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> ideas that he stole outright Maybe; but I'm not familiar with anyone who has stated the case so well, although he obviously had predecessors as anyone has. P
by Beltalowda 5y ago
> ideas that he stole outright
Maybe; but I'm not familiar with anyone who has stated the case so well, although he obviously had predecessors as anyone has. Perhaps a failing on my part, but there's probably a reason that his writings have endured in spite of the person. Either way, I think it's a mistake to dismiss ideas merely on account of who either proposed or popularized them. I think the ideas can be divorced from the person.
Or more contemporary; personally I think Donald Trump was a horrible president and all-round horrible person. But I also think he occasional said some things where he was actually right, and not everything he did as president was wrong either. Too often do I see people dismiss things merely on account of "Trump saidit!" I understand the sentiment, but you risk not addressing problems merely on account of who brings them to attention, which at best means the problem continues to exist, and at worst ignoring them makes them worse. This can be very dangerous.
At any rate, if you know of better authors to read, then please, let us know.
- i_am_proteus 5y agoJacques Ellul, The Technological Society and Propaganda The interesting bits of Kaczynski's manifesto are a less-well-written rehash of Ellul. Ellul's writing was found in Kaczynski's cabin. People know about Ted and not Jacques because Ted lived in a cabin and killed people, and Jacques was a college professor in France.
- lariati 5y agoI would just add Neil Postman's Technopoly as a much easier read. I have never been able to get through either of those Ellul books and have tried several times. I am not even sure if it is Ellul himself or translated French thought in general I find so painful.
- davidthewatson 5y agoI'd suggest Byung Chul Han. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byung-Chul_Han https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byung-Chul_Han Checkout The Burnout Society, The Disappearance of Rituals, and The Palliative Society. It's difficult to know if the language stems from a "lost in translation" problem, but I enjoy the writing tremendously, especially for its mind-expanding quality. It's like a gateway drug. The writing is aphoristic - like reading an anti-David Foster Wallace - phenomenological minimalist vs. metafiction maximalist but with similar insights and mind-changing impact. It took me several hours to read a 12 page chapter because of the need for lookup, learning, references, and reflection. I'd also read Thomas Szasz, The Second Sin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Szasz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Szasz Similar to Han, but a generation earlier, his work was influenced by Foucault. Finally, I'd have a look at Kazimierz Dabrowski. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazimierz_D%C4%85browski https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazimierz_D%C4%85browski To me, Dabrowski's positive disintegration plays a significant role in helping to frame the discussion here since "dropping out" can be easily mapped onto one of Dabrowski's levels in the positive disintegration framework. Regardless, the tension between the individual and society plays a significant role in the work of these three authors.