A thesis defense on being and the industrial society

Presented by Obnamia, Edielle Anne S.

Theodore John Kaczynski’s Life
Martin Heidegger’s Life
 Meßkirch, Germany
 26 September 1889
 Became the Rector of Freiburg
University in 1933
 Ontologist /Existentialist
 Illinois, USA
 May 22, 1942
 Incarcerated in ADX (administrative
maximum security), Colorado
 UNABOMBER- (university,airport bomber)
 3 murders, 16 bombings, from 1978-1995
 Published his Manifesto by leveraging his
cessations of bombings to accomplished that.
New York Times published in 22 Sept 1995
 Finished Harvard at age 16, Math Prodigy
 Subjected to shady psychological
experimentation in his collegiate years.
 primitivism
1. What are the problems brought about by
technology in an Industrial society according to
Kaczynski?

2. What is Existentialism of Heidegger and what

does he has to say about these problems brought
about by industrialization?

Main Problem
What does it mean to be a man in a technologically
encroached Industrial society?
1. We forgotten, or do not know, or a doubtful of what it means to be man. Therefore there is a
need to revisit the meaning of what it is exactly to be one, in order to that we need to revisit the
meaning of being understood and reflected upon the given the environment that we are beset
with, that is a technologically encroached environment.

Heidegger + Kaczynski = possible answers

Heidegger= meaning of Being
Kaczynski = description and criticism of the technologically steeped social milieu and environment

2. Heidegger Leading ontologist, existentialist that understand technology.

[Being and Time and Questions Concerning Technology]
3. Kaczynski a normal (possibly sociopathic) individual with the determination to execute his
ideas, if an idea is worth being incarcerated for, then there might be some truth into which we
never ventured to understand. Expressed his ideas in writing and therefore available for
scrutiny, analysis and interpretation.
 Group of People, with an industrialized way of living.
 Characterized by advance technological economic mode of productions.

 Characterized by the presence of technology.

 Types of Societies
 Developing countries/ societies /states
 Physical sufferings, food, infrastructure, and transportation, relatively harder way or less conviniet
way of living.
 Developed countries/ societies /states
 A hosts of psychological problems beneath the seemingly an easier-going way of life.
 Disrupted power structure
 Oversocialized Individuals
 Prominence of Leftists Ideology

 Deep technological problems

 Destroyed compromised Nature
 Psychologically threatened individuals
 Provide sufficiently the biological needs of man (longevity and
sustenance, certain level of comfortability and convenience)
 Calls for surrogate activities
 “mainly socialists, collectivists, “politically correct” types, feminists, gay and
disability activists, animal rights activists and the like.” [7]

 Characterized by
 Feelings of Inferiority [10]
 Oversocialized
 Man is trained to fit in.

 Due to the disruption of the power process

1. Need for a GOAL [much better if it’s a real goal]
2. Need to have SUFFICIENT EFFORT to achieve that
GOAL
3. Achievement of that GOAL

4. AUTONOMY
procrastination
 In the absence of real goals that require effort, like finding food, building shelter
and exercising one’s freedom of choice to the fullest extent, one turns to these,
SURROGATE ACTIVITY. [39]
 It is deemed surrogate if, he feels deprived of not achieving or completing his
activity, even when there is need for him to provide and sustain his biological
needs that make use of his mental and physical faculties.
 Browsing the internet, Procrastinating, doing nothing, etc.
 Even ACTUAL Jobs, probably.[40]
 Small-scale Technologies

Organization-Dependent Technologies

 Modern Technology used in telecommunications, medicine, agriculture, biological

engineering, physics, astronomy, banking, transportation, production…is considered
under organization-dependent technology.

 Characterized by efficiency, comfortability and a certain level of convenience.

 Viewed as a threat to Freedom by Kaczynski.

 Because it makes life too easy, therefore most tasks of people fall under the category
of Goals whose attainment does not require serious effort.
 Sets man into an unnatural setting for him, which he is given such a small time to adapt to,
thus leads to problems. [47]
 Traditions/ Sensibilities < Technological Advancements
 Silent and effective in brainwashing and because it is convenient.
 Revolt
 Total revamping of the society
 May or may not require bloodshed [actions speaks louder than words]

 Reform
 Can take a lot of time
 Not that effective
 Technology disrupts the power process by:

 Creating new surrogate activities

 That can further exacerbate the problem of society.

 Subjects man in an unnatural setting and environment.

 Which leads to leftist psychology of the people.

 That is oversocialized and feels inferior.

 Inhibits man to yearn for his Autonomy. Technology > Freedom

 The question of Being is of utmost importance, and in order to understand, we need
to understand it under the context of human beings, because we’re the only ones
who can question our own being, and thus we can conclude that we are the only
ones who can understand BEING.
 Being-With-Others
 BEING-TOWARDS-DEATH
 AUTHENTICITY
 FREEDOM
 ANXIETY
 being-in-the world
 "in"
 existential sense
 categorical sense
 CARE STRUCTURE/ SORGE
 3 CHARACTERISTICS
 THROWNESS
 FALLENNESS
 INAUTHENTICITY
 PROJECTION
 POTENTIALITY for BEING
 Society
 Man Living with one another
 DAS MAN
 DAS GEREDE
 CHALLENGING-FORTH
 ENFRAMING
 SETTING UPON
 ORDERING
 STANDING-RESERVES
 BRINGING-FORTH
 SAVING POWER
 Technology can be both beneficial and detrimental
 Technology exacerbate Das Gerede
 Anxiety – can lead to authenticity
 As caused by disruption of the power process
 The emotion felt from witness the uncanny, that is often found near death experience

 Man is free to make his choices, but is bound in the world

* I BE WHAT I WANT
TO BE, WHEN I
WANT TO BE, DO
WHAT I WANT TO
DO*
 Man is thrown into the world, and no matter the circumstances, the world will have
chatter and inauthenticity that would seem enticing, there is still that choice to
overcome that.
 Man exists and as man, to live in a technologically steeped society means that he
must put extra effort in trying to become autonomous, he must try to live as honest,
as autonomous and as free as he can get and not be swayed by the enticing Das
Gerede, that is all the more powerful.