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It was an eye-opening experience -- previous reports had all described the manifesto as rambling, incoherent, crazy, etc. It turned out to not be like that at all.
It was the first time I really had my eyes opened to how deceptive the media can be.
I always appreciated Ted's insight into the bad things about technology. His manifesto is well written and makes a strong case. However, I could never understand how he gets from pointing out that technology has some harmful side-effects, to believing that his conclusion is a justifiable rationale for murdering people.
He was a subject of unethical human experiments while at Harvard for one. That may have influenced his opinion. His crusade against academic scientists may have been more personal than even he consciously realized.
I can’t imagine being dosed with that much LSD while people are yelling at you and trying to scare you (this went on for years?) Doesn’t surprise me that that could break a person.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski#Harvard_Colleg...
I remember reading this when it was first published, in the newspapers. It was an eye-opening experience -- previous reports had all described the manifesto as rambling, incoherent, crazy, etc. It turned out to not be like that at all. It was the first time I really had my eyes opened to how deceptive the media can be.
This specific style of anti-modernity (industrialization leads to alienation) is at least as old as Rilke[1], who wrote about it extensively in his 1910 book, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge[2], and I get a chuckle thinking to myself that this is the most viable path to a truly "post-modern" world devoid of modernity.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria_Rilke [2] https://archive.org/stream/TheNotebooksOfMalteLauridsBrigge/...
I always appreciated Ted's insight into the bad things about technology. His manifesto is well written and makes a strong case. However, I could never understand how he gets from pointing out that technology has some harmful side-effects, to believing that his conclusion is a justifiable rationale for murdering people.
For those who haven't seen it up close but want to understand it, I strongly recommend this long dive into the forums for "estranged parents": http://www.issendai.com/psychology/estrangement/
The gist is that plenty of kids with narcissistic or abusive parents grow up and eventually cut off contact with their parents. For some, I'm sure, this forces a reckoning: they really look at what they've done and try to get better. But many do what they've done their whole lives: find ways to explain why they are still right.
Dashiell Hammett in The Thin Man gives a good description of what it's like dealing with people like this: "Most people [...] get discouraged after you’ve caught them in the third or fourth straight lie and fall back on either truth or silence, but not Mimi. She keeps trying and you’ve got to be careful or you’ll find yourself believing her, not because she seems to be telling the truth, but simply because you’re tired of disbelieving her." A description more familiar to people these days, I'm sure.
I always appreciated Ted's insight into the bad things about technology. His manifesto is well written and makes a strong case. However, I could never understand how he gets from pointing out that technology has some harmful side-effects, to believing that his conclusion is a justifiable rationale for murdering people.
The guy was a terrorist and serial killer. Though very intelligent, you can hardly expect his conclusions to be rational ones - he clearly fell off a cliff mentally and never recovered.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
He was a subject of unethical human experiments while at Harvard for one. That may have influenced his opinion. His crusade against academic scientists may have been more personal than even he consciously realized.
I think this is probably understated. I can’t imagine being dosed with that much LSD while people are yelling at you and trying to scare you (this went on for years?) Doesn’t surprise me that that could break a person. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski#Harvard_Colleg...
I remember reading this as a young person and being impressed by how intellectual it sounded. Reading it as an adult, it now sounds like a dressed-up rant from your uncle who spends far too much time watching a certain cable news network.
I remember when they were stopping and harassing people who were wearing hoodies and sunglasses around town, because of that silly and totally inaccurate Wanted poster. https://fineartamerica.com/featured/unabomber-ted-kaczynski-... You'd think he'd be smart enough not to go out strolling the city streets wearing the same exact hoodie and sunglasses as the "Unibom Law Enforcement Task Force" put on his wanted poster.
Need some help. A friend of mine who is blind studies society and technology. He has wanted to read this for some time, but we've not been able to find an audiobook version. Does anyone know if there is an audio reading of this?