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emphour's review
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
“If enough people could be made to believe that revolution were possible, then it would be possible.”
—Theodore Kaczynski, Technological Slavery, Vol. 1 (2022), p. 205.
Technological Slavery is not a book about smartphones, social media or screen addiction. Unconcerned with these petty issues, the author instead deals with the biggest danger the world is facing right now: The technological system itself.
Reading Technological Slavery will inadvertently radicalize the reader. Kaczynski really hammers his most important points down: Reform is not possible—Revolution is the only way out. Either the technological system exists, and continues to wreak havoc on the natural world and place limitations on human autonomy, or it does not, there is no in between. The continuing of the technological system will leave no freedom for anyone and will probably destroy the Earth.
Since the dawn of man, he has been a hunter-gatherer for 99% of the time. This is the way of life he is adapted to. Daily life in modern society is radically different, which causes a lot of problems for the modern individual. Not only physical, but most importantly psychological. Many of these psychological issues are not entirely unique to humans, but are also exhibited in caged animals. Some people claim that diagnosis of mental illness is simply getting more accurate as the field of clinical psychology progresses, or that “Big Pharma” just wants to sell more drugs, but the rising suicide rate disproves this.
Technology is the framework that defines how people live. Modern technology primarily decides what humans are allowed to do and what they are not allowed to do. Societies are shaped above all by the available technology. The political system is less meaningful for the daily life of the average citizen. Governments can make many laws, but what is relevant is how they can be enforced. Past societies are often seen as very restrictive, but these laws were not as effective as one would think, because the available technology was not appropriate to thoroughly and completely enforce them. There is a much bigger difference between a technologically advanced country and a much less technologically advanced country than there is between a society under one system of government than another.
The book contains the famous manifesto “Industrial Society and Its Future” (ISAIF) with expanded notes, and extracts from letters to various individuals, with the largest bulk being written to Dr. David Skrbina. Also included is the essay “The System’s Neatest Trick” which is well worth reading, and eight appendices for supporting arguments made in the texts. The latter are more than little accessories, they make strong points in themselves. Especially worth noting is the appendix dealing with the success of democracy around the world, which offers a completely new perspective on the dominant political system of today. A significant portion of the book contains practical advice for revolutionaries. Topics range from spreading of the revolutionary message to motivation of the rank-and-file of the revolutionary organization itself.
A common counter-argument to Kaczynski is the claim that the main problem was started by, and is rooted in, agriculture. However, the author sees no way to stop people from farming. He only deals with things that can be implemented in practice. This is an essential point in the book. A revolution against the technological system can actually be carried out. Those who want to wait for a spiritual enlightenment of humanity or a "return to God" have no possibilities for action. He does not set up an ideal picture of society, because there is no way to execute the plan of an ideal society.
Nuclear weapons only bring death and destruction. Virtually everyone agrees that the world would be better off without them. Yet the problem does not seem to ever get solved. Quite the contrary: More and more nations around the world get access to them. If such an easy target for reform cannot be reached, how are complex problems, like the climate crisis, ever to be solved? Reform is clearly not working. Kaczynski argues that it is not even, nor ever was, possible.
Even if the system could succeed in solving every psychological problem, all the environmental issues, and every other problem, the individual human would be reduced to the status of a pet.
This book starts from the ground up and carries the reader to the only possible solution. I highly recommend it to everyone, who is not afraid of having his worldview changed.
40311's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Technological Slavery demonstrates how technology has become a means to control the powerless, and why this will only continue to increase in modern society. The author, Kaczynski, asserts that the detrimental impact that technology has on our environment and quality of life will always outweigh whatever benefits it has to offer.
Kaczynski makes the effective argument that technology has surpassed our ability to control it, urging that we stop blindly relying on technological progress and start considering the social, psychological, and environmental consequences of relying on machines and complex technology. Kaczynski argues that the techno system is a natural product of objective factors beyond the long-term control of even the people who are in positions of control—they “pretend” to control it. According to Kaczynski, most scientists and engineers don't take into consideration the unintended consequences of their work, rather they are focused primarily on their own financial and professional gain. Furthermore, Kaczynski not only argues that science and technology as human enterprises are divorced from any rational commitments to the welfare of the human race, but that scientists and technologists are primarily engaged in what he defines as surrogate activities (an activity directed toward an artificial goal, solely for fulfillment).
Kaczynski also discusses the disruption of the “power process,” a term he uses to describe the psychological process of feeling empowered to accomplish survival goals through effort and determination. He argues that in modern society, technological development has diminished people's ability to carry out meaningful activities independently, since the system must rob the individual of his most meaningful (practical; life-and-death determinant) goals and activities for the sake of its own functioning, and complex tasks have become automated and even the most basic jobs have become radically simplified. Individuals in modern society also do not directly engage in meeting their survival needs, but society instead takes care of individuals for them so long as they are obedient. This loss of autonomy and real, practical (and therefore meaningful) freedoms has profoundly negative effects on individuals, leading to feelings of alienation and helplessness.
While some may still think of technology as a force of progress and liberation, Kaczynski explains in depth the ways in which unrestrained technological progress is enslaving us, asserting that the only solution is to eliminate the techno-industrial system altogether. He compiles evidence to support the fact that technology causes more problems than it solves and gives valuable insight as to why concerning/distracting ourselves with non-technological social issues is currently one of the largest barriers preventing us from recognizing the reality of technology's detrimental impacts on our lives.
The author presents ideas that have the potential to come across as extreme on a surface level, but he goes to great lengths to clarify his reasoning and logically support his analysis, entertaining every possible alternative, and including extensive historical evidence to support his claims. Additionally, he incorporates a few of the correspondences he's had with others that wrote to him, including those that attempted to challenge his views, to which he provided responses with effortful research and consideration.
What I think makes Kaczynski's work so unique is his approach: First, he’s the most radical thinker of our era, proposing as the only logical solution a totally transformative revolution. Second, is his clarity: he is thorough, yet straightforward in addressing each topic and leaving no room for misinterpretations. I highly recommend that everyone reads this book regardless of their own viewpoints or worldview. It leaves a lot to think about, not to mention that the subjects at hand are now more relevant than ever.
chess6's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Technological Slavery is an insightful expansion on Ted Kaczynski's manifesto which neatly ties together any loose ends, delves into the intricacies and nuances of his arguments, and manages to cohesively introduce seemingly disparate pieces of his correspondences to form a clearer picture of anti-tech philosophy.
One of the most important essays in this book is "The System's Neatest Trick," in which Ted clarifies what the System is not and how the System exploits people's rebellious urges to uphold its own values. He emphasizes that individuals in positions of power, such as CEOs, the president, and scientists, etc., do not constitute the System. In fact, an individual's personal beliefs and opinions may not even be compatible with the values of the System. He argues that due to the widespread frustrations inflicted by the System, and the need for the System to preserve its security, the System acts to prevent people from identifying it as the root cause of their frustrations by instead redirecting focus on issues that the System wants people to rebel against. Most of these substitute—or, “counterfeit”—issues are currently those that leftists today are most fixated on and which fall under the category of "social justice," such as racism, homophobia, and sexism, etc. In other words, the System tricks people into diverting their frustrations away from the true cause of these frustrations (the System itself) towards irrelevant issues that do not harm the System, but in many cases actually help the functioning of the System.
Kaczynski is well aware of the stipulations, limitations, and defects in his work and does not pretend to be right about everything he says. He addresses rebuttals from his correspondents carefully and either provides a valid counterargument or admits to his mistakes and revises accordingly. One of his correspondents, Dr. David Skrbina, misinterpreted his purpose for introducing the power process as "exalting the will to power;" Kaczynski corrects him by pointing out that the topic of the power process is necessary for analyzing leftist psychology and demonstrating how the frustrations and dissatisfactions caused by the technological society manifest themselves. Aside from refuting others' attempts to critique his manifesto, he also admits to some of his mistakes (albeit minor), such as mistakenly letting his personal bias towards individualistic preferences affect his thoughts on revolutionary strategy.
Kaczynski also references some relevant external works which help supplement his main points in his manifesto. The section on the power process is greatly enhanced by an explanation of the experiments described in the book The Human Zoo, in which zoologist Desmond Morris describes strange behavior from wild animals confined in cages and compares it to abnormal human behavior, such as child abuse and sexual perversion. He also references Martin Seligman's concept of learned helplessness, a phenomenon in which animals will learn to eventually give up to avoid their predicament of being electrically shocked after being punished repeatedly through electrical shocks, which mirrors the learned helplessness and widespread frustration and depression among people living under the techno-system in modernity.
In conclusion, Technological Slavery expands upon the arguments outlined in his previous work "Industrial Society and its Future" by showcasing several essays and multiple pieces of letters he subsequently wrote to others, suitable for those who have accepted a majority of Kaczynski's arguments and are interested in a deeper dive into his works and anti-tech philosophy in general.
fordcadman's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Technological Slavery; is an incredibly valuable piece of literature in the fields of technological and sociological study, not only for individuals new to the subject, but also those who are already familiar with the author's previous works. The author, Dr. Theodore J. Kaczynski, a renowned writer of the field, puts forth an astounding comprehensive study of the technological phenomena, all while compounding on his previous work and attaining new theses and conclusions to his aforementioned studies. The book, strongly based on expanding the ideas presented in Kaczynski's provocative essay “Industrial Society And Its Future”, propels the reader towards a conclusive understanding of humanity's relationship with the technological system in which we find ourselves captivated. Along with a distillation of the author's own comprehensive study; resides a conversive compilation between the author and many individuals of different intellectual fields. Some of these conversations, whether presented as articulated responses to letters received by the author, or in study of said letters, hold criticisms of the author’s conclusions, of which the author refutes with accurate foundational evidence and provides reasons as to why such proclamations may be aversive towards effective action. Kaczynski shows his hand in this practice most evidently within the chapter “Extracts from Letters to David Skrbina,”; in which a years-long correspondance between the author and another eco-centric philosopher is presented in an effort to elaborate upon and explain ideas that challenge Kaczynski's subject, giving the author an outlet to illuminate important facets of his presented ideology through well rounded discussion.
Compiled some twenty years after the publication of “Industrial Society And Its Future,” Kaczynski uses “Technological Slavery” as an instrument of literary edit, correcting dated conclusions and expanding previous ideas, leaving no gaps or omissions within the final product. This book will leave the reader intellectually fulfilled, though much of the information provided will give them an urge to research and dig deeper into the technological issue, leading often to Kaczynski’s partner work “Anti-Tech Revolution” which lends reference to “Technological Slavery” as an ideological standpoint. “Technological Slavery” is unique in the fact that it is presented as an evolution of idea, trailing the development of important conclusions and providing a diagnosis of our relationship with the Technological System. Similarities can be found in other works such as Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World: Revisited”, in which the author felt a crucial aspect of his previous work should be expanded upon, not just for the sake of clarification, but also in use of intellectual exponentiation. Kaczynski follows a similar route, providing a means for reader experience to fulfill the intellectual passage of furthering his presented ideology and findings.
The book itself maintains a sense of textbook accountability while not neglecting the situation of the reader. Kaczynski involves the reader as an important factor in developing his ideas, and it is evident that his findings do not just pertain to the society as a whole, but also the individuals' place within the technocratic world. An uncommon credit can be given to this composition, one in which we seldom find today, being its ability to make us understand. Particularly, its ability to let us understand our society on a grand, comprehensive scale. Through the presentation of this work, Kaczynski aligns and categorizes functions of modern society that go unnoticed, or at the very least are misperceived. Important happenings of the system around us, the society in which they take place, and humanity’s reaction to the sudden development of these issues, are all intricately pinpointed and exhumed from surface observation, showing the web-like interconnections between the ails of technological society; and the human condition. For many of us who live our lives unaware of these intricacies, it can be a hefty process to put the world around us and ourselves in such a spotlight, but Kaczynski does that for us, and shows us why and how we've ended up in this predicament. Simply put, “Technological Slavery” provides answers to the questions we didn't even know we should be asking. Kaczynski managed to filter and condense decades of study into an easily digestible and well rounded composition, for the benefit of the reader, as well as the benefit of society itself. For anyone interested in modern sociology, technical study, or environmentalism, this work is necessary in understanding the full scope of the issues we are currently facing, and those yet to come.
verelalarmas's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Kaczynski’s newer writings do not get enough attention. Technological Slavery expands upon Kaczynski’s original writings from the 1970s and Industrial Society and Its Future (which is featured in this book as well) by introducing new ideas such as those found in “The System’s Neatest Trick”, “Why Democracy became the Dominant Political Form” (Appendix Three), while also fleshing out some of his ideas in the manifesto in “Letter to Dr. P.B. on the Motivations of Scientists”, “On Learned Helplessness”, and many other sections.
One of the most incredibly eye-opening sections was the aforementioned “Why Democracy became the Dominant Political Form” (Appendix Three). This piece teaches a valuable lesson that reveals the true nature of political institutions and of “developed” nations in general. Kaczynski launches a simultaneous attack against the do-gooder civilized politically minded types and the global power elite which uses “democracy” as a guise to spread economic control and spreading corporate hegemony across the world. To Kaczynski, nations did not simply adopt a democratic form of government to be more “moral” or to “help the people''; it was done in an effort to increase technological, economic, and ultimately military power. Kaczynski gives a great analysis of the history of Western democratic nations that eventually advanced to become the forerunners of the world-wide geopolitical sphere (i.e. Great Britain, the United States). He notes how the semi-democratic England advanced far beyond mainland authoritarian nations and created a vast colonial empire that was able to extract vast amounts of financial power that then translated to military power. As a result of this burgeoning military power, England would become the most dominant power across the world, creating the largest empire known to man. Kaczynski compares this accomplishment by the British to that of authoritarian nations such as France and Prussia/Germany. Kaczynski illustrates how France lost the colonial struggle to the British in the Seven Years War and the Germans’ half-hearted attempts at colonial empire that would come nowhere close to the British goliathan. Posing the idea of democracy in this frame of natural selection, it makes sense as to how democracy became so dominant in the world: It guarantees a great deal of financial and military power/influence that easily triumphs over rigid authoritarian systems. This analysis tears the mask off of the modern idea that democracy triumphed because it’s somehow “morally superior”. Looking at the development of history through this lens, one being determined by the development of technology, is crucial to understanding how the human race has arrived at this point.
Kaczynski not only expands his ideas of the history of technological society, he develops a new understanding of it. In the essay “The System’s Neatest Trick”, Kaczynski illustrates a carefully laid out piece indicating how the system utilizes social frustrations to its advantage, turning all the angst of the masses away from the central mechanisms of power and instead toward some meaningless social advocacy (i.e. LGBTQ rights, affirmative action, abortion advocacy, etc) that ends up benefiting the system in the long run. To Kaczynski, this trick dilutes the revolutionary fervor of people and makes them focus on issues that do not threaten the organized power structure. Not only that, but the social activists are encouraged in their endeavor by other outside reactionary forces that whine about their advocacy. This ends up giving the illusion of being a “rebel” thereby increasing the attractiveness of the cause to these would-be revolutionaries. The conclusion painted from this trick is rather simple: the techno-industrial system utilizes its own problems to its advantage by making those suffering at its hands act in accord with fixing its “diseases”. What that ends up doing, Kaczynski notes, is perpetuating the system, trapping the activists and their detractors in a running cycle that will go on and on and on without any true end due to the fact that the system needs to keep it going in order to perpetuate itself. Deflecting problems away from itself and onto remote political activists or select politicians helps to create a sort of defensive mechanism that shields the system from attack. Kaczynski warns that revolutionaries should not fall into this trap and instead pursue action that actively goes against the system.
These dual lectures by themselves allow for a broader understanding of Kaczynski and modern anti-tech thought. This sort of work is rare in how powerful and succinct it is, giving the reader a clear understanding of the workings of the technological system while not drowning him in complicated philosophical know-how. Kaczynski once again proves his great ability in effectively breaking down the existing form of society and putting it into terms easily interpreted, thereby increasing awareness about the problems we face and paving a path for the future. Finally anyone reading this that happened to enjoy this book is encouraged to read Kaczynski's next work Anti-Tech Revolution:Why and How which gives an even greater extension of his thought about the problems we face.
One of the most incredibly eye-opening sections was the aforementioned “Why Democracy became the Dominant Political Form” (Appendix Three). This piece teaches a valuable lesson that reveals the true nature of political institutions and of “developed” nations in general. Kaczynski launches a simultaneous attack against the do-gooder civilized politically minded types and the global power elite which uses “democracy” as a guise to spread economic control and spreading corporate hegemony across the world. To Kaczynski, nations did not simply adopt a democratic form of government to be more “moral” or to “help the people''; it was done in an effort to increase technological, economic, and ultimately military power. Kaczynski gives a great analysis of the history of Western democratic nations that eventually advanced to become the forerunners of the world-wide geopolitical sphere (i.e. Great Britain, the United States). He notes how the semi-democratic England advanced far beyond mainland authoritarian nations and created a vast colonial empire that was able to extract vast amounts of financial power that then translated to military power. As a result of this burgeoning military power, England would become the most dominant power across the world, creating the largest empire known to man. Kaczynski compares this accomplishment by the British to that of authoritarian nations such as France and Prussia/Germany. Kaczynski illustrates how France lost the colonial struggle to the British in the Seven Years War and the Germans’ half-hearted attempts at colonial empire that would come nowhere close to the British goliathan. Posing the idea of democracy in this frame of natural selection, it makes sense as to how democracy became so dominant in the world: It guarantees a great deal of financial and military power/influence that easily triumphs over rigid authoritarian systems. This analysis tears the mask off of the modern idea that democracy triumphed because it’s somehow “morally superior”. Looking at the development of history through this lens, one being determined by the development of technology, is crucial to understanding how the human race has arrived at this point.
Kaczynski not only expands his ideas of the history of technological society, he develops a new understanding of it. In the essay “The System’s Neatest Trick”, Kaczynski illustrates a carefully laid out piece indicating how the system utilizes social frustrations to its advantage, turning all the angst of the masses away from the central mechanisms of power and instead toward some meaningless social advocacy (i.e. LGBTQ rights, affirmative action, abortion advocacy, etc) that ends up benefiting the system in the long run. To Kaczynski, this trick dilutes the revolutionary fervor of people and makes them focus on issues that do not threaten the organized power structure. Not only that, but the social activists are encouraged in their endeavor by other outside reactionary forces that whine about their advocacy. This ends up giving the illusion of being a “rebel” thereby increasing the attractiveness of the cause to these would-be revolutionaries. The conclusion painted from this trick is rather simple: the techno-industrial system utilizes its own problems to its advantage by making those suffering at its hands act in accord with fixing its “diseases”. What that ends up doing, Kaczynski notes, is perpetuating the system, trapping the activists and their detractors in a running cycle that will go on and on and on without any true end due to the fact that the system needs to keep it going in order to perpetuate itself. Deflecting problems away from itself and onto remote political activists or select politicians helps to create a sort of defensive mechanism that shields the system from attack. Kaczynski warns that revolutionaries should not fall into this trap and instead pursue action that actively goes against the system.
These dual lectures by themselves allow for a broader understanding of Kaczynski and modern anti-tech thought. This sort of work is rare in how powerful and succinct it is, giving the reader a clear understanding of the workings of the technological system while not drowning him in complicated philosophical know-how. Kaczynski once again proves his great ability in effectively breaking down the existing form of society and putting it into terms easily interpreted, thereby increasing awareness about the problems we face and paving a path for the future. Finally anyone reading this that happened to enjoy this book is encouraged to read Kaczynski's next work Anti-Tech Revolution:Why and How which gives an even greater extension of his thought about the problems we face.
alexanderthewake's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Technological Slavery is an amazing follow up to anyone who enjoyed “Industrial Society and Its Future” (ISAIF) or wanted more anti-tech ideas from someone as original and profound as Kaczynski is. In Technological Slavery, the author addresses questions left unanswered in ISAIF as well as laying down rules and principles regarding the nature of industrial society. He covers a vast array of topics including the reason for the pervasiveness of democracy, the motives of scientists, problems with reform and why it would fail, and what he calls “the systems’s neatest trick”
As Kaczynski clearly lays out, the existence of democracy as a dominant political structure in the 20th and 21st century is no coincidence, but rather a result of processes of natural selection among competing social systems in an industrial environment. To any degree it was “chosen,” it was a choice carried out by the west to ensure the stability industrial society requires, as opposed to the volatile nature of undemocratic regimes which could lead to industrial and economic disruption or collapse. Furthermore democracy works to release tension and social instability by giving the illusion of choice, making people believe they are making great changes in society by participating when the truth is they make no important change, the only deliberate change is superficial; vanity. The real changes are determined by technical necessity beyond human control or foresight.
In a world of cold reason and numbers, where the only messiah is a computer, the author does the unthinkable and criticises the scientific nobility. A fictitiously infallible class of society, the top strata in the modern caste of STEM-educated technophiles. This is a perfect follow-up to the author’s description of the “power process” as mentioned in “Industrial Society and Its Future”. This brave challenging of the unchallengeable is what made the author so renowned… amongst other things.
His response to readers who believe in reform, including Dr Skrbina, is a frightening, cold shock. The hard hitting truth (consistent with all of Kaczynski’s work) is the argument that far simpler tasks than reform have proven impossible to solve, and it is futile to attempt to reform an innately broken system. This is perhaps one of his most uncomfortable views, and largely controversial especially in the anti tech community. Something as daunting as asserting the necessity of complete societal collapse is certainly something that raises heads, and not always in a positive way. However Kaczynski is already incredibly polarising and he needn’t worry about publicity nor opinion. He is left to speak only the truth.
His essay, “The System’s Neatest Trick’” (now somewhat famous in many radical circles), explains that the system is not only built to survive small scale protests in the pursuit of “social justice,” but actual thrives on it: they work as a kind of stress-relief valve such that they reduce social tension while maintaining the values and structure of industrial society, allowing self proclaimed “revolutionary” or leftist types a way to vent frustration and hostility towards the system without the system suffering the consequences of such dissatisfaction. This ties in perfectly to the prior topic of reform and how the idea of reform is not only implausible, but also counterproductive, serving only to maintain the societal glue. It also matches the themes of the tendencies (including masochistic tendencies) of leftists and others with an impulse to rebel from Industrial society. The leftists being in a large part, the group with the most rebellious or hostile tendencies in regard to the political state of the system.
Overall, this book is a perfect continuation of the topics mentioned in “Industrial Society and Its Future” serving to greatly expand on topics only mentioned briefly or that deserve further explanation. I highly recommend it to anyone that has read the manifesto “Industrial Society and Its Future” and is looking for a continuation of the themes and ideas covered in that piece. But even for those who haven’t read the manifesto, this book is surely worth a read, and it contains an updated version of the manifesto as one of the first sections.
wbtmlu's review
informative
slow-paced
5.0
Many people today who realize that there is a problem ingrained in the very nature of the modern system fail to see the basis on which the system is formed, and therefore, in an attempt to rebel against the system, expend their energy on nonessential issues which have little to no effect on the system itself. This is the point which Ted Kaczynski, author of Technological Slavery, expounds in the essay “Hit Where It Hurts” As Kaczynski claims:
“Many radicals fall into the temptation of focusing on nonessential issues, like racism, sexism, and sweatshops, because it is easy. They pick an issue on which the system can afford to compromise and on which they will get support from people like Ralph Nader, Winona LaDuke, the labor unions, and all the other pink reformers. Perhaps the system, under pressure, will back off a bit, the activists will see some visible result from their efforts, and they will have the satisfying illusion that they have accomplished something. But in reality they have accomplished nothing at all toward eliminating the technoindustrial system.” –Technological Slavery, Volume One (2010) p. 252.
Kaczynski correctly points out that issues such as racism, sexism, working conditions, forestry, and globalization, while certainly not being positive attributes of the system, are not an integral part of the system, and the system can therefore afford to do without them. In fact, resistance to nonessential components of the system can sometimes, as Kaczynski claims, benefit the system, as the resolution of these contradictions within society may help the system run more smoothly and efficiently. For example, early leftist movements advocated ‘liberating’ women by allowing them to enter the workforce. While, at the time, this may have seemed like a revolutionary change within society, the main result of this was that women were now further ingrained into the technological system, taking on jobs which would help it directly.
One does not disrupt a system by attacking relatively minor components of the system, but by attacking that which forms the basis of the system. In the case of the modern system, the system that erodes freedoms, creates unfulfilling lives, and destroys the natural environment, it is technology and the processes involved in developing and maintaining it that forms the basis of the system. Therefore, to use Kaczynski’s words:
“Suppose a bulldozer belonging to a logging company has been tearing up the woods near your home and you want to stop it. It is the blade of the bulldozer that rips the earth and knocks trees over, but it would be a waste of time to take a sledgehammer to the blade. If you spent a long, hard day working on the blade with the sledge, you might succeed in damaging it enough so that it became useless. But in comparison with the rest of the bulldozer the blade is relatively inexpensive and easy to replace. The blade is only the "fist"with which the bulldozer hits the earth. To defeat the machine you must go behind the "fist" and attack the bulldozer's vital parts. The engine, for example, can be ruined with very little expenditure of time and effort by means well known to many radicals.… the ‘bulldozer’ that we have to destroy is modern technology itself.” –Technological Slavery, Volume One (2010), p. 248-249.
Technological Slavery is a piece of paramount importance which acts as a furthering of the ideas expressed in Kaczynski’s more well known work, Industrial Society and Its Future. In this work, Kaczynski, to a deeper degree than most writings on modern society, examins the nature and ills of the technological system which we live in. This piece is a must read for all of those who are even the slightest concerned over the state of the world and the direction that it is going.