A Society Without Hope – Jacques Ellul
In his great book Hope in Time of Abandonment (1978), French reformed professor, social critic, and lay theologian, lays out four sign of the presence of hopelessness in a modern society. Thirty-five years ago he foresaw the point we are reaching now, a point evident to anyone who bothers to look. Here are his four signs of hopelessness: 1. Magic: in the face of technological challenges, rigidifying institutions and structures humanity has recourse to the magic, occult, the dark, dreams and the like that characterized our ancient forebears. 2. Scorn: no longer content merely to conquer and dominate others, we now feel compelled to destroy others inwardly. 3. Suspicion: we refuse to take anyone or anything at face value, always on the alert for everyone’s angle and slant, wary of being taken or fooled. 4. Derision: this is the natural consequence of scorn and suspicion; the young deride the old, the media derides politicians and vice versa, much of the arts are given to de...