What is the most dangerous book in the world?

For me, it’s a book called Industrial Society and Its Future. The author of this book is none other than Ted Kaczynski, better known as “The Unabomber”. I’ve read his work. The words of a man, shackled up in a tiny wooden cabin for decades. The words of a man who mailed bombs to people, maiming them, killing them. The words of a man who once tried to blow up a plane that would have killed hundreds, had it succeeded…

And the terrifying thing, for me? Is how much of this book makes sense. How sharp this fellow’s analysis of society is. Sure, there are parts of the book and his views on society that read like the ramblings of some weird proto-incel. But a lot of his takes on the dangers of society, of industrialization, of pollution and the way we’re heading as a society are eerily spot-on. And it’s weird, you know? Reading the words of a convicted eco-terrorist, a man who sought to rectify the world through violent means… and finding yourself agreeing with a lot of what he said:

“The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. They have greatly increased the life-expectancy of those of us who live in “advanced” countries, but they have destabilized society, have made life unfulfilling, have subjected human beings to indignities, have led to widespread psychological suffering (in the Third World to physical suffering as well) and have inflicted severe damage on the natural world. The continued development of technology will worsen the situation. It will certainly subject human beings to greater indignities and inflict greater damage on the natural world, it will probably lead to greater social disruption and psychological suffering, and it may lead to increased physical suffering even in “advanced” countries.”

I don’t find books like Mein Kampf all that scary, personally — it’s so obvious its author is full of shit. Kaczynski hits altogether differently. Too much of what he says hits close to home. Too much of what he says is too insightful to merely toss aside and dismiss as the rantings of a madman. When the lines between genius and insanity become dangerously thin and blurry, that’s when things get dangerous.