Ted Kaczynski was an undeniably gifted man. He graduated Harvard with a BA at 20 years old, and later earned a PhD for the University of Michigan as well. His entire life since childhood he was seen as bright, especially in the subject of mathematics. Being a genius doesn’t make you entirely smart, though. Kaczynski had a strong disdain for technology and how it was evolving in society, which he discusses in his manifesto, “Industrial Society and Its Future.” While I wouldn’t say I disagree with everything he says– in fact, especially in a time when AI is so prominent in society, it’s not hard to understand his hatred for technology’s advance– it’s also important to remember that Kaczynski was a man who hated industrial society so much that he spent years living in a cabin with no heat, electricity, or running water, purely to spite the world’s technological evolution.
Kaczynski’s odd yet seemingly innocent hatred for modern society turned violent and deadly quickly in 1978, when he built and sent his first bomb to an engineering professor at Northwestern University. While the target was unharmed, the bomb successfully detonated, harming a police officer. With this being just his first, he went on to deliver 15 more bombs to various victims, harming 23 more people and killing 3.
Discussing his manifesto itself, I don’t believe that his mindset was entirely crooked. Some of his views on technology are especially relevant today, and while I don’t believe it should be entirely abolished, there are certainly limits as to how much it should advance. Aside from industrial society, though it’s mainly what he talks about, he also discusses leftists, specifically his dislike for them. In his own words, he calls them a “widespread manifestation of the craziness of our world.” His feelings towards leftists doesn’t really seem based on political views, though, but mainly due to the fact that he believes that they blame society for all of their problems while hating themselves. Kaczynski makes it clear that he doesn’t like people who lack self motivation or goals, and he sees leftists as people who not only fit that category, but also try to make society fix their problems instead of doing it themselves. I can’t tell exactly what his personal beliefs were, but I don’t think he cared much for politics in general.
I’d like to also mention the intro sentence. “The Industrial Revolution and its consequences” is something I’ve seen online a few times and I think it’s interesting that I didn’t know it came from this text. I can’t help but wonder how Kaczynski would’ve felt seeing his words spread through the same internet that he had so much disdain for.