“…“Leftism is in the long run inconsistent with wild nature, with human freedom and with the elimination of modern technology. Leftism is collectivist; it seeks to bind together the entire world (both nature and the human race) into a unified whole…The system knowingly destroys intimate bonds between people because it wants to SOAK UP all the loyalty and energy of individuals for itself…The technological society HAS TO weaken family ties and local communities if it is to function efficiently.”
Insights From The Unabomber
Ted Kaczynski And Solid State
My fellow ZeroHedge contributor Tim Knight of SlopeofHope was kind enough to send me an autographed copy of his debut novel, Solid State last month.
Just arrived from Palo Alto, an autographed copy of Tim Knight’s debut novel.
I plan to review it here for you soon, but for now I’ll say two things about it: it’s excellent, and the ideas of another TK feature prominently in it: the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. With that in mind, I thought it might make sense to share this thread highlighting some of Ted Kaczynski’s key insights below. Following that, we’ll close with a brief trading note.
(Added By SM)
Insights From The Unabomber Manifesto
1/ Kaczynski lists the 4 big problems with modern civilization:
– “Excessive density of population” – “Isolation of man from nature” – “Excessive rapidity of social change” – “The breakdown of natural small-scale communities such as the extended family, the village, the tribe”— Jash Dholani (@oldbooksguy) August 13, 2023
3/ The balance of power between individuals and the larger “system” flipped when machines made much of human labor obsolete while simultaneously allowing big corp and big govt to observe, track, exclude (social media bans, stripping away bank accounts) anyone being naughty— Jash Dholani (@oldbooksguy) August 13, 2023
5/ Ted Kaczynski writes:
“The Industrial Revolution has radically altered man’s environment..it is to be expected that as technology is increasingly applied to the human body and mind, man himself will be altered as radically as his environment and way of life have been.”— Jash Dholani (@oldbooksguy) August 13, 2023
7/ Kaczynski against Leftism:
“Leftism is in the long run inconsistent with wild nature, with human freedom and with the elimination of modern technology. Leftism is collectivist; it seeks to bind together the entire world (both nature and the human race) into a unified whole.”— Jash Dholani (@oldbooksguy) August 13, 2023
9/ The system knowingly destroys intimate bonds between people because it wants to SOAK UP all the loyalty and energy of individuals for itself
Kaczynski writes: “The technological society HAS TO weaken family ties and local communities if it is to function efficiently.”— Jash Dholani (@oldbooksguy) August 13, 2023
11/ Can we go back to small-scale communities?
Kaczynski says no because we are “enmeshed with and dependent on large-scale systems like public utilities, computer networks, highway systems, the mass communications media and the modern health-care system.” pic.twitter.com/5iZCTJTL6J— Jash Dholani (@oldbooksguy) August 13, 2023
I’m creating a “Critics of Modernity” reading list
2 min intros to some great thinkers :
• Nietzsche on Master-Slave Morality • Chesterton on Learning • Burnham on Power • Huxley on Modern Pleasures • Evola’s Revolt Against The Modern World
It’s worth remembering that Ted Kaczynski wrote this before the Internet and social media had enmeshed us all further into technological society. While most reject his radical solutions, many do acknowledge the downsides of modern technology–including many of those behind it. It’s notable that some Silicon Valley parents send their children to schools where they are kept away from computer (and phone/tablet) screens.
RIELPOLITIK 