Read on Twitter
This entire thread is a disaster for a multitude of reasons. It misunderstands Kaczynski, Marx, green anarchism, communism, dialectics and sublimation. https://twitter.com/metaspinoza/status/1296525573519544320
Calling something a "disaster" is more full of ethics and teleology than what is portrayed as Marx his point (and, the actual point that is made by Marx doesn't have anything to do with this, more about that later) https://twitter.com/metaspinoza/status/1296526005440520195?s=20
It's beyond me too! Because that quote is completely devoid of the actual context and doesn't really make any point related to this anyway. https://twitter.com/metaspinoza/status/1296526761602224130?s=20
Marx wouldn't be an "eco-pessimist", whatever that means, and this trend of claiming that "wahh Marx would support my positions if were alive now" is extremely annoying, and literally doesn't fucking matter. https://twitter.com/metaspinoza/status/1296527300230557697?s=20
Kaczynski's point (I'll refer to him as Ted after this) is that all *technology* in general, but more specifically also *industrial production* is at the root of the vast majority of social ills of the present society. He misattributes many of the issues already …
identified by Marx and others before him [Ted] to *technology*. Ted conceived of a sort of supposedly natural process of human development, which he called the "power process", which is then disrupted by industrial society. [1]
![identified by Marx and others before him [Ted] to *technology*. Ted conceived of a sort of supposedly natural process of human development, which he called the "power process", which is then disrupted by industrial society. [1]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef-TyJJXkAE5FAl.png "identified by Marx and others before him [Ted] to *technology*. Ted conceived of a sort of supposedly natural process of human development, which he called the \"power process\", which is then disrupted by industrial society. [1]")
According to Ted, then, the issue is that mankind is divorced from their natural condition, and that as such, the cause of this divorce (which according to Ted then is industrial production) must be gotten rid of. [2]
![According to Ted, then, the issue is that mankind is divorced from their natural condition, and that as such, the cause of this divorce (which according to Ted then is industrial production) must be gotten rid of. [2]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef-UBCjXYAErGRZ.png "According to Ted, then, the issue is that mankind is divorced from their natural condition, and that as such, the cause of this divorce (which according to Ted then is industrial production) must be gotten rid of. [2]")
For example a specific issue that Ted attributes to technology would be the highly concentrated living in urban society[3] . Marx and Engels already identified this as an issue present in class society, as something that would be abolished by communism.
![For example a specific issue that Ted attributes to technology would be the highly concentrated living in urban society[3] . Marx and Engels already identified this as an issue present in class society, as something that would be abolished by communism.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef-URxqXoAAPsYM.png "For example a specific issue that Ted attributes to technology would be the highly concentrated living in urban society[3] . Marx and Engels already identified this as an issue present in class society, as something that would be abolished by communism.")
In this segment[4] Engels makes clear that under communism the distinction of town and country will be abolished, and that subsequently the general populace will be spread more evenly - here this issue is correctly identified not as an issue of technology, but of class society.
![In this segment[4] Engels makes clear that under communism the distinction of town and country will be abolished, and that subsequently the general populace will be spread more evenly - here this issue is correctly identified not as an issue of technology, but of class society.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef-UbOHXkAQYv9g.png "In this segment[4] Engels makes clear that under communism the distinction of town and country will be abolished, and that subsequently the general populace will be spread more evenly - here this issue is correctly identified not as an issue of technology, but of class society.")
Or for example here[5], Bordiga speaking about the ecological impact of capitalist production - note again, the issue is capitalism, not technology as incorrectly identified by Ted.
![Or for example here[5], Bordiga speaking about the ecological impact of capitalist production - note again, the issue is capitalism, not technology as incorrectly identified by Ted.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef-UmSdX0AE39BJ.png "Or for example here[5], Bordiga speaking about the ecological impact of capitalist production - note again, the issue is capitalism, not technology as incorrectly identified by Ted.")
Either way, please excuse the tangent, as it is not very relevant - I just wished to make clear that Ted incorrectly ascribed many of the issues of capitalist society to the most immediate, direct manifestation of capitalist production: the machinations of production.
It is rather easy to not look past the immediate presentation of production, past the tools with which we produce, and to instead claim that not the social relations of production but the machinery with which we produce is the root-cause of our social ills.
Anyway, this build-up will probably leave you dissatisfied: the Marx quote in that meme is left completely out of context and has little to do with Ted's position, or really, green anarchism or any such thing. So to explain why, we would first need to explore this position.
So of course, we would first have to figure out what industry means for Marx. In this[6] section here especially the highlighted part is of note. To Marx, industry is not the same as how Ted means it: to Marx, it is an aspect of Man.
![So of course, we would first have to figure out what industry means for Marx. In this[6] section here especially the highlighted part is of note. To Marx, industry is not the same as how Ted means it: to Marx, it is an aspect of Man.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef-VCvEWoAEs7U2.png "So of course, we would first have to figure out what industry means for Marx. In this[6] section here especially the highlighted part is of note. To Marx, industry is not the same as how Ted means it: to Marx, it is an aspect of Man.")
This aspect of man, alienated from him, is an external factor, an abstraction. But industry is alienated human activity, labour. When industry is re-integrated into man: it will again be human self activity.
Now, with that understanding of what industry means to Marx, we can read this[7] with that understanding in mind. Communism will sublate industry, re-integrate it as human activity, abolish it as external force.
![Now, with that understanding of what industry means to Marx, we can read this[7] with that understanding in mind. Communism will sublate industry, re-integrate it as human activity, abolish it as external force.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ef-VbmLWsAIfz-Y.png "Now, with that understanding of what industry means to Marx, we can read this[7] with that understanding in mind. Communism will sublate industry, re-integrate it as human activity, abolish it as external force.")
Now closing in on the end, it is quite clear that Marx did not mean industry in the same sense Ted did, or in the same sense it is colloquially used. It is obvious that Marx did not think "expanding industry" or "building more factories" is natural or any such thing.
I can forgive people for not understanding Marx his conception of industry, I just spent a few hours digging into it with the help of @SchummeIpilz and @yesmustard. But portraying Marx as being anti-ecology is a misunderstanding at best, and being dishonest at worst.
[1]. Industrial Society and Its Future, section "The Power Process", as viewed here: http://editions-hache.com/essais/pdf/kaczynski2.pdf
[2]. Ibid, section "Sources of Social Problems"
[3]. Ibid
[4]. On the Housing Question, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1872/housing-question/ch03.htm
[2]. Ibid, section "Sources of Social Problems"
[3]. Ibid
[4]. On the Housing Question, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1872/housing-question/ch03.htm
[5]. The Human Species and the Earth's Crust, https://libcom.org/library/human-species-earths-crust-amadeo-bordiga
[6]. Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Private property and Communism, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/comm.htm
[7]. Ibid
[6]. Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Private property and Communism, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/comm.htm
[7]. Ibid
