutism, the argument calls for a reimagining of future innovation that prioritizes human expertise and local context over quantification and metrics. Engaging with cultural and historical perspectives, it challenges deterministic visions of technological progress and proposes a multivalent approach to future societal development. The need to reconcile technological advancement with the preservation of artisanal knowledge, dialectical expertise, and humanistic values is underscored throughout.