Take a photo of a barcode or cover
wbtmlu 's review for:
Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How
by Theodore John Kaczynski
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Arguably Kaczynski’s most important and philosophically advanced work, Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How concisely illustrates how the destructive qualities inherent to the technological system will inevitably reach a point of catastrophic collapse, and the means by which those opposed to the technological system can practically and effectively mount a resistance against it.
In the first part of the book, dedicated to the “Why,” Kaczynski dispels the myth that technology can be employed strictly for the benefit of humanity. This pessimistic view of technology stems from Kaczynski’s analysis of society, which states that society, especially technologically advanced society, cannot be rationally controlled and directed by humans. Owing to the complex and chaotic nature of human societies, Kaczynski argues, society is not subject to rational control by humans, as this would require absolute knowledge of a given society, which is impossible to attain. Therefore, society cannot control the development and application of technology. Since the development and application of technology cannot be controlled by society, there is a risk of increasingly dangerous and destructive technologies being created and employed for negative uses, which society will not be able to restrict or control—to say nothing of the supposedly positive technologies which left uncontrolled in the long term can mount up to severely negative outcomes.
Another important conclusion that is drawn in the first part of the book is that the collapse of the technological system is inevitable, due to the very nature of “self-propagating systems.” A Self-propagating system, according to Kaczynski, is:
“…a system that tends to promote its own survival and propagation.” (Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How, (2015) p. 42)
To put it simply, Kaczynski holds that self-propagating systems, or “self-prop” systems as he often calls them, tend to promote themselves with short-term survival in mind, with no regard for long-term consequences. Technologically advanced human societies (and their component organizations), which are self-prop systems, and which are also extremely tightly-coupled and interdependent, will act as self-prop systems naturally do, and compete for power with short-term survival in mind, at the expense of long-term considerations. And this activity, because of the highly destructive technologies which these systems possess, will lead to a breaking point in which the technological system and the biosystems on which it depends can no longer sustain themselves, and will likely bring about conditions which do not support the natural complex systems of Earth.
In the second part of the book, dedicated to the “How,” Kaczynski illustrates a clear and concise process by which those opposed to the technological system can rebel against it, to prevent the aforementioned scenario from occurring. Capturing all of the details Kaczynski lays out in this chapter would be far too complex for a mere summary, but a summary of key points will be done. In the chapter titled “How to Transform a Society: Errors to Avoid,” Kaczynski forms certain general postulates and rules about the nature of society and the revolutions which seek to radically change it. Some examples include:
“Postulate 1: You can’t change a society by pursuing ideas that are vague or abstract. You have to have a clear and concrete goal…” (Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How, (2016) first edition, p. 89).
“Postulate 4: Every radical movement that acquires great power becomes corrupt…” (Furst edition, p. 90).
“Rule (ii): If a movement aims to transform a society, then the objective selected by the movement must be of such a nature that, once the objective has been achieved, its consequences will be irreversible…” (First edition, p. 91).
“Rule (iii): Once an objective has been selected, it is necessary to persuade some small minority to commit itself to the achievement of the objective by means more potent than mere preaching or advocacy of ideas…” (First edition, p. 91).
In the final chapter, titled “Strategic Guidelines for an Anti-Tech Movement,” Kaczynski establishes many guidelines, which include the ideas that a revolutionary organization must have unity of action, the importance of studying earlier social and political movements, that those dedicated to a movement must be willing to accept great hardships and personal risks, among many other ideas of great importance.
Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How, certainly one of Kaczynski’s most profound works, augments Kaczynski’s philosophical views and adds much quality to anti-tech philosophy. The reader is left with a thorough and complex analysis of society which they would be hard-pressed to find in mainstream circles. The book is a work of great importance that all of those interested in theories of society, anti-tech/pro-wilderness thought, or the ideas of Ted Kaczynski ought to pursue.