#42 - Ted Kaczynski: Genius or Terrorist?

On the 10th of June, 2023, Theodore John Kaczynski took his own life in his prison cell where, in 1998, he had been sentenced to serve out several life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. When this news became public, there was a large outcry and a revitalised conversation on the internet about how he should be remembered. So, let’s get to the facts, what did Theodore, or as we’ll call him; Ted, do? Living from an isolated wood cabin in Montana, he sent packages with explosives to people whom he considered inextricably linked to modern capitalism, the continuation of the Industrial Revolution and foot soldiers of technology against Mother Nature. These killings went on for years before he was ultimately discovered by the authorities in another surreal twist of fate. So, who was Ted? Was he a philosophical revolutionary who has, pretty accurately, predicted the increasing grip that technology has on humanity? A man who foresaw the world transforming into a technological dystopia akin to that in Blade Runner? Or was he a misled genius whose sanity was broken by an illegal CIA psychological operation called MK Ultra? Whatever your stance is on this increasingly important philosophical question, Ted Kaczynski’s writings and theories still continue to ripple across society. And it is for that reason, we’ve provided a one-hour long discussion on this man’s philosophical treatise: Industrial Society and Its Future. Enjoy.