2000 04 00 Technology and Culture - Vol 41 No 1 - Morton

Magazine Overview

This issue of *Technology and Culture*, Volume 41, Number 1, published in January 2000 by The Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with the Society for the History of Technology, focuses on the intersection of technology, belief, and interpretation.

Book Review: Children of Ezekiel: Aliens, UFOs, the Crisis of Race, and the Advent of End Time

This section features a review by David Morton of Michael Lieb's book, "Children of Ezekiel: Aliens, UFOs, the Crisis of Race, and the Advent of End Time." Lieb's central argument is that Western society has developed a persistent cultural tendency to "technologize the ineffable" – to describe inexplicable visions, prophecies, and phenomena in terms of contemporary or historical technologies, often with a military or apocalyptic bent. The review begins by referencing Ezekiel's sixth-century B.C. vision by the Chebar River, which included strange creatures, four wings, four faces, and mysterious "wheels within wheels" accompanied by clouds and fire. These components, Lieb argues, have been reinterpreted throughout history, influencing figures like Milton in "Paradise Lost" and various prophets and cults.

Lieb posits that this "technologizing" extends to modern interpretations of apocalyptic events, such as Armageddon, which are often framed with a distinctly technological and military tone. The book explores how contemporary technological elites imbue space exploration, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and nuclear weapons with religious significance. The review notes that this tendency is not limited to religious contexts but also permeates mainstream politics and popular culture, leading leaders to frame modern warfare in apocalyptic terms.

Furthermore, Lieb draws connections between biblical prophecy, the UFO phenomenon, and the experiences of African Americans. The concept of "technologizing the ineffable" is applied to both advanced weaponry and UFO sightings, where extraterrestrial visitors are often depicted as masters of technology. The review mentions the Nation of Islam's concept of a "mother plane" as an example of this, and how UFO reports, including abduction accounts, consistently frame these sightings as advanced spacecraft.

David Morton, the reviewer, finds Lieb's argument convincing in demonstrating the persistence of this phenomenon and its connection to biblical notions. However, Morton critiques Lieb's effectiveness in demonstrating how these beliefs spread beyond their original literary sources and in establishing clear causal links between public statements (like those of Ronald Reagan) and policy decisions or events. Morton also suggests that some of the religious movements Lieb examines, such as the Nation of Islam and Jehovah's Witnesses, might be more marginal than the author implies. The review concludes that Lieb is less effective in demonstrating the connections between isolated UFO sightings and the development of popular beliefs about their meaning, finding other treatments of the UFO phenomenon, such as the book "UFO Crash at Roswell," more satisfying in this regard.

Despite these critiques, Morton notes that historians of technology will find much resonance in Lieb's work, particularly concerning how consumers and users of technology appropriate, redefine, and reinterpret its meanings. Lieb's book highlights how marginalized groups engage with technologies through belief and fantasy, and how perceptions of technology, even without direct experience (like with atomic bombs), shape people's lives and influence those in control of powerful technological systems.

Howard P. Segal, a professor of history at the University of Maine, is credited with a preceding review in this section.

Book Review: Turing's Legacy: A History of Computing at the National Physical Laboratory, 1945-1995

The issue also includes a review by David Morton of David M. Yates's book, "Turing's Legacy: A History of Computing at the National Physical Laboratory, 1945-1995." The review highlights the significant but often overlooked contributions of Britain's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to computer technology development from World War II onwards. While acknowledging the book's value in shedding light on NPL's achievements, the reviewer finds it lacking in insight, particularly given that the author was a staff member at NPL for a significant portion of the period covered. The reviewer notes that the author seems to avoid offering personal opinions or deeper analysis.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The dominant theme in this issue is the complex relationship between technology, belief systems, and human interpretation. The review of "Children of Ezekiel" strongly emphasizes how historical and contemporary phenomena, from biblical visions to UFO sightings, are filtered through technological and often military frameworks. The magazine appears to engage with scholarship that examines how technology shapes culture and how cultural beliefs, in turn, influence the understanding and application of technology. The editorial stance, as reflected in the reviews, seems to be one of critical academic inquiry, appreciating the depth of research while also evaluating the strength of arguments and the clarity of connections drawn by the authors.