Keywords
forces of production
green transition
entrepreneurial university
environmental justice
public sociology
scientific-technological revolution
Silicon Valley
How to Cite
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Abstract
This essay examines the structural and institutional contradictions underlying contemporary technological transitions, energy policies, and the political economy of innovation. Drawing on the foundational divergence between Karl Marx’s emphasis on the material forces of production and Max Weber’s institutional analysis, the paper examines the global dynamics of the green transition—specifically the persistent extractivism in the Global South, the ecological costs of photovoltaic and semiconductor supply chains, and the geopolitical entanglements of state-sponsored energy strategies. Reflecting on the theoretical origins of the Entrepreneurial University and the Triple Helix model of university-industry-government relations, this paper links historical studies of academic commercialization with grassroots public sociology and environmental justice activism in Silicon Valley. Furthermore, the discussion contrasts Soviet-era conceptualizations of the Scientific-Technological Revolution (STR) with contemporary algorithmic governance, arguing that artificial intelligence increasingly functions as an ideological apparatus for elite political control. Ultimately, the essay advocates for horizontal, multi-intuitional arrangements over rigid vertical state hierarchies to advance democratic oversight and genuine socio-ecological transformation.
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