the point of view of the way we can economically deal with a radical automation, but we must first look at the way in which the remaining mechanical functions of the human body are taken over by the machine. And even mechanical elements of the human brain—this is the justification of the artificial brains. The artificial brains never are able to produce anything new. They always can only act as mechanical fulfillers of that which is put into them as potentiality. But they cannot go beyond this. And insofar as they do this, they again liberate man from a kind of toil which is not necessary.

Another side of the liberating power of technics is the liberation from pain and want, to a great extent. I don’t need to go very much into this. Anesthesia, and all that is connected with it, is a tremendous liberation. Now of course in all these cases, one asks: isn't there an element of pain needed in order to keep the body alive? This certainly is the case. But the problem is unnecessary mechanical work, and unnecessary pain, and unnecessary limits in terms of finitude.

Then a last point here, in this connection. The technical progress has de-demonized nature. Now this demands a little explanation. In primitive cultus every natural object, and most technical objects, are filled with magic power. And magic power is always ambiguous. It is creative and destructive at the same time. It is dangerous to use it; only good rituals can help us to use it rightly. So a feeling of fear of these powers is widespread in mankind. If an object is completely rational, subject to the principle of rationality, as we have discussed it, the demonic possibility is taken away from it. This again is an element of liberation in the technical realm—it is interesting that if an early progress was made in railway speeds, or for airplanes, and other things earlier than that, there were always people who were afraid of it as demonic creations which are dangerous. But finally they became used to it, and now the fear of the demonic in all these realities has disappeared.

Now the “but” comes, namely the other side of technology and man. Just the last point is so important: as long as there is a demonic power in reality, it also has radiating power, it can attract us, we can unite with it. If it is completely subjected to technical purposes, it has become empty. And we can say: the eros-relationship is gone. And that is something which we experience in our world. The emptiness of our lives is not only dependent on the technical realm— much can be said and will be said about this, in these lectures—but one of the important factors in destroying the eros-relationship between man and things is based on the fact that man is able to control completely the technical object; and what you can control completely, there is no eros to it in you left. Even with respect to people, psycho-technics try to do that. And here it is especially clear to see how the eros is destroyed. If you calculate a man completely, somebody whom you love, inasmuch as you calculate him the right relationship, the eros relationship, is destroyed and replaced by a controlling relationship. That is what happens all the time. The use of diplomacy