The Unabomber and the origins of anti-tech radicalism

IF 1 3区 社会学 Q3 POLITICAL SCIENCE Journal of Political Ideologies Pub Date : 2021-05-07 DOI:10.1080/13569317.2021.1921940
Sean Fleming
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引用次数: 8

Abstract

ABSTRACT Theodore Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, is one of America’s most infamous domestic terrorists. His 1995 Manifesto, ‘Industrial Society and Its Future’, is well known and influential among radicals of many stripes, yet surprisingly little has been written about it. This article uncovers the origins of Kaczynski’s ideas and examines his influence on contemporary anti-tech radicalism. Using newly discovered archival material, I reveal the sources that Kaczynski deliberately concealed in the 1995 Washington Post version of his Manifesto. My excavation of his sources shows that his ideology is more novel than the common ‘eco-terrorist’, ‘green anarchist’, and ‘neo-Luddite’ labels suggest. His Manifesto is a synthesis of ideas from three well known academics: French philosopher Jacques Ellul, British zoologist Desmond Morris, and American psychologist Martin Seligman. Further, I show that it is necessary to understand Kaczynski’s distinct combination of ideas in order to understand the anti-tech radical groups that he has inspired, such as the Mexican terrorist group Individualidades Tendiendo a lo Salvaje (ITS). The ideological novelty of anti-tech radicalism has been overlooked because, like Kaczynski himself, it has been mistaken for radical environmentalism or green anarchism.
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Unabomber与反科技激进主义的起源
摘要西奥多·卡钦斯基(Theodore Kaczynski)是美国国内最臭名昭著的恐怖分子之一。他1995年的宣言《工业社会及其未来》在各种激进分子中都很有名,也很有影响力,但令人惊讶的是,关于它的文章却很少。这篇文章揭示了卡钦斯基思想的起源,并考察了他对当代反科技激进主义的影响。利用新发现的档案材料,我揭示了卡钦斯基在1995年《华盛顿邮报》版本的《宣言》中故意隐瞒的来源。我对他的来源的挖掘表明,他的意识形态比常见的“生态恐怖分子”、“绿色无政府主义者”和“新卢德分子”标签所暗示的更新颖。他的宣言综合了三位著名学者的观点:法国哲学家雅克·埃鲁尔、英国动物学家德斯蒙德·莫里斯和美国心理学家马丁·塞利格曼。此外,我表明,有必要了解卡钦斯基独特的思想组合,以了解他所激发的反科技激进组织,如墨西哥恐怖组织Individualdades Tendiendo a lo Salvaje(ITS)。反科技激进主义的意识形态新颖性被忽视了,因为和卡钦斯基本人一样,它被误认为是激进的环保主义或绿色无政府主义。
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来源期刊
Journal of Political Ideologies
Journal of Political Ideologies POLITICAL SCIENCE-
CiteScore
3.30
自引率
12.50%
发文量
28
期刊介绍: The Journal of Political Ideologies is dedicated to the analysis of political ideology both in its theoretical and conceptual aspects, and with reference to the nature and roles of concrete ideological manifestations and practices. The journal serves as a major discipline-developing vehicle for an innovative, growing and vital field in political studies, exploring new methodologies and illuminating the complexity and richness of ideological structures and solutions that form, and are formed by, political thinking and political imagination. Concurrently, the journal supports a broad research agenda aimed at building inter-disciplinary bridges with relevant areas and invigorating cross-disciplinary debate.
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