A review by kazimir_kharza
Technological Slavery by Theodore John Kaczynski

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

 

I have often encountered people who are curious about the ideas of Dr. Theodore John Kaczynski and ask which one of his books they should read first. Most of them decide to pick up Industrial Society and its Future first, not knowing that ISAIF is included in its entirety inside the first volume of Technological Slavery (TS). I suggest getting this book over any stand-alone copy of ISAIF because they’re often based on the Washington Post’s version which was never proofread before publication and contains several errors and omissions. Often new mistakes were added with each transcription too. The reader can be assured that there are no errors or omissions in this edition, as the publishers worked directly with Kaczynski on this book. 

In addition, TS vol. 1 is an excellent book because it contains many other works and letters that greatly expand on many points made in ISAIF. After Kaczynski was captured by the FBI after a nearly 20 year-long manhunt, many people, including a philosophy professor from the University of Michigan, were intrigued by his manifesto and initiated a correspondence. Far from being mere casual letters, these writings are well thought out, researched and laid down clearly and systematically. Some of the topics he writes about in greater detail include the motivations of scientists, why reform is impossible and only a revolution can actually get rid of the technological system, how the system co-opts rebellious impulses of its subjects, what the future might look like if the march of technology is not halted, etc. 

In ISAIF certain ideas were explained far more briefly than others. For example, while Kaczynski clearly explains why people engage in surrogate activities, and subsequently claims that most scientific and engineering work is the result of people’s pursuit of meaning and a sense of self-worth and control, he does not list any concrete cases in the manifesto. Kaczynski’s view of what motivates scientists to do their work goes against the common narrative that scientists are heroes, who do their work primarily for the betterment of humanity. In a letter responding to a person who pushed back on the validity of his claims about the motivations of scientists, he backs them by consulting psychologists, historic literature, and the testaments of scientists and technicians themselves. 

When he asked two psychologists about what motivates people to do scientific work, e.g. in the field of psychology, both of them agreed that the large majority are driven by personal needs that have little to do with serving humankind. This seems to be confirmed by, for example, the behavior displayed by Wenher von Braun who designed the deadly V2 rockets for Hitler’s regime during WWII. Despite proclaiming that his research was motivated by deep patriotism, von Braun and his colleagues chose to surrender to the USA, knowing they could probably go overseas and continue developing rockets. Kaczynski also points to examples of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, electrical engineer Werner von Siemens, bacteriologist Hans Zinsser, and Albert Einstein himself; all of the aforementioned men of science expressed at some point that they don’t buy into the myth of altruistic humanitarians. Einstein in particular confessed that he felt a compulsion to do his work, seeking in it an escape from the harsh world and searching for fulfillment. This compulsion was so powerful that despite having written in 1917 about technological progress and civilization as being comparable to “an axe in the hand of a pathological criminal,” he continued to do what he did for decades. 

Einstein was by far not the only one who irresponsibly worked on theory he knew would have dangerous and harmful consequences. In another letter in the book, “Letter to Scientific American” (1995), Kaczynski points out the selfish carelessness with which physicists use particle accelerators, knowing fully well that these technologies could potentially trigger a runaway reaction, causing a disaster of unprecedented scale. Their persistent willingness to play Russian roulette, often behind the public’s back, demonstrates perfectly that human welfare doesn’t sit on the top of their list of priorities. 

Those scientists who aren’t just in pursuit of fulfillment through work itself are more often than not motivated by promises of social prestige and wealth, Kaczynski points out. Academic fraud and corruption have been rampant in many fields, the latter being especially prominent in research of subjects with strong political and economic implications. If there are genuinely altruistic scientists out there, they’re likely an insignificant minority. Even if they have what they think are good intentions though, they seldom dwell much on the likely outcome of their work, and just impotently advocate “responsible” use of their discoveries. 

What’s written in TS vol. 1 shows that even the briefer remarks the author makes are far from groundless, and demonstrates the rigorous character of his opus. Kaczynski’s later works should get far more attention than they presently get.