Theodore John Kaczynski's "Industrial Society and Its Future" - A Critical Analysis

GrumpyOlBastard: Eerily correct observations and predictions. If he had not turned into a criminal, he would have been recognized as one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century.

Sweden on Nov 05, 2023

JC: Ted K.'s manifesto is quite interesting reading. His analysis of the liberal temperament seems dead-on, and his argument that technology drives inexorably toward human enslavement seems inarguable.

United States on Oct 17, 2023

EduardoEduardo: Whether you like, simpathize or hate Theodore Kaczynski and his ideals is not important; I recommend this book for everyone, regardless of your ideology, past knowledge of him and his works, and if you like modernism or not. I read this book multiple times and I can not get tired of it. It is clearly (and even pointed out by him) extremist in multiple parts, but it makes concise and important criticisms to the Industrial Revolution and its consequences.

United States on Oct 15, 2023

Jonathan: This classic "manifesto" written by Ted, is an interesting read. It's not so much of what one would expect of one of the most notorious people in recent history, but rather a discussion on social and societal problems as a result of technological development. Many of the issues brought up by Ted in this book didn't become obvious to most people until 15 or 20 years later. Many of the most discussed problems in society today were covered by Ted back in the late 80s and early 90s. An interesting read for anyone interested in history and civics.

Sweden on Oct 01, 2023

Brad Nichols: I hate to say it, but "Uncle Ted" is right. Not about everything, and not about the solutions put forward. What you get out of this book will be influenced heavily by what you bring to the table. I agree that technology is partially responsible for the degradation of modern society. I agree, to a point, about they types of people that are causing the most problems in modern society. Who knew that he was a huge environmentalist!!!?

As a fellow misanthrope, I think he's a bit of an extremist. He doesn't say it directly, and neither does Greenpeace or other nature loving groups, buy the carbon they want to reduce is you. Perhaps the CIA gave him too much LSD. I don't know. It was an interesting read, it's short, I read it in the airport and on a flight. Nobody bothered me.

United States on Sep 25, 2023

Amazon Customer: You can tell the author had an IQ of 160. I was impressed with the clarity of thought and how accessible the writing is- and how forward thinking he was. This was written in the 90s and so much of what he wrote about has come to pass.

As to all the reviewers who wrote that Kaczynski had good points “BUT”: check out the reviews for Marx’s Communist Manifesto. How many people are over there are saying that Marx had really good ideas “but”? The Communists were responsible for the deaths of untold millions of people- Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao. Nobody makes excuses for THEM. They shrug it off with “If you want to make an omelet, you need to break some eggs.”

Kaczynski was right. The Internet Age in collaboration with Big Pharma and Corporate America has done a lot of damage to our society- they have eroded our freedoms and our privacy. It’s an awesome book. Two thumbs up.

United States on Sep 15, 2023

Claudio Ranza: Non entrerò in merito ai contenuti di questo libro ma parlerò della sua struttura: la fattura è molto buona per il prezzo pagato

Italy on Sep 07, 2023

Avilon: Came in good condition, interesting writing. I would recommend this book for people who are more aware of their surroundings

Germany on Aug 26, 2023

Karson C: Heard he just passed away couple months ago so I thought I’d pick up his manifesto. Always wanted to read it. His methods were not good but he had some great theories and ideas. He basically predicted everything we’re going through in society as more and more time goes on. If you’re bored and want something interesting to read I recommend this.

United States on Aug 07, 2023

Alex: 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...

United Kingdom on Jul 07, 2023