Industrial Society and Its Future
Industrial Society and Its Future, also known as the Unabomber Manifesto, is a 1995
It was printed in a supplement to
The manifesto states that the public largely accepts individual technological advancements as purely positive without accounting for their overall effect, which includes the erosion of local and individual freedom and autonomy. While originally regarded as a thoughtful critique of modern society, with roots in the work of authors such as
While Kaczynski's actions were generally condemned, his manifesto expressed ideas that continue to be generally shared among the American public.[2] A 2017 Rolling Stone article stated that Kaczynski was an early adopter of the concept that:
- "We give up a piece of ourselves whenever we adjust to conform to society's standards. That, and we're too plugged in. We're letting technology take over our lives, willingly."[3]
The Labadie Collection of the University of Michigan houses a copy of Industrial Society and its Future. The essay has been translated into French, remains on college reading lists, and was updated in Kaczynski's 2019 Technological Slavery, Volume One. Revised and Expanded Edition, which defends his political philosophy in greater depth.
Background and publication
Between 1978 and 1995,
Kaczynski believed that his violence, as direct action when words were insufficient, would draw others to pay attention to his critique.[7] He wanted his ideas to be taken seriously.[8] The media debated the ethics of publishing the manifesto under duress.[9][6] The United States Attorney General Janet Reno advocated for the essay to be shared so that a reader could potentially recognize its author.[6]
During that summer, the FBI worked with literature scholars to compare the Unabomber's oeuvre against the works of Joseph Conrad, including The Secret Agent, based on their shared themes.[10][11]
The Washington Post published the manifesto in full within a supplement on September 19, 1995, splitting the cost with The New York Times. According to a statement, the Post had the "mechanical ability to distribute a separate section in all copies of its daily newspaper."[12][13] A Berkeley-based chess book publisher began publishing copies in paperback the next month, without Kaczynski's consent.[14]
Kaczynski wrote an essay in 1971 which contained many themes and ideas that would eventually appear in the manifesto, indicating that his particular line of anti-technological thought dated back relatively early in his life prior to his arrest.
Contents
At 35,000 words, Industrial Society and Its Future lays very detailed blame on technology in and of itself for eroding individual freedom and autonomy, destroying
Kaczynski indicts technological progress for its destruction of small human communities and the rise of inhospitable cities. He contends that this relentless technological progress will not dissipate on its own, because individual technological advancements are seen as good despite the sum effects of this progress, and technological growth is beyond rational human control (i.e., autonomous). Kaczynski describes modern technological society as totalitarian force—an order in which individuals are "adjusted" to fit the requirements of the system and those outside the system are seen as pathological or "bad".[8]
This tendency, he says, gives rise to expansive police powers, mind-numbing mass media, and indiscriminate promotion of drugs, designed to conform to the needs of the technological environment.[8] He criticizes both big government and big business as the inevitable result of industrialization,[6] and holds scientists and "technophiles" responsible for recklessly pursuing power through technological advancements.[8]
He argues that this industrialized system's collapse will be devastating in the short-term, although quickening the collapse—before technology progresses further—will prevent unmitigated catastrophe for humanity and the biosphere in the future. He justifies the trade-offs that come with losing industrial society as being worth the cost.[8] Kaczynski's ideal revolution seeks not to overthrow governments if unnecessary, but rather, the economic and technological foundation of modern society.[18] He seeks to destroy existing society and protect the wilderness, the antithesis of technology.[8]
Influences
Industrial Society and Its Future echoes contemporary critics of technology and industrialization such as John Zerzan, Jacques Ellul,[19] Rachel Carson, Lewis Mumford, and E. F. Schumacher.[20] Its idea of the "disruption of the power process" similarly echoed social critics who emphasize that the lack of meaningful work is a primary cause of social problems, including Mumford, Paul Goodman, and Eric Hoffer.[20] Aldous Huxley addressed its general theme in Brave New World, to which Kaczynski refers in his text. Kaczynski's ideas of "oversocialization" and "surrogate activities" recall Sigmund Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents and its theories of rationalization and sublimation (a term which Kaczynski uses three times to describe "surrogate activities").[21]
However, a 2021 study by Sean Fleming shows that many of these similarities are coincidental.[22] Kaczynski had not read Lewis Mumford, Paul Goodman, or John Zerzan until after he submitted Industrial Society and Its Future to The New York Times and The Washington Post. There is no evidence that he read Freud, Carson, or Schumacher. Instead, Fleming argues, Industrial Society and Its Future "is a synthesis of ideas from [...] French philosopher Jacques Ellul, British zoologist Desmond Morris, and American psychologist Martin Seligman."[22]
Kaczynski's understanding of technology, his idea of maladaptation, and his critique of
The scholar George Michael of Vanderbilt University Press accused Kaczynski of "collecting philosophical and environmental clichés to reinforce common American concerns".[6]
Aftermath
Kaczynski had intended for his mail bombing campaign to raise awareness for the message in Industrial Society and Its Future, which he wanted to be seriously regarded.[8] With its initial publication in 1995, the manifesto was received as intellectually deep and sane. Writers described the manifesto's sentiment as familiar.
To
While Kaczynski's effort to publish his manifesto, more so than the bombings themselves, brought him into the American news,[23] and the manifesto was widely spread via newspapers, book reprints, and the Internet, ultimately, the ideas in the manifesto were eclipsed by reaction to the violence of the bombings, and did not spark the serious public consideration he was looking for.[23][24]
Linda Patrik, the wife of Ted's brother
Effect of the trial
After Ted Kaczynski's April 1996 arrest, he wanted to use the trial to disseminate his views,
Kaczynski's biographer argued that the public should look beyond this "genius-or-madman debate", and view the manifesto as reflecting normal, common, unexceptional ideas shared by Americans, sharing their distrust over the direction of civilization. While most Americans abhorred his violence, adherents to his anti-technology message have celebrated his call to question technology and preserve wilderness.[8] From his Colorado maximum security prison,[8] he continued to clarify his philosophy with other writers through correspondence, and by composing two books which were published during his incarceration, until his death in 2023.[6]
Legacy
Part of Kaczynski's manifesto was cited by the inventor and author
As of 2000, Industrial Society and Its Future remained on college reading lists and the
Since 2000, the Labadie Collection houses a copy of the manifesto, along with Ted Kaczynski's other writings, letters and papers, after he officially designated the University of Michigan to receive them. They have since become one of the most popular archives in their special collections.[28]
In 2017, an article in Rolling Stone stated that Kaczynski was an early adopter of the idea that:
- "We give up a piece of ourselves whenever we adjust to conform to society's standards. That, and we're too plugged in. We're letting technology take over our lives, willingly."[3]
In 2018, New York magazine stated that the manifesto generated later interest from neoconservatives, environmentalists, and anarcho-primitivists.[29]
In 2019, Norwegian philosopher Ole Martin Moen criticized Kaczynski's manifesto:[30]
In assessing the effects of technology on human life, Kaczynski considers only the negative effects. This makes him leave out from his inquiry a number of very important facts, such as the fact that prior to the industrial revolution, all countries in the world had a living standard comparable to today's standard in Africa south of the Sahara, and that since the late 18th century, the global average life expectancy at birth has more than doubled. It is hard to deny that these are real improvements and that they were made possible by technologies, perhaps most centrally artificial fertilizers, agricultural machinery, water chlorination, sewer systems, antibiotics, and vaccines. It is also hard to deny that a wide range of other technologies—reading glasses, painkillers, printing presses, light bulbs, pianos, music recordings, trains—have enriched the lives of billions.
— Ole Martin Moen
In December 2020, a man who was arrested at Charleston International Airport on a charge of "conveying false information regarding attempted use of a destructive device" after he falsely threatened that he had a bomb, was found to have been carrying the Unabomber manifesto.[31][32]
Reprints and further work
Feral House republished the manifesto in Kaczynski's first book, the 2010 Technological Slavery, alongside correspondence and an interview.[33][34] Kaczynski was unsatisfied with the book and his lack of control in its publication.[35] Kaczynski's 2019 book Technological Slavery, Volume One. Revised and Expanded Edition updates his 1995 manifesto with more relevant references and defends his political philosophy in greater depth. In February, 2021, Kaczynski wrote a new preface to his original 1995 manifesto.[36]
See also
- Accelerationism
- Anarchism and violence
- Anarcho-primitivism
- Criticism of technology
- Declinism
- Eco-terrorism
- Green anarchism
- Neo-Luddism
- Propaganda of the deed
- Radical environmentalism
- Technological Determinism
- Philosophy of technology
- "Anti-Tech Revolution"
References
- ^ "Text of Unabomber's Letter Received by N.Y. Times April 26, 1995".
- ^ Kelman 2017, p. fn4.
- ^ a b Diamond, Jason (August 17, 2017). "Flashback: Unabomber Publishes His 'Manifesto'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ Michael 2012, p. 75.
- from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Michael 2012, p. 76.
- ^ Simmons 1999, p. 688.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Chase 2000.
- ^ Campbell, W. Joseph (September 21, 2015). "Defying critics to publish the Unabomber 'Manifesto'". Poynter. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ Kovaleski 1996.
- ^ Kelman 2017, p. 186.
- Sulzberger Jr., Arthur O. (September 19, 1995). "Statement by Papers' Publishers". The Washington Post. p. A07. Archivedfrom the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "Post, Times publish Unabomber manifesto". CNN. September 19, 1995. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ProQuest 281557917.
- ^ "Ted Kaczynski Biography: The 'Unabomber'". Bio Graphics. May 31, 2018.
- ^ "Unabomber auction nets $190,000". NBC News. Associated Press. June 2, 2011. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ "Feds to auction Unabomber's manifesto". NBC News. May 13, 2011. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ Kelman 2017, p. fn1.
- ^ Kaczynski, Ted. "Progress vs. Liberty (aka '1971 Essay')". Wild Will Project. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ a b Sale, Kirkpatrick (September 25, 1995). "Unabomber's Secret Treatise". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
- ^ Wright, Robert (August 28, 1995). "The Evolution of Despair". Time. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ a b c Fleming 2021.
- ^ a b Simmons 1999, p. 675.
- ISBN 978-1-4408-5468-2. Archivedfrom the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ Tan & Snow 2015, p. 521.
- ^ John H. Richardson (December 11, 2018). "Children of Ted Two decades after his last deadly act of ecoterrorism, the Unabomber has become an unlikely prophet to a new generation of acolytes". NYMAG. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Hawkins, Kayla (August 1, 2017). "What Is The Unabomber Manifesto? The Document Helped End The 'Manhunt' For Ted Kaczynski". Bustle. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ Jeffrey R. Young (May 20, 2012). "The Unabomber's Pen Pal". www.chronicle.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Richardson, John H. (December 11, 2018). "The Unlikely New Generation of Unabomber Acolytes". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Moen 2019.
- ^ Renaud, Tim (December 9, 2020). "Man charged in airport bomb scare had razor blade in his shoe, Unabomber manifesto". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- ^ Fortier-Bensen, Tony (December 8, 2020). "Affidavits shed new light on airport bomb scare in November, man had Unabomber's manifesto". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Kellogg, Carolyn (May 19, 2011). "Possible Tylenol-poisoning suspect Ted Kaczynski and his anti-technology manifesto". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ Adams, Guy (October 22, 2011). "Unabomber aims for best-seller with green book". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ Moen 2019, p. 223.
- ^ "Preface to "Industrial Society and Its Future"". Wilderness Front. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
Bibliography
- Chase, Alston (June 2000). "Harvard and the Making of the Unabomber". from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- Fleming, Sean (May 7, 2021). "The Unabomber and the origins of anti-tech radicalism". Journal of Political Ideologies. 27: 207–225. .
- Kelman, David (2017). "Politics in a Small Room: Subterranean Babel in Piglia's El camino de Ida". The Yearbook of Comparative Literature. 63 (1): 179–201. Project MUSE 758028.
- Kovaleski, Serge F. (July 9, 1996). "1907 Conrad Novel May Have Inspired Unabomb Suspect". ISSN 0190-8286.
- McHugh, Paul (November 2003). "The making of a killer". First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (137): 58+. Gale A110263474.
- Michael, George (2012). "Ecoextremism and the Radical Animal Liberation Movement". Lone Wolf Terror and the Rise of Leaderless Resistance. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. pp. 61–78. ISBN 978-0-8265-1857-6.
- EBSCOhost 134360154.
- Richardson, John H. (December 11, 2018). "The Unlikely New Generation of Unabomber Acolytes". New York. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- Simmons, Ryan (1999). "What is a Terrorist? Contemporary Authorship, the Unabomber, and Mao II". MFS Modern Fiction Studies. 45 (3): 675–695. Project MUSE 21412.
- Tan, Anna E.; Snow, David (2015). "Cultural Conflicts and Social Movements". In ISBN 978-0199678402.
Further reading
- Chase, Alston (2004). A Mind for Murder: The Education of the Unabomber and the Origins of Modern Terrorism. ISBN 978-0-393-32556-0.
- from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- Finnegan, William (May 20, 2011). "The Unabomber Returns". from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- Hough, Andrew (July 24, 2011). "Norway shooting: Anders Behring Breivik plagiarised 'Unabomber'". from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- Katz, Jon (April 17, 1998). "The Unabomber's Legacy, Part I". Wired. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- Kravets, David (September 20, 2015). "Unabomber's anti-technology manifesto published 20 years ago". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- Rubin, Mike (June 4, 1996). "An explosive bestseller". EBSCOhost 9606174925.
- Sale, Kirkpatrick (September 25, 1995). "Unabomber's Secret Treatise: Is There Method in His Madness?". The Nation. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- Sikorski, Wade (1997). "On Mad Bombers". Theory & Event. 1 (1). Project MUSE 32449.
External links
- Full manifesto from the Washington Post
- Mobile-friendly version of the full manifesto