UnHerd with Freddie Sayers

Paul Kingsnorth: How to fight the Machine

14 snips
Sep 29, 2025
In a captivating conversation, Paul Kingsnorth, a seasoned writer and former editor of The Ecologist, delves into the themes of his new book, Against the Machine. He critiques the dehumanizing grip of modernity and likens AI to the 'Antichrist.' Kingsnorth advocates for a radical rethink of cultural values, suggesting we let the contemporary West collapse to foster human-centric societies. He champions a thoughtful resistance to technology, emphasizes the need to protect childhood from screens, and explores the spiritual dimensions of our digital lives.
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INSIGHT

Modernity As A Tightening Net

  • Paul Kingsnorth feels modernity is an inhuman system tightening around us like a net being drawn.
  • He argues we are losing human qualities as technology becomes the dominant environment.
INSIGHT

The Left-Brain Dominance Of Modernity

  • Modernity is a way of seeing that emphasises parts over wholes, producing mechanistic thinking.
  • Kingsnorth warns this left-brain view erodes community, place, prayer, and tradition.
INSIGHT

The Machine As A Historical Pattern

  • The machine as a recurring historical phenomenon predates the Enlightenment and industrialisation.
  • The modern version combines scientific critique of religion with a new theology of progress.
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