| Abstract: | The paper focuses on the symbolic significance of energy consuming technology. It analyzes the case of the automobile and demonstrates that it cannot be considered just a technical device for transporting people but that it is also a cultural symbol infused with desires, meanings and life-images. The origins, the content and the dynamics of the meaning of the automobile are explored in order to identify the cultural transformations that are implied in a transition to a low-energy society and, possibly, to a low-speed society.The first section of the paper sets out the patterns of life-conceptions centered around the automobile and the second section examines actual counterforces that undermine this car-oriented life-style and which lead to a disenchantment with the automobile. It is concluded that the images of a desirable society are less and less associated with cars, but that the car, however, appears to be an inevitable necessity. |
