Industrial Society and Its Future: Unabomber Manifesto

Just like many of you reading this, I originally only read the book as a joke in response to the spike in media attention around Kaczynski, largely through memes, with the iconic opening paragraph headlining on social media front pages during mid-to-late 2020. After reading it, I was shocked, views I had subconsciously held for most of my life started to make sense and began to look at society through a deeper lens. The book itself gives a comprehensive outline of the ways in which the technological system controls us and how it functions. While it is neither the first nor only critique of technological society, it is certainly the most accessible, condensed (yet easy to read) and precise of the lot. His critique of leftism has been heavily criticised (by leftists no doubt) as irrelevant, offensive, and out of place, yet Its position at the start of the text perfectly achieves the author’s aim of deterring leftists for their property of leeching on and corrupting revolutionary movements. For a rough outline based off his limited available sources it is shockingly accurate, self evident in fact when looking at the response from leftists. His unique concepts of the ‘power process’ and ‘surrogate activities’ are intriguing and lend the book a slightly more optimistic tone while he critiques modernity, by indicating the model of a free and autonomous society Kaczynski proves that he is just as capable of creating fresh ideas as he is at criticising outdated and flawed ones. His elegant refutal of the claim “reformation of industrial society so that the ‘bad’ is separated from the ‘good’ is possible” shows definitively that while politicians and supporters of the system claim technology can be reformed, they fail to solve even the simplest problems such as drug abuse, alcoholism, unemployment, school shootings, etc. The strategy put forward by the author for a hypothetical revolutionary movement to end the global technological system is an optimistic outlook as well as, he denotes, a necessary one. A movement in his eyes must be optimistic. While he speaks a lot of the atrocities and horrors inflicted on man in the name of an infinite technological progression, you do not leave this book with sadness and fear, but hope, anger and optimism (perhaps some justified anger also) Kaczynski makes the claim that revolution must occur sooner rather than later or else the consequences of the collapse of technological society will be more disastrous, no matter how necessary. And while the strategy aspect is relatively short in this book (unavoidable since the book itself is only roughly 200 paragraphs) he elaborates beyond his main talking points in a later book, Anti Tech Revolution: Why and How, which is highly recommended if you enjoy this book.

Fascinating read. You don't have to agree with his methods to appreciate his insights on societal damage through technological advance.

Interesting

its a shame the author ended up killing people, had he not done so, this book would probably be regarded as a must read book in universities. fascinating ideas and just a shame that they are associated with such tragic events

The content of the book is a very intesting take on modern society, I feel like if the man who wrote it hadn't done such horrendous things, he may have actually changed the world for the better. The quality of the book is passable, but the cover smudges quite easily, sort of an odd feeling material, but does it's job fine enough

Though many have/will concentrate on the observations and thus predictions TK made on the impact technology will have on society and who could possibly argue against this when what we have today is likely beyond what TK imagined when he first considered his “manifesto.” But it’s his observations as to pattern of behaviour of political/social/ideological/pseudo religious that is really profound. Their manipulation, infiltration, influence and the subsequent advancement their own “manifestos” that is really where the real horror lies. This “Industrial Society and its Future” should be enforced as “compulsory” reading for anyone above the age of 12. Reading this book alongside HG Wells “Politics and the English Language” will be alarming to the uninitiated but will serve as a “soothing ointment” to the mind of those who suspect that there is clearly something sinister taking place in earth today. A driving force that is hell bent on taking mankind with him, to oblivion.

On the one hand the content of the book is very good, on the other hand the quality of the book material is awful. If you are looking to purchase a copy of this book please do not buy this one as its published by amazon and feels very cheap. The edges of the covers are frayed and jagged and the cover itself is some strange ink that picks up fingerprints extremely easily. Buy this book but buy the one published by wingspan classics or some other publisher, at least until amazon gets their sh** together and learns how to produce their staple product properly.

Amazing book, difficult to get

Its an okay read, but wow is the bookprint itself a low quality. the front page feels like a freshly fully ink piece of A4 paper. this review does not cover the contents of the text.

Industrial revolution & it's consequences have been a disaster to the human race

Un livre qui pousse à la réflexion, ouvrage de qualité. Envoi rapide et soigné.

No complaints,

Hmm, maybe this Teddy guy is right.