Excellent4.8 out of 5On Trustpilot
  1. Christian Books/
  2. Theology Books

A Critique of the New Commonplaces

by Jacques Ellul

  • Paperback
  • Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers
  • 13.8 x 21.4 x 1.6 cm

£27.43

Save 22% | Free UK Delivery

Available - Usually dispatched within 5 days

Buying for a school or church? Upgrade to a FREE Eden Advance Account

Free delivery on orders over £10

Description: Jacques Ellul--much less solemn in mood than usual--here cracks open political and sociological commonplaces, destructively and wittily demonstrating how our unthinking acceptance of them encourages hypocrisy, smugness, and mental inertia. Among the stereotypes of thought and speech thus exploded are such phrases as ""You can't act without getting your hands dirty,"" ""Work is freedom,"" ""We must follow the current of history,"" and ""Women find their freedom (dignity) in work."" A certain number of these old saws preside over our daily life. They permit us to understand one another and to swim in the ordinary current of society. They are accepted as so certain that we almost never question them. They serve at once as sufficient explanations for everything and as ""clinchers"" in too many arguments. Ellul explores the ways in which such clichés mislead us and prevent us from having independent thoughts--and in fact keep us from facing the problems to which they are theoretically addressed. They are the ""new commonplaces."" Just as the nineteenth century brought forth many such commonplaces (they are enshrined in Leon Bloy's Exégése and Flaubert's Dictionnaire des idées reçues), so our century has been busy creating its own. What Ellul has done is to stand still long enough to look at them carefully, attack them with cool reason, and leave them nakedly exposed. In this remarkable document, Ellul's caustic fearlessness is at the service of truths that often are cruel, but always are lucid and impassioned. He represents the voice of intelligence, and while doing so is often hilarious and always therapeutic about matters of first importance. About the Contributor(s): Jacques Ellul (1912-1994), a French sociologist and lay theologian, was Professor Emeritus of Law and of the History and Sociology of Institutions at the University of Bordeaux. He wrote more than forty books, including The Technological Society, The Humiliation of the Word, and The Technological Bluff.
A Critique of the New Commonplaces and Apocalypse
ApocalypseA Critique of the New Commonplaces

  • Author

    Jacques Ellul

  • Book Format

    Paperback

  • Publisher

    Wipf & Stock Publishers

  • Published

    June 2012

  • Weight

    386g

  • Dimensions

    13.8 x 21.4 x 1.6 cm

  • ISBN

    9781606089750

  • ISBN-10

    1606089757

  • Eden Code

    4699989

Featured in

Over 14,000 churches and schools have upgraded to an Advance Account and we‘d love to welcome you into this free program. We know that church volunteers and school teachers often use their own money, then have claim it back on on an expense form. We can take all of that hassle away by invoicing your church or school directly and delivering your order straight away.

Opening an account is quick and easy, with most accounts being approved and setup within a few hours of filling in the form below (on weekdays, not weekends). As soon as we‘ve approved the application we‘ll send you an email to let you know that its done.

Upgrade to a FREE Eden Advance Account
Write a review
      Ask a question
      Open Doors Ad