Techno-critiques

François Jarrige, historien des techniques et de l'industrialisation, propose dans ce livre une histoire des critiques et des résistances aux techniques et à la technologie.

Après un rapide rappel des premières contestations avant l'ère industrielle, l'auteur découpe son essai en trois grandes périodes : l'invention de l'industrialisme au XIXe siècle ; l'âge des machines dans l'entre-deux-guerres ; modernisations et catastrophes depuis le Seconde Guerre Mondiale. Au sein de chacune de ces grandes périodes, des chapitres à la fois chronologiques et thématiques dressent un panorama richement documenté des critiques et des résistances au "progrès" technique, sous diverses formes : bris de machines, actions syndicales, réflexions d'intellectuels, oeuvres culturelles, etc.

Le texte est très dense mais passionnant du début à la fin. On suit aisément le propos de l'auteur, qu'il illustre avec de nombreux exemples et des citations remises dans leur contexte. Un gros et vrai travail d'historien, autant que je puisse en juger.

Le livre amène en tout cas à réfléchir à notre rapport à la technologie et à ce progrès présenté souvent comme inéluctable alors qu'il n'est le fruit que d'un modèle capitaliste industriel dominant et du renoncement à d'autres alternatives. Au moment d'affronter une crise écologique qui remet en cause notre mode de vie et notre survie, ce livre m'apparait comme un outil qui nous invite à imaginer une autre approche de la technique et à travers elle d'autres modèles de société.

A very thorough review of past struggles against machines. In a way it is very academic in its completeness but also controversial as the author's sympathies are clearly shown. So instead of a true historical record we get a review that unfortunately leaves a biased taste in the mouth. Perhaps 2 books would have been better as the author's view (which I probably share) pollute the excellent academic work.
An area of flagrant bias is the light critique offered against the anti-machine movement: we are told repeatedly that the criticism never went beyond the luddite/lunatic genre whereas more nuanced arguments can surely be levelled. For example imagine that all research into the internal combustion engine stopped in the mid seventies (as it has now), it would not have stopped the domination of the cars in our world (in fact it probably would have accelerated it as cars would be much cheaper): we would all be living in much more polluting world. The fact that legislation and fiscal policies have driven the development of new car, whilst not resolving the issue of massive individual car ownership, have resulted in an improved situation for all. The same argument can be made for food production.
We should be grateful for the preceding generations of anti machines: they are an example to follow. And it is possible to see that we are doing just that (even in China where legislation is moving towards greater preservation of the environment). For example GDPR legislation restrain what machines can do with our data, new forms of AI is being restricted by the EU: all this is happening quite quickly, much more quickly than in the past.
So yes this is race against time on the social (mental impact), economic (obscene inequalities) and environmental (immense damage) fronts. The questioning and the regulation of machines is essential and so is degrowth.
In brief, this is a complete book but some of the Mickey Mouse arguments of the author against those opposing Luddites are not helpful to the cause; I would have prefered 2 books.