Was the Unabomber Right?

As a child, I heard about a comic-book villain called the Unabomber—a Harvard mathematician turned terrorist who wanted to destroy civilization. Fast-forward to our current sci-fi dystopia, and attitudes have dramatically shifted. Among disaffected young men, "Uncle Ted" Kaczynski has become a prophet whose warnings seem increasingly prescient. Following his prison suicide last year, this episode examines whether the Unabomber's critique of technology and society was actually correct. -- SPONSORS: NetSuite: More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102 Shopify: Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitive Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code WHATIFALTHIST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/whatifalthist -- LINKS: Link to my second podcast on world history and interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj Link to my cancellation insurance: https://becomepluribus.com/creators/20 Link to my Twitter- https://x.com/whatifalthist Link to my Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/rudyardwlynch/?hl=en -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- Bibliography: The Unabomber’s Manifesto by Kaczynski The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker A Hunter Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st century by Weinstein The History of Manners by Norbert Elias The Total State by Auron Macintyre Tyranny Inc by Ahmari The Revolt of the Elites by Lasch The Anxious Generation by John Haidt The Happiness Hypothesis by Jon Haidt The Righteous Mind by Jon Haidt The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate The Elephant in the Brain by Simler Europe Emerges by Reynolds Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber Debt by David Graeber The Dictators by Richard Overy The Geography of Nowhere by Kunstler The Story of Work by Lucassen The Lonely Crowd by Riesman The Origins of Ideology by Imannuel Todd Lineages of Modernity by Immaneul Todd Ultrasociety by Peter Turchin Seeing like a State by James Scott Leviathan and its Enemies by Sam Francis The True Believer by Eric Hoffer After Liberalism by Gottfried A Secular Age by Charles Taylor The Decay of Political Order by Francis Fukuyama The WEIRDest people in the world by Joseph Heinrech The Story of Philosophy by Bertrand Russel The Founder Effect by Samo Burja Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices