Anti-tech Revolution

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Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How
Anti-tech Revolution.jpg
First edition
Author Ted Kaczynski
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject Criticism of technology
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherFitch & Madison

Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How is a 2016 non-fiction book by Ted Kaczynski. [1]

Publication history

In 2016, the first edition was published. A second edition was published by Fitch & Madison in 2020. [2]

Book structure

There are four chapters and six appendices in the book: [2]

Chapters:

  1. The Development of a Society Can Never Be Subject to Rational Human Control
  2. Why the Technological System Will Destroy Itself
  3. How to Transform a Society: Errors to Avoid
  4. Strategic Guidelines for an Anti-Tech Movement

Appendices:

  1. In Support of Chapter One
  2. In Support of Chapter Two
  3. Stay on Target
  4. The Long-Term Outcome of Geo-Engineering
  5. Thurston's View of Stalin's Terror. State Terrorism in General.
  6. The Teachings of Jesus Christ and Their Effect on Society

Synopsis

This book is split up into two parts: The first two chapters of this book argue for the need for a revolution to bring about the end of the technological system, while the second two chapters detail how a movement against the technological system should organize itself to achieve its goal.

In Chapter 1 of this book, Kaczynski argues against the notion that humans can rationally steer the development of society for numerous reasons, including but not limited to: the problems of complexity, chaos, competition among groups that seek power under the influence of natural selection, issues in deciding leadership and what values should be prioritized, and problems of succession.

Chapter 2, "Why the Technological System Will Destroy Itself,” develops the author’s theory of “self-propagating systems”—systems that compete against each other for power without any regard for the long-term consequences, since any self-propagating systems that take the long-term into account will lose their competitive edge and be out-competed by self-propagating systems that do not. Kaczynski ultimately argues that since the technological system itself is a self-propagating system composed of self-propagating subsystems that competes for power in the short-term without regard for the long-term negative consequences, that the logical conclusion of the continued growth of the technological system is the complete destruction of the biosphere, wiping out all complex lifeforms.

Chapters 3 and 4 provide guidelines for a movement that would seek to bring about the collapse of the technological system before its continued progression leads to a much larger disaster for humanity and the biosphere. [3] [4]

Summary

Chapter 1: The Development of a Society Can Never Be Subject to Rational Human Control

The first chapter of the book presents the following reasons why human societies cannot be subject to rational human control:

Chapter 2: Why the Technological System Will Destroy Itself

The second chapter of the book presents the following seven propositions: [2]

From these propositions, the author suggests that the logical conclusion of the development of the worldwide technological system is that planet Earth will become a dead planet by Holocene extinction.

The author analyzes the cases below according to his seven propositions.

In the final part of this chapter, the author refutes the idea that humans will achieve technological immortality. The author argues that even if rejuvenation, mind uploading, and man-machine hybrids become technologically feasible in the future, it does not follow that the technological system, to which humans will be one component, can or will keep them around indefinitely. The technological system will support and take care of humans only when the system needs human labor to function. When all humans become useless, natural selection will favor systems that eliminate them. The author says that the major systems around the world are already callously eliminating useless individuals to some extent, since in the United States and Europe, welfare budgets for retired, disabled, unemployed, and other unproductive persons are being substantially reduced.

Kaczynski refutes the idea that humans will be able to achieve immortality by linking up to machines and forming man-machine hybrids (which, the idea goes, would still then be able to compete with machines) by arguing that these man-machine hybrids would only retain those biological human components that remain useful to the system. When artificial components are available that are more useful to the system, human qualities will be replaced by them until the man-machine hybrids lose all of their human components altogether. This same argument--that any sort of man-machine hybrid will only retain human components for as long as those human components are useful to the technological system--applies in the case of being able to upload human minds into machines as well.

Rebutting the idea that there is a chance that any sort of man-machine hybrid can exist for thousands or millions of years, Kaczynski states that the rate of technological progress is constantly accelerating, leading to competition among self-propagating systems becoming increasingly more intense, thus eliminating the “losers” in the competition much more rapidly. This is to say that the life expectancy of “human-derived entities” (such as human minds uploaded into machines or man-machine hybrids) will be short as they will be out-competed by other entities/artifacts that are more fit to survival.

Chapter 3: How to Transform a Society: Errors to Avoid

The third part of this book presents four postulates and five rules for every radical movement to consider if it wants to achieve success. From these postulates and rules, the author concludes that the anti-tech movement should aim to bring about the total collapse of the worldwide technological system by any means necessary.

In order to support these postulates and rules, this chapter analyzes the historical figures, revolutions, and radical movements below:

Chapter 4: Strategic Guidelines for an Anti-Tech Movement

The fourth chapter of this book presents 30 guidelines for anti-tech revolutionaries to follow. The author recommends anti-tech revolutionaries to study the works of Leon Trotsky, Saul Alinsky, Philip Selznick, and Neil Smelser.

The anti-tech revolution the author envisions is something like below:

  1. A deeply committed core anti-tech revolutionary group will grow its internal strength. This group will build its branches in the major countries around the world such as the United States, China, Western Europe, Russia, and Latin America. They will spread anti-tech ideas and prepare for the revolution. The ideas will be selected on the basis of their soundness rather than their popularity. This group will prove itself to be the most uncompromising and effective of all existing factions that oppose the system.
  2. Some—likely a large minority of—people will recognize that the anti-tech revolutionaries' message has some merit, but they will refuse its solution as too radical, or due to apathy or cowardice.
  3. In due course, a major crisis or the opportunity for the revolutionaries to cause such a crisis will arrive. The technological system will not be able to support people's physical and/or psychological needs, causing most individuals to lose their faith in the existing system and fall into despair or anger. At this point, the revolutionaries must inspire and organize them for practical action against the existing system—something that they will not be deterred from doing even at great personal cost due to their desperation, and their frustration and anger at the system.
  4. Even so, only a rather small minority of the general population will actively support the revolution. However, since most people will only try to save their own skin or their family, they will not act in order to defend the technological system.
  5. In the meantime, the power structure will not be able to effectively organize its defense because of the ensuing chaos and disruption. Consequently, the revolutionaries will gain power.
  6. By the time the revolutionaries seize power, for example, in the United States, the world will be far more globalized and tightly coupled than at present. If the revolutionaries destroy the technological system of the United States, the whole world will fall into an economic crisis. This crisis will give the opportunity needed for anti-tech revolutionaries around the world to act.
  7. When the time for revolution arrives, the anti-tech revolutionaries must recognize it and push toward their ultimate goal without any vacillation or hesitation, as any hesitation would throw the movement into disarray.

See also

Concepts

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References

  1. Richardson, John H. (2018-12-11). "The Unlikely New Generation of Unabomber Acolytes". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
  2. 1 2 3 Kaczynski, Theodore (2020). Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How (expanded 2nd ed.). Fitch & Madison Publishers. ISBN   978-1-9442-2802-6..
  3. Fleming, Sean (2021-05-07). "The Unabomber and the origins of anti-tech radicalism". Journal of Political Ideologies. Informa UK Limited. 27 (2): 207–225. doi: 10.1080/13569317.2021.1921940 . ISSN   1356-9317.
  4. Li, Ivy (2016-11-10). "A neo-Luddite manifesto?". The Tech. Retrieved 2021-12-20.