Excessive valuation of functional tasks

The desire to function, and to function well, is a programmed norm of human behaviour. Under the circumstances and conditions of an over-organized mass society this becomes a danger. As people come to derive pleasure from the skills required to perform well in a complex technocratic society, involvement in the exhibition of such skills and the natural pleasure in accomplishment become ends in themselves. The skills are valued, whether in the use of computers, defence systems, or chemical manufacturing, irrespective of the consequences of their use for the environment or for future generations.