These are my slides from the Unabomber panel at Rutgers and at SXSW. The SXSW presentation is written up here: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/tech-vs-society-why-unabomber-still-makes-us-think-1C8780230

1. What can we learn from the
Unabomber?

2. What can we learn from the
Unabomber?
Nothing.

3. But…

4. But…
This doesn’t mean our technological system is
benign.

5. and…

6. and…
This doesn’t mean radical measures aren’t called
for.

7. It means…

8. It means…
The Unabomber is not the go to guy for
answers.

9. The Plan

10. The Plan
1) Why the Unabomber Manifesto is Weak

11. The Plan
1) Why the Unabomber Manifesto is Weak
2) Why the Unabomber Manifesto is Wrong

12. The Plan
1) Why the Unabomber Manifesto is Weak
2) Why the Unabomber Manifesto is Wrong
3) What is a Better Critique?

13. The Plan
1) Why the Unabomber Manifesto is Weak
2) Why the Unabomber Manifesto is Wrong
3) What is a Better Critique?
4) Why are we *Really* Here?

14. 1. Why the Unabomber Manifesto
is Weak

15. 1. Why the Unabomer Manifesto
is Weak
1). The bulk of the argument is an ad hominem
attack

16. 1. Why the Unabomer Manifesto
is Weak
1). The bulk of the argument is ad hominem
attack
2). The argument relies on the genetic fallacy

17. 1. Why the Unabomer Manifesto
is Weak
1). The bulk of the argument is ad hominem
attack
2). The argument relies on the genetic fallacy
3). The argument from evolution is NOT SOUND

18. On the ad hominem and genetic
fallacies

19. On the ad hominem and genetic
fallacies
What role do they play in the manifesto?

20. On the ad hominem and genetic
fallacies
What role do they play in the manifesto?
The Unabomber uses them to dismiss
arguments that we can use government or
activism to restrain technology.

21. On the ad hominem and genetic
fallacies
The ad hominem fallacy:

22. On the ad hominem and genetic
fallacies
The ad hominem fallacy:
Argument to the person

23. On the ad hominem and genetic
fallacies
The ad hominem fallacy:
Argument to the person
The genetic fallacy:

24. On the ad hominem and genetic
fallacies
The ad hominem fallacy:
Argument to the person.
The genetic fallacy:
Thinking that showing the source of a belief
falsifies the belief.

25. The Unabomber on “leftists”
7. When we speak of leftists in this article we
have in mind mainly socialists, collectivists,
"politically correct" types, feminists, gay and
disability activists, animal rights activists and the
like. But not everyone who is associated with
one of these movements is a leftist. What we
are trying to get at in discussing leftism is not so
much a movement or an ideology as a
psychological type.

26. 9. The two psychological tendencies that
underlie modern leftism we call "feelings of
inferiority" and "oversocialization.”

27. 10. By "feelings of inferiority" we mean not only
inferiority feelings in the strictest sense but a
whole spectrum of related traits: low self-
esteem, feelings of powerlessness, depressive
tendencies,defeatism, guilt, self-hatred, etc. We
argue that modern leftists tend to have such
feelings (possibly more or less repressed) and
that these feelings are decisive in determining
the direction of modern leftism.

28. 14. Feminists are desperately anxious to prove
that women are as strong as capable as men.
Clearly they are nagged by a fear that women
may NOT be as strong and as capable as men.

29. 15. Leftists tend to hate anything that has an
image of being strong, good and successful.
They hate America, they hate Western
civilization, they hate white males, they hate
rationality.

30. 17. Art forms that appeal to modern leftist
intellectuals tend to focus on sordidness, defeat
and despair, or else they take an orgiastic
tone, throwing off rational control as if there
were no hope of accomplishing anything
through rational calculation and all that was left
was to immerse oneself in the sensations of the
moment.

31. 18. Modern leftist philosophers tend to dismiss
reason, science, objective reality and to insist
that everything is culturally relative. …They are
deeply involved emotionally in their attack on
truth and reality. They attack these concepts
because of their own psychological needs.

32. 20. Notice the masochistic tendency of leftist
tactics. Leftists protest by lying down in front of
vehicles, they intentionally provoke police or
racists to abuse them, etc. These tactics may
often be effective, but many leftists use them
not as a means to an end but because they
PREFER masochistic tactics. Self-hatred is a
leftist trait.

33. Masochist?

34. Masochists?

35. Masochists?

36. Masochists?

37. Reviewing so far…

38. Reviewing so far…
• These attacks are ad hominem

39. Reviewing so far…
• These attacks are ad hominem
• They play a role in the genetic fallacy

40. Reviewing so far…
• These attacks are ad hominem
• They play a role in the genetic fallacy
• In any case, the psychological claims are
unsupported and very likely false.

41. The Core Argument
(1) Humans evolved under primitive, low-tech
conditions, over the past 2 million years.
(2) Lived in small autonomous groups (25-
50), amidst vast wilderness.
(3) Modern technological society is radically
different than this, and imposes
unprecedented stress on humanity and
nature.

42. Core Argument (cont.)
(4) Technological stress will only continue to
worsen:
 The environment will become simplified,
manipulated, and contaminated.
 Humanity will become either enslaved, genetically-
modified, or eliminated.
(5) Such a condition is undignified, abhorrent,
and profoundly dehumanizing.
(6) It is impossible to fix or reform the system,
so as to avoid these disastrous outcomes.

43. Core Argument (cont.)
THEREFORE: The system must end.
In fact, we have a moral obligation to end it.

44. This argument is not sound.

45. The argument is not sound.
The fact that a situation is abhorrent does not
mean we have a moral obligation to
exterminate billions of people to end it.

46. The argument is not sound.
Furthermore, from the claim that people are
metaphorically “enslaved”, it does not follow
that the enslavement should end at any cost.

47. The argument is not sound.
Furthermore, from the claim that people are
metaphorically “enslaved”, it does not follow
that the enslavement should end at any cost.
From the fact that the species is at risk it doesn’t
follow that any action is justified.

48. For example
If we are going to starve if we don’t kill and eat
someone it doesn’t follow that we should kill
and eat someone.

49. For example
If we are going to starve if we don’t kill and eat
someone it doesn’t follow that we should kill
and eat someone.
It certainly doesn’t follow that we have a moral
obligation to kill and eat someone.

50. In addition…
There is also a missing premise in the step from this
premise:
“[if we don’t return to the conditions under which we evolved]
Humanity will become either enslaved, genetically-modified, or
eliminated.”
to the conclusion.
The system must end. In fact, we have a moral obligation to end it.

51. Two missing premises.

52. Two missing premises.
1) Evolution optimizes for freedom, dignity, genetic
stability, and survival of the species.

53. Two missing premises.
1) Evolution optimizes for freedom, dignity, genetic
stability, and survival of the species.
2) The only way to stay optimized is by being in the
conditions in which we evolved.

54. missing premise 1
Evolution optimizes for freedom, dignity, genetic
stability, and survival of the species,
so if we return to the conditions under which we
evolved we optimize for all these.

55. But that premise is false:
Evolution doesn’t optimize for
freedom, dignity, genetic stability, and survival
of the species.

56. But that premise is false:
Evolution doesn’t optimize for
freedom, dignity, genetic stability, and survival
of the species.
Evolution only cares about reproductive success.

57. But that premise is false:
Evolution doesn’t optimize for
freedom, dignity, genetic stability, and survival
of the species.
Evolution only cares about reproductive success.
1) It doesn’t care about freedom and dignity

58. But that premise is false:
Evolution doesn’t optimize for freedom, dignity,
genetic stability, and survival of the species.
Evolution only cares about reproductive success.
1) It doesn’t care about freedom and dignity
2) It doesn’t promise genetic stability

59. But that premise is false:
Evolution doesn’t optimize for
freedom, dignity, genetic stability, and survival
of the species.
Evolution only cares about reproductive success.
1) It doesn’t care about freedom and dignity
2) It doesn’t promise genetic stability
3) It doesn’t promise survival of the species

60. Missing premise 2
Is returning to the original evolving conditions
the only way to optimize?

61. Missing premise 2
Is returning to the original evolving conditions
the only way to optimize?
No, because that is what human factors
engineering is for. We engineer for people as
they are evolved.

62. Missing premise 2
Is returning to the original evolving conditions
the only way to optimize?
No, because that is what human factors
engineering is for. We engineer for people as
they are evolved.
And there are other ways…

63. KU’s Steve Illardi
How to reproduce hunter-gatherer psychology
1) omega-3 fatty acids
2) Exercise
3) Light exposure
4) Sleep
5) Social connectedness
6) Anti-ruminative behavior

64. Is the background assumption true?

65. Is the background assumption true?
Background assumption: human technology is
alien to us as human beings.

66. Perhaps we evolved to be technological
creatures.

67. bees

68. beavers

69. spiders

70. birds

71. humans

72. humans

73. 3. What is a Better Critique?

74. 3. What is a Better Critique?
An Anarchist critique:

75. 3. What is a Better Critique?
An Anarchist critique:
Perhaps we are only alienated by technology
when those in power seize control of it.

76. 3. What is a Better Critique?
An Anarchist critique:
Perhaps we are only alienated by technology
when those in power seize control of it.
We are not alienated by technology
We are alienated from technology

77. 3. What is a Better Critique?
A hacktivist critique:

78. 3. What is a Better Critique?
A hacktivist critique:
We become alienated when the ability is to be
technological is kept from us!

79. We become alienated from technology when we
aren’t allowed to see and understand how it
works

80. We become alienated from technology when we
aren’t allowed to see and understand how it
works
–that is, alienation occurs when the ability to
understand and hack technology is withheld
from us.

81. How do we fix the misuse of
technology?

82. How do we fix the misuse of
technology?
Put control of technology back in the hands of
everyone (not just those in power).

83. How do we fix the misuse of
technology?
Put control of technology back in the hands of
everyone (not just those the powerful).
Information wants to be free. Liberate it!

84. 4. So, Why are We *Really* Here?

85. 4. So, Why are We *Really* Here?

89. The toll…

90. The toll…
• 16 bombs

91. The toll…
• 16 bombs
• 3 killed

92. The toll…
• 16 bombs
• 3 killed
• 13 maimed

93. one victim
Thomas J. Mosser
• Advertising exec
• North Caldwell, NJ
• Age 50
• Wife, Susan
• Daughter, age 13
• Daughter, 15 months

94. From the NYT
Some neighbors said yesterday that it was only
luck that others were not injured by the bomb.
Mr. McKay said that he held a party for the
neighborhood on Friday night and that several
children wandered from the party to the
Mossers' house.

95. From the NYT
"They had half a dozen kids there with the bomb
sitting on the table," Mr. McKay said. "His wife
signed for the package on Friday and left it on
the table."

96. From the NYT
Robin xxx, 13, stayed over for the night and was
in the house with the Mossers and their
daughters when the explosion occurred. She
said she took the Mossers' daughter Kelly next
door after the blast.

97. Robert Kusmirowski, Unacabine, 2008

98. Unabomber Cabin at the Newseum

99. Newseum
• “Probe the Unabomber Cabin:
Explore a mad hermit’s life with
videos and an interactive [sic].”

101. Jeffrey Dahmer’s Spoon