Technocracy movement

[[File:TechnocracySign.gif|thumb|right|165px|Technocracy sign in Oregon, 1939: ''[[argumentum ad cellarium]]'']]
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{{hatnote|See also [[technocracy]], which is the underlying concept. This article is about a specific political movement based on the ideal of technocracy.}}

The '''technocracy movement''' (or '''Technocracy Incorporated'''), founded in 1918 as "The Technical Alliance" and incorporated in 1933 as "Technocracy Incorporated" was (and, surprisingly enough, still is) a weird movement which flourished briefly during the [[Great Depression]], advocating the merger of all of [[North America|North]] and [[Central America]] into one nation, the "North American Technate," to be ruled by [[scientist]]s and [[engineer]]s replacing [[politician]]s while existing currencies were to be replaced by the "erg", the centimeter-gram-second (CGS) unit of energy.  

==Background==
The movement's founder, Howard Scott {{lived|1890|1970}}, avoided discussing his past; though he had no college-level education,<ref name=akin/>{{rp|28-29}} he was alleged to have [[Credentialism|falsely claimed to have an academic degree and to have worked as an engineer]].<ref name=basen>[https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/technocracy-incorporated-elon-musk/ In science we trust: Back in the first half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century, a group called Technocracy Incorporated wanted to reorganize society by putting scientists in charge. The movement flamed out, but its underlying message still appeals to many in Silicon Valley.] by Ira Basen (June 28, 2021) ''CBC Radio-Canada''.</ref> Scott may have had some engineering knowledge, his work as an engineer consisted of working for the Air Nitrates Corporation during [[World War I]], and later creating a small floor wax manufacturing company.<ref name=akin/>{{rp|28-29}} His work at Air Nitrates was far from stellar, with co-workers complaining that he talked so strangely that they thought he was a [[German]] spy.<ref name=akin/>{{rp|28}} A later government audit of Air Nitrates found that  Scott's crew "had been responsible for gross waste, inefficiency, and shoddy workmanship."<ref name=akin/>{{rp|28}}

Marion King Hubbert, later known for his geoscience work for Shell Oil and his [[peak oil|Hubbert's Peak Theory]],<ref name=akin/>{{rp|29}} was an early supporter and the main author of its study course.<ref>[http://technocracy.wikia.com/wiki/Marion_King_Hubbert Technocracy Wiki: Marion King Hubbert]</ref><ref>[http://technocracytechnatepicturearchive.blogspot.com/2011/06/technocracy-marion-king-hubbert.html Technocracy Pictures Archive: Marion King Hubbert]</ref>

==Fascism allegations==
The movement's fondness for matching red and grey uniforms and militaristic fleets of grey vehicles brought it under great alarm and suspicion, given the rise of [[fascism]] in Europe in the 1930s. A newspaper article from 1942 claimed that the movement had "the tone of an incipient Fascist movement".<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2485067/pdf/jcca00035-0046.pdf Joshua N Haldeman, DC: The Canadian Years, 1926-1950] (1995) ''J. Can. Chiropr. Asso.'' 39(3):172-186.</ref> In 1942, Technocracy was described as [[Propaganda|propagandistic]] and an incipient [[fascist]] group.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/841423491/?fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjg0MTQyMzQ5MSwiaWF0IjoxNjk1NTE2MzY2LCJleHAiOjE2OTU2MDI3NjZ9.LyXSj9wD9A7LKIXbxu3OXicb5KMY9bVJfsh__68lZuw Technocracy Springs to Life With Big Splurge of Publicity] by John C. Rogers (March 18, 1942) ''Buffalo Evening News'', page 37.</ref><ref name=benton>[https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/09/joshua-haldeman-elon-musk-grandfather-apartheid-antisemitism/675396/ Elon Musk’s Anti-Semitic, Apartheid-Loving Grandfather: The billionaire has described his grandfather as a risk-taking adventurer. A closer read of history reveals something much darker.] by Joshua Benton (September 20, 2023) ''The Atlantic''.</ref> The reasons why the movement was branded as fascist mainly due to its strange and [[cult]]-like practices (such as driving in identical gray cars, gray uniforms and replacement of member names with number-letter codes) and authoritarian rhetoric advocating an end to democracy and replacing with an [[Oligarchy|oligarchic]] [[technocrat]]s).<ref name=benton/> Following the [[Pearl Harbor]] attack, Scott suggested that he become the continental [[dictator]].<ref name=benton/>

There was growing public disenchantment with Scott in 1932; to attempt to recover from this situation, Scott gave a highly-publicized national radio speech in January 1933 before the New York Society of Arts and Sciences.<ref name=akin>''[https://archive.org/details/technocracyameri0000akin Technocracy and the American Dream: The Technocrat Movement, 1900-1941]'' by William E. Akin (1977) University of California Press. ISBN 0520031105.</ref>{{rp|87}} Scott's speech was clumsy and [[Argument by gibberish|incoherent]], and he refused to answer questions afterward.<ref name=akin/>{{rp|88}} Following the speech, "The American Engineering Council charged the technocrats with unprofessional activity, questionable data, and drawing unwarranted conclusions."<ref name=akin/>{{rp|88}} The results was a [[schism]] of Technology Incorporated and greatly waning interest in the organization.<ref name=akin/>{{rp|88}} An overarching problem with Technocracy was that as a whole, the leadership was terrible at organizing and politics.<ref name=akin/>{{rp|110-115}} Adding to this problem was that the public at large was supposed to acquiesce to being led by engineers and scientists, yet Technocracy itself was led by someone without a college degree from its founding in 1935 until Scott's death in 1970.<ref name=basen/>

==Joshua Haldeman==
[[Elon Musk]]'s maternal grandfather (whom Musk cites as inspirational), Joshua Haldeman, was a prominent member in [[Canada]].<ref name=benton/> In 1940, Haldeman was arrested and convicted of "distributing and publishing documents likely or intended to interfere with the efficient prosecution of the war, and likely to cause disaffection to His Majesty", one of three convictions that Haldeman had in connection with the movement.<ref name=benton/> Unusually, Haldeman, who was born in the United States, was blocked from entry into the US in 1940, where he was to give a speech (Haldeman would normally have retained US citizenship by birth).<ref name=benton/>

==Similarities to Elon Musk's ideology==
Many commentators and journalists have noted numerous similarities between the ideology of the Technocracy movement and [[Elon Musk]]'s own beliefs.<ref>https://www.vox.com/politics/400796/elon-musk-doge-trump-authoritarian-grandfather</ref> These not only include Musk's vision of the future being a innovation-centered society run by an intelligent elite, but also his obsession with implanting technology into all aspects of life and publicly flirting with far-right ideas and talking points.

Even Haldeman's movement name "10450-1" (another member's name was "1x1809x56")<ref name=benton/> sounds a whole lot like the unpronounceable, social security number-like names of Musk's own children.

==Legacy==
Many of Scott's predictions of economic doom failed to materialize and membership dropped after 1948 during much internal dissent. The movement survived, a shadow of its former self, and Technocracy Inc. Well into the 21st century, it somehow manages to still exist with a small presence on the [[Internet]], promoting itself as "Functional Governance for North America."

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Technocracy Monad.png|The Technocracy symbol, a version of [[yin and yang]]
File:Howard Scott.jpg|Howard Scott in his younger days in front of a Technocracy "section house"
File:Marion King Hubbert.jpg|Hubbert in his younger days
File:Technocracy movement chickens.png|"Chickens are not people, but their behavior is surprisingly similar."{{efn|The full quote from Technocracy Incorporated: "Chickens are not people, but their behavior is surprisingly similar. The scale of social priority in the animal world is determined by animal ability to fight. The scale of social priority in the Price System world is determined by financial ability to chisel. The sale of social priority in the Technate will be determined by biological ability to function for the General Welfare of all."<ref>[http://technocracytechnatepicturearchive.blogspot.com/2011/06/technocracy-illustrations-artwork-and.html Technocracy: Illustrations, Artwork and Symbolization] ''Technocracy Technate Picture Archive''.</ref>}}
File:Technocracy 1942 (11).jpg|Technocracy members in 1945: On the count of three, roll your eyes…]
File:Joshua N Haldeman.jpg|Haldeman in 1945 as a Canadian Social Credit Party candidate for Parliament
File:Technocracy parade.jpg|Technocracy members marching in a parade, in uniform and formation
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[The Venus Project]] — founded in 1975, a more [[New Age]]y sort of movement with some similarities

==External links==
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*[http://www.technocracy.org/ Technocracy Inc.'s official website]
*[http://www.technocracyvan.ca/ Technocracy Vancouver] - Technocracy's Canadian branch
*[http://technocracy.wikia.com/wiki/Technocracy_Wiki Technocracy Wiki]
*[http://www.angelfire.com/nv/micronations/technocracy.html Technocracy Links] - An informal (and unofficial) list of Technocracy related sites.
*[http://archive.org/details/TechnocracyStudyCourseUnabridged "Technocracy Study Course Unabridged"] (at the [[Internet Archive]])
*[http://youtu.be/pDX9dyjqimA "Operation Columbia"] - YouTube Video of an official Technocracy Inc. film from 1947
*[http://youtu.be/tTjzyUO5rq8 "Technocracy: Howard Scott Q&A - Detroit"] - YouTube video of a 1951 presentation by Technocracy's founder
*[http://www.technocracyincorporated.org/ "Technocracy Incorporated"] - Repository of technocratic information containing documents in various formats
*[http://technocracytechnatepicturearchive.blogspot.com/2011/06/technocracy-technocrats.html Technocracy Technate Picture Archive]
*Official video lecture: [https://www.technocracyinc.org/arvid-peterson-explains-technocracy/ "Arvid Peterson Explains Technocracy"] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bqPXqYWHlE (YouTube version)]
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw7PchFNJ7o "Overview: Technocracy technate design"]
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvRfhakbEVE "Technocrat Explains an Alternative to Money - the Energy Certificate"]
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9nl7f27HsY "Technocrat Explains the Concept of a Functional Calendar"]
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uOOb6Wqlh4 "Technocrat Critiques Capitalist Economy - Artificial Scarcity and Imperialism"]
{{Div col end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Economic philosophies]]
[[Category:Engineer woo]]
[[Category:Cults]]
[[Category:Fascism]]
[[Category:Great Depression]]

Categories: Economic philosophies, Engineer woo, Cults, Fascism, Great Depression