“The system does not and cannot exist to satisfy human needs. Instead, it is human behavior that has to be modified to fit the needs of the system. This has nothing to do with the political or social ideology that may pretend to guide the technological system. It is the fault of technology, because the system is guided not by ideology but by technical necessity….. modern technology is a unified system in which all parts are dependent on one another. You can’t get rid of the ‘bad’ parts of technology and retain only the ‘good’ parts.”
These are the words of Ted Kaczynski, more commonly known as the Unabomber. While he is obviously not normally viewed as a credible commentator on technology (or much else for that matter), his writings in his manifesto are extreme but not that much crazier than anyone elses. He clearly is in the technological determinist camp and was apparently was deeply influenced by Jacques Ellul’s writings on technology.
The question I would ask is does he have anything to teach us? Kevin Kelly, for one, argues that he does.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/entropik/2465746362/
References:
Kaczynski, T, (1995). The Unabombers Manifesto. Retrieved from http://cyber.eserver.org/unabom.txt
