Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity
(Paul Kingsworth, Particular Books, £25)
I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote! In substantive terms there is little difference between the two, but you may find it interesting to see what the editor altered.
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Published version
Have you ever considered that the relentless contemporary pursuit of economic growth, efficiency and digitisation may not be accidental? Many have also wondered whether artificial intelligence will become sentient, and what it will do if that comes to pass.These fears aren’t especially new, but what’s interesting with Against the Machine is Kingsnorth’s way of approaching the material with what could be described as a ‘biblical’ perspective.
It’s a decision that may prove divisive among readers and, I suspect, potentially limit the book’s appeal – but having committed, he does a good job of presenting the challenges we all face in the modern age and placing them in a sweeping historical context.
There’s much to discover here, including fascinating dives into the hidden histories and latter-day impacts of the UK’s Enclosure Acts, the French Revolution and steady rise of modern surveillance technology.
A fascinating and rewarding book.
Reviewed by Terry Freedman
My original version
Have you ever considered that the relentless pursuit of economic growth, efficiency and digitisation may not be accidental? Many people have wondered, for example, whether artificial intelligence is, or is about to become, sentient – and, moreover, what it will do if it does.
None of this is especially new. Indeed, I was reminded of a film from 1977 called Demon Seed about an all-powerful computer that wanted to procreate. What perhaps is new is the author’s apocalyptical approach coming from a biblical perspective. This is not a position, sometimes positively supernatural, that will appeal to many I suspect. However, Kingsworth does a good job of presenting the challenges facing the current age, and placing them in a sweeping historical context.
There is much to discuss here, such as the real reasons for, and impact of, the Enclosure Acts, the French Revolution and the advance of surveillance technology.
A fascinating and rewarding book.