Presence in the Modern World - Jacques Ellul | Full Reading & Discussion

Hi all -

For the sixth installment in our spiritually-oriented series, this Easter gathering will focus on Christian theologian, philosopher, tech-critic, and anarchist Jacques Ellul and his 1948 text Presence in the Modern World. In keeping with the spirit of this collection of readings, I will (of course) continue to over-prescribe pages for you to read in a minimal amount of time so, yes, we will be tackling this work in its entirety. We have 16 days - I believe in us.

I will be reading Lisa Richmond's translation published by Cascade Books available here at our favorite billionaire cosmonaut and playboy's homebase.
It is also available here via the Anarchist Library (so cool). Please refrain from scratching Circle-A symbols into the tables at the hotel.

As always, if you're unable to complete the book prior to our meeting, which in this case would be forgivable, no worries - we're just happy to have you and welcome whatever insights, critiques, questions, etc. you may have based on what you were able to read.

We will be meeting in the Ace Hotel lobby on W 29th. It's cozy, there are couches, there is lunch, there is wine (thank god) and there is a Stumptown Coffee in the front. It's great. Message me the day of if you can't find us. I usually sit toward the back next to the bar.

It bears repeating, this is open to newcomers to Ellul, novices of philosophy, ragamuffins, ne'er-do-wells, urchins of all sorts, etc. Ellul is a favorite of mine and his work The Technological Society was, at risk of sounding cliché, a transformative text for me so I'm excited to dig into this with you all. Just be kind and respectful and it'll be great.

Alright, looking forward to it and reach out to me with any questions in the meantime.

See y'all then!