The Fetishism of Industrialization: A Critique of Ivan Illich

Abstract

The Western system of power is in crisis, Consequently, many interpretations of the nature of Western societies are appearing. And of these, "industrialism" is the most prevalent ideology used to explain the nature and form of these societies. Grounded largely in technological determinism and owing much to Max Weber, it suggests that the industrial nature of technology defines social organizations in their entirety. Among the primary characteristics of this ideology is its insistence that the production requirements of the technological process, and hence also of industrial organizations, are the most important determinants of the nature and form of Western (i.e., industrialized) societies.

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