ABSTRACT
The word 'necessity' may be a little dull to ears, but it meant something more powerful and menacing to the Greeks. While their Olympian gods were like men of flesh and bone, there was one goddess with neither body nor face, Ananke. The Romans called her 'Necessitas' and she was the dark mother of the Fates. Over the centuries, necessity ceased to be a cosmic villain or sacred law. With the advent of modern mathematical science, necessity was domesticated. For many, technology is progressive, its leaps of insight and innovation lead to ever-increasing comfort and leisure. A helpful analysis comes from philosopher Herbert Marcuse. For Marcuse, technological oppression wasn't accidental; it was crucial to modern society. The struggle of mankind with technology doesn't resemble the wars of science fiction. Instead, it's more private and personal, and it centres on the seemingly banal and familiar relationships between ordinary individuals and the tools of their life.
