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Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How

First edition
Author	Ted Kaczynski
Language	English
Subject	Criticism of technology
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Fitch & Madison
Publication place	United States

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

Publication history

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

Book structure

There are four chapters and six appendices in the book:

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.

See also

• Anarcho-primitivism
• Criticism of technology
• Collapsology
• Green anarchism
• Industrial Society and Its Future
• Jacques Ellul
  • The Technological Society (1954/64)
• Man and Technics (1931)
• Neo-Luddism
• Pentti Linkola
• Philosophy of technology
• Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes
• The Question Concerning Technology (1954)
• Radical environmentalism
• Revolution
• Social Movement
• Technological Slavery

Concepts

• Loose coupling
• Cascading failure
• Holocene extinction
• Accelerating change

References

1. Richardson, John H. (2018-12-11). "The Unlikely New Generation of Unabomber Acolytes". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
2. Oleson, James C. (2023-11-09). "A requiem for the Unabomber". Contemporary Justice Review: 1–29. doi:10.1080/10282580.2023.2279312. ISSN 1028-2580.
3. ^ Kaczynski, Theodore (2020). Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How (expanded 2nd ed.). Fitch & Madison Publishers. ISBN 978-1-9442-2802-6..
4. Fleming, Sean (2021-05-07). "The Unabomber and the origins of anti-tech radicalism". Journal of Political Ideologies. 27 (2). Informa UK Limited: 207–225. doi:10.1080/13569317.2021.1921940. ISSN 1356-9317.
5. Li, Ivy (2016-11-10). "A neo-Luddite manifesto?". The Tech. Retrieved 2021-12-20.

• History
• Politics
• Energy

• Societal collapse
• Social systems
• 2016 non-fiction books
• 2016 in the environment
• Technophobia
• Complex systems theory
• Books by Ted Kaczynski