Ted Kaczynski: AKA the Unabomber - Essay Example

The terrorist acts committed by the terrorist known as the Unabomber were exclusively bombs that were very specifically targeted. The bombs were delivered in the form of letters or packages that were designed to detonate upon opening. His targets usually had some connection to technology, and many of them were connected to a university. The Unabomber is blamed for 16 separate incidents that spanned 17 years and included three fatalities. The Unabomber's knowledge of technology, and his activity as a loner, made his identification and capture more difficult.

He was not identified until the FBI gained the cooperation of his brother David Kaczynski (Chase, 2003, p.21). Kaczynski had been a child that was prone to violence, refused to play with other children, and had significant mental disorders before arriving at Harvard. He had an exceptional IQ and was accepted at Harvard at the age of sixteen. At Harvard, he was introduced to radical ideas about the evils of technology, the dualistic nature of good and evil, and a belief that he "could find absolute truth through the application of his reason" (Chase, 2003, p.19). In addition, he would be introduced to radical thinkers and philosophers that would help him focus on his fantasies of revenge.

He was also the subject of a lengthy, and controversial, psychological experiment, which may have exacerbated Kaczynski's emotional problems. A psychological experiment by Henry A. Murray tested Kaczynski's psychological response while subjected to extreme stress and abuse. While little is known about the depth of these experiments, Chase (2003) feels that they may have contributed to Kaczynski's mental problems. 4.) What are the views of Jacques Ellul and how did they influence KaczynskiJacques Ellul was a French protestant philosopher and lay theologian that had written a book titled The Technological Society (Chase, 2003, p.92). Ellul was a Luddite, who believed that technology was evil and that citizens should actively attempt to eliminate it from society.

Kaczynski regularly communicated with Ellul and would adopt several ideas from Ellul's book. He would later incorporate several of Ellul's radical concepts into the Unabomber Manifesto. The Technological Society advocated the "efficacy of revolution" and that "technology and the state were coeval and mutually dependent" (Chase, 2003, p.92-93). While Ellul would renounce much of The Technological Society in his later writings, Kaczynski would cling to them until the end. 5.) Summarize Kaczynski's time as a UC Berkeley professor To what degree did Kaczynski identify with the political leftists on campus Why did Kaczynski leave his position at Berkeley 1967, Kaczynski joined the faculty at UC Berkeley and at about the same time he became more alienated and isolated.