Periodicals -> NW Technocrat -> Q4, 1969, #237

Who Is A Technocrat?

Wilton Ivie • 1953


Published in:

Scanned in and lightly proofread by trent.


The name `Technocrat' may be applied to anyone who actively endorses and advocates Technocracy as a form of social control in his Area. So far as we know, there are no Technocrats on the North American Continent outside of the Organization of Technocracy Inc. There may be, and probably are, many potential Technocrats; but like potential energy, they are dormant and without kinetic force.

In the literature of Europe and America especially America-there is developing a tendency to employ the words `Technocracy' and 'Technocrat' rather loosely. The origins of such references are mostly traceable to Roman Catholic writers of propaganda releases, but other willful stooges of reactionism often pick up the words and carelessly proliferate their applications in writings and speeches.

The plot among the Catholic propagandists evidently is to disparage `Technocracy' and `Technocrats' through the well-worn propaganda techniques of name-calling and unfavorable association. The worst `association' that can be made today is to bracket something with communist or with the Bolshevik Party of Russia. Hence, there are to be seen such references as: `Red Technocrats,' in connection with the scientifically-trained men in the government of Russia; `Malenkov, a terrorist-technocrat'; and the `Technocracy of Russia.'

The implications of the word `Technocrat' are expanded further to include those Americans and others who are active in designing and installing machines for the production of abundance and the displacement of human toil--who, of course, are deemed subversive of the old values of Scarcity, Human Toil, and Insecurity, hence are regarded as no less than emissaries of Satan. Less skilled writers and speakers frequently go so far as to use the word `Technocracy' in place of `technology' and the word `Technocrat' in reference to anyone with scientific or technical training.

When these propagandists are challenged by Members of Technocracy with reference to their use of the words in loose and improper ways, the trite answer is that the words were intended to be spelled with a small `t,' hence do not refer to Technocracy or Technocrats as an organization or members thereof. In other words, presumably if `technocracy' is spelled with a small `t,' it can be used in any sense that the writer chooses.

The instances of such misuse of `Technocracy' and `Technocrat' are too numerous for us to cite them specifically; but they are to be found in various propaganda books, in popular magazines, in daily newspapers--from the New York Times down to the Hearst papers--and in the bulletins and house papers of various industrial and service enterprises.

Literally, the word `Technocracy' means government by skill, as contrasted to government by opinion--whether it be an autocracy (government by one man's opinion), an aristocracy (government by the opinions of an upper class), a plutocracy (government by the opinions of the wealthy), or a democracy (government by everybody's opinion). The word `Technocracy' was synthesized and casually used, but not clearly defined, by others than Technocrats, even before the Twentieth Century, but its current usage and definition pertain properly only to the social concepts, organization, and membership which grew out of the thinking and writings of Howard Scott. The application of the word in any other connotation today is a clumsy usurpation and a fraud.

Technocracy is strictly a specific form of social control (or government) which is designed to utilize the knowledge of science and the methods of technology to produce and distribute an abundance of goods and services to all citizens in its domain. It is a form of social control in which the physical factors, not human opinions or traditions, determine WHAT shall be done in the way of social operation, as well as HOW it shall be done.

For example, the physical factors of this Continent demand that the whole Continent be integrated with a high-capacity, low-cost transportation network. Further, the physical factors indicate that this must, for the major part, be a waterways network. Other forms of transportation consume too much non-replaceable fuel and other resources in ratio to the amount of material transported; hence, they must be reduced to a secondary status and employed for special functions.

Technocracy Is Opposed To

Technocracy as a form of social control is opposed to waste, especially waste of non-replaceable energy and mineral supplies; it is opposed to the inefficient degradation of energy; it is opposed to shoddiness of manufacture; it is opposed to scarcity, especially planned scarcity; and it is opposed to opinionated tyrannies (such as fascism) as a means of social regulation. This is because the physical factors needed in the operation and continuance of a high-energy civilization on this Continent (or any other continent) would be seriously handicapped by the prevalence of any of these.

The resultants of Technocracy applied to the North American Continent would be: The production and distribution of all the goods and services that the entire population of the Continent would require. Reduction of human effort to the minimum that the effective operations of the Continent would permit. The maximization of both Continental and individual security. Obligation of every Citizen to contribute his pro rata share of time and effort in manning the operations of the Continent. which amount would be very meager, indeed, as compared to Price System expectations. The highest standard of health and education that it would be possible for a society to maintain. The individual human. being would derive a great deal more from the system than he or she would contribute to it. Hence, everyone would live on a heritage of unearned wealth, a circumstance which, today, is permitted to only a very few of `the best people.'

This is the only form of social control or government that legitimately car be called a `Technocracy.' There are no technocracies in the world today. All governments on the earth, now are Price System tryrannies, whether they are autocratic, fascistic, republican, socialistic, or a hybrid combination of two or more of these. The present governments of the United States and Canada are goulashes of all these elements.

Propagandists, whether in the economic, political, or religious fields, have had a long experience in, and have perfected various techniques for propagating deception. One of these techniques, as we have already indicated, is that of `association.' The trick is to take something and attempt to influence opinion for or against it by associating it with something else regarding which either a favorable or unfavorable opinion has already been formed. For example, the advertising propaganda of the soap companies may associate a certain trade name with a popular movie actress, both by pictorial means and with testimonials. The theory is, if the public loves the movie actress it will also love that soap.

The authoritarians have despised science from its inception and have tried to associate it with everything unsavory that could be imagined. Under their influence, Hollywood has repeatedly depicted scientists as sadists, maniacs, and screwballs in the cinema productions. In this way, an attempt is continually being made to discredit science in the opinion of the public.

The form of social governance that the authoritarians despise above all others is Technocracy; for, in a Technocracy, decisions based upon authority and opinion would be reduced to a minimum. In comparison to Technocracy, the authoritarians consider communism to be `lovely'; for, they can still `do business' under communism, although perhaps not as happily as under fascism. However, a considerable amount of success has been achieved in non-communist countries toward branding communism as obnoxious and heretical, and on the basis of this success a cold war hysteria has been instigated and maintained in America against the Soviet Union and affiliated nations.

Disdain For Fascism

During World War II. a certain disdain for fascism developed in America and some other countries, although the authoritarians did not take an active part in promoting this disdain; rather, they actively tried to soft-pedal it and direct the stigma toward the personalities of Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo (but not against Pacelli, Victor Emanuel, or Hirohito; for, evidently, the former were considered expendable but the latter were not).

In character with true propaganda techniques of the authoritarians, Technocracy was proclaimed to be `fascistic' during World War II. But, as soon as the war was over, the communism was branded as the mortal enemy of authoritarianism (while fascism was blessed with absolution), and in complete disregard for intellectual consistency the propagandists of authoritarianism associate Technocracy with communism, Technocrats were no longer depicted in cartoons as goose-stepping fascists, but were transformed into swaggering commissars. The Hearst papers went so far as to lump the four great heresies together into one `brotherhood' -- Science, Technocracy, Communism. and Atheism.

Various petty officials have, from time to time, attempted to brand Technocracy as `subversive,' but the reasons for such (when given at all) have always been very vague and evasive. When investigated, these petty persons usually turn out to be affiliates or dupes of some organized intrusion of authoritarianism on this Continent-which is opposed to abundance, security, and freedom from toil for the inhabitants of North America. More often than not, their allegiance is oriented more toward Rome than toward the welfare of this Continent. They tend to belong to outfits who think that characters like Joe McCarthy are great guys. Such petty subversives and dupes are to be found in the Armed Forces, in veterans organizations, in industrial public relations personnel, in the schools, and in professional agencies charged with persecution of heretics.

Subversiveness

But no charges of subversiveness against Technocracy can be substantiated; for, Technocracy has none of the elements of a subversive organization. It has no foreign connections; only citizens of North America can be Members of Technocracy. It neither supports nor propagates any foreign ideology-political, economic, or ecclesiastical. Although Technocracy is objectively analytical and critical in its appraisals of trends and developments on this and other continents, it neither conducts nor advocates any action against the governments of this Continent nor against any of their official enactments, whether the latter are arrived at by strictly legal means or otherwise. Technocracy neither takes nor advocates any destructive action against the established institutions of this Continent, whether in the economic, political, or religious fields. Technocracy has never opposed the war efforts of this Continent nor advocated evasion of wartime regulations, no matter how unwise they may have been. Members of Technocracy have served their respective countries faithfully in all branches and all ranks of the Armed Forces. They have served in super-secret capacities, and none have been convicted of violating their trust. (That is more than can be said of certain honorable Senators and Congressmen, not to mention bankers and industrialists.)

Technocracy Inc. is a 100 per cent North American organization, having originated on this Continent, being active only on this Continent, having a membership made up only of citizens of this Continent, and its social objectives pertaining only to North America.

Total Conscription

During World War II and again during the Korean `police action,' Technocracy urged the institution of Total Conscription as the most effective means of organizing this Continent for defense and saving human lives and resources. In this, Technocracy went further, and placed itself on record as being far more patriotic than any other organization or agency in America. Many labor union locals and other minor groups endorsed Technocracy's Total Conscription Program; but the upholders of inefficiency, graft, and international gangsterism opposed it; and few of the large daily newspapers or slick magazines had a good word for it. Technocrats are proud of their Organization's stand on this issue, and of the enemies it made.

Technocrats are proud to stand on their program of Abundance, Security, and Freedom from Toil for all North Americans, regardless of what the grafters of the Price System and the crackpots of authoritarianism think of them and their program. The howls and yappings of the Roman Catholic press and the communist press against Technocracy are music to the ears of Technocrats; we rejoice that these social elements have aligned themselves on the other side.

Technocracy will not promise to be silent about waste, human toil, premeditated scarcity, subversiveness, mismanagement, and authoritarian inquisitions on this Continent.

The Most For The Least

Technocracy advocates the most and the best for the people of this Continent, with the least social cost in energy, resources, and human effort. It shall yield only to those who can devise a program which goes beyond that of Technocracy Inc. in the achievement of these objectives; but it will not yield to, or compromise with, any who fall short of it. To the former, we should be glad to yield even the name `Technocracy.' However, no such eventuality is imminent, even as a probability.

The Organization and Membership of Technocracy Inc. define `Technocracy' (whether with a large or little `T') as any social system which is organized and integrated on an Area basis to apply the knowledge of science and the methods of technology to the physical operations of the Area, and which has the objective of achieving the highest sustained standard of living for all of its inhabitants that its physical factors permit, and whose ultimate objectives are the production and distribution of abundance, the achievement of the maximum security for the Area and its citizens, and the reduction of human effort and vigilance to a minimum. Any application of the term `Technocracy' to anything inferior to this, we contend, is dishonest and inaccurate.

A Technocrat

The name `Technocrat' may be applied to anyone who actively endorses and advocates Technocracy as a form of social control in his Area. So far as we know, there are no Technocrats on the North American Continent outside of the Organization of Technocracy Inc. There may be, and probably are, many potential Technocrats; but, like potential energy, they are dormant and without kinetic force. In fact, there is no vehicle of expression for Technocrats or would-be-Technocrats outside of the Organization of Technocracy Inc.

Technocracy has become firmly established on the North American Continent as a definite and specific form of social operation; and the name `Technocrat' applies only to one who actively supports that form of Area Control. So, when anyone attempts to apply those words to anything or anyone else, or to make inaccurate associations, you can put him down as a propagandist for, or a dupe of, some agency whose objectives for the people of North America are the antithesis of those proclaimed by Technocracy.

[HOME PAGE] [PUBLICATIONS] [ARCHIVES] [CONTACT US] [HISTORY]
Web site maintained by: Bill DesJardins
Copyright © 2002 All Rights Reserved