On September 19th, 1995, the New York Times printed an essay by a known terrorist in a desperate attempt to stop his string of civilian bombings. 

The newspaper’s editors dismissed “The Unabomber” as a lunatic, but his essay soon began to capture the attention of the world’s wisest political minds. As The Atlantic wrote: “[The essay] was greeted...by many thoughtful people as a work of genius.” 

"Reprehensible for murdering and maiming people...but precisely correct in many of his ideas.” (Keith Albow, author and psychiatrist) 

“If it is the work of a madman, then the writings of many political philosophers - Jean Jacques Rousseau, Tom Paine, Karl Marx - are scarcely more sane." (James Q. Wilson, professor of political science, UCLA)

“[He] was right about one thing: technology has its own agenda.” (Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of WIRED)

As the decades have passed since the essay was published, the truth behind the author’s warnings have become harder to ignore. 

Predicting society’s present addiction to technology, our challenges with data privacy, and the dramatic increase in drug overdoses and depression that have accompanied a technology-induced lack of purpose, The Unabomber’s vision of the future has become our reality. 

Of course, his means were disgusting and condemnable. But his message is more important than ever. 

If we want to thrive in an age where automation and artificial intelligence and rapidly making humans obsolete, it is our responsibility to understand and prepare for the technological machine we are up against.