Overemphasis on immediate superficial needs

The technological community's emphasis upon the concept of growth as the embodiment of progress and its stress on efficiency for its own sake results in an impulsive reaction to the immediate and merely superficial needs of society. The understanding of progress as development is thwarted; and any effective anticipation and meeting of long-range, deeply-rooted needs is ultimately lost. Technology has thus created a self-perpetuating system which creates a market for its products by responding primarily to its own inner needs.

Unlimited competition utilizing the modern means of publicity incessantly launches new products and tries to attract the consumer, while earlier industrial installations which are still capable of functioning become useless. While very large areas of the population are unable to satisfy their primary needs, superfluous needs are ingeniously created. It can thus rightly be asked if, in spite of all his conquests, man is not turning back against himself the results of his activity. Having rationally endeavoured to control nature, is he not now becoming the slave of the objects which he makes? (Papal Writings, 14 May 1971).