New Books in Science, Technology, and Society The Technological Soul: Alex Priou on Modernity, Ideology, and the Limits of Reason
Nov 6, 2025
In a thought-provoking conversation, Alex Priou, a Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Austin and expert on ancient thought, explores how modern technology and ideology shape our souls. He discusses the spiritual void left by technological mastery and the moral stakes of AI, warning against its subtle societal destructiveness. Priou argues for a return to classical wisdom from Homer and Plato to cultivate self-restraint and civic purpose in today's fast-paced world, challenging the listener to rethink contemporary ideologies.
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Modernity Seeks Predictable Humans
- Modern technological and ideological thinking both aim for total control by systematizing human behavior.
- This reduces human variety to a homogenized, regular input that institutions can direct for predictable outcomes.
Ancients Valued Diverse Human Ends
- The ancients recognize a heterogeneity of human ends beyond mere acquisitiveness.
- Modern reduction to a single lowest motive leaves many souls unintegrated and fuels rebellions against liberalism.
Three Ideologies Treat Humans As Instruments
- Ideologies like communism and militant nationalism attempt to answer modern liberalism's spiritual deficits but remain systematizing.
- All three major modern ideologies treat humans instrumentally as workers, fighters, or producers within a system.
