Ted Kaczynski became a math professor turned anarchist and domestic terrorist. He mailed bombs that killed three people and injured twenty-three more. An eighteen-year-long FBI investigation culminated in his arrest after The New York Times and The Washington Post published his manifesto and his brother recognized his writing. He is now serving life in prison without parole.

The excerpt I quoted earlier was from Kaczynski’s manifesto. If you read the entire document, you’re unlikely to be unsettled by the content or the structure. What’s disturbing is the level of conviction.

Kaczynski displays little consideration of alternative views, barely a hint that he might be wrong. Consider just the opening:

The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have

been a disaster for the human race. . . . They have

destabilized society, have made life unfulfilling. . . . 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. . . . If the system survives, the consequences will be inevitable: There is no way of reforming or modifying the system. . . .

Kaczynski’s case leaves many questions about his mental health unanswered. Still, I can’t help but wonder: If he had learned to question his opinions, would he still have been able to justify resorting to violence? If he had developed the capacity to discover that he was wrong, would he still have ended up doing something so wrong?

Every time we encounter new information, we have a choice. We can attach our opinions to our identities and stand our ground in the stubbornness of preaching and prosecuting. Or we can operate more like scientists, defining ourselves as people committed to the pursuit

of truth—even if it means proving our own views wrong.

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📚هایلایت قسمت 49 کتاب Think Again

✅ Turned anarchist: Became an anarchist (rejecting government and authority), تبدیل‌شده به آنارشیست / شورشی

✅ Domestic terrorist: A person who uses violence against their own country, تروریست داخلی

✅ Mail bombs: Explosive devices sent by mail, بمب‌های پستی

✅ Culminated in: Ended in or resulted in (something important), منجر شد به

✅ Recognize someone's writing: Identify a person by their writing style, شناسایی سبک نوشتاری

✅ Serve life in prison (without parole): Spend the rest of one's life in jail, without chance of release, محکوم به حبس ابد (بدون آزادی مشروط)

✅ Excerpt: A short part taken from a text, گزیده

✅ Be unsettled by: Feel emotionally disturbed or uncomfortable about something, ناراحت یا نگران شدن از چیزی

✅ Disturbing: Causing anxiety or worry, نگران‌کننده / آزاردهنده

✅ Level of conviction: Strength of belief, شدت باور

✅ Little consideration of: Not much thought or attention given to something, بی‌توجهی به

✅ Destabilize society: Make society unstable or chaotic, بی‌ثبات کردن جامعه

✅ Unfulfilling life: A life that lacks satisfaction, زندگی بدون رضایت

✅ Inflict damage on: Cause harm or destruction, وارد کردن آسیب

✅ Natural world: The environment and nature, دنیای طبیعی

✅ Mental health: A person’s emotional and psychological condition, سلامت روان

✅ Resort to violence: Turn to using violence as a solution, متوسل شدن به خشونت

✅ Question one’s opinions: Critically examine what you believe, زیر سوال بردن باورهای خود

✅ Stand our ground: Refuse to change our opinion, ایستادگی کردن روی موضع

✅ Stubbornness: Refusing to change your mind, لجاجت

✅ Preaching and prosecuting: Forcing your views on others and attacking theirs, موعظه کردن و محکوم کردن دیگران

✅ Pursuit of truth: Actively looking for what is true, جستجوی حقیقت

✅ Prove one’s views wrong: Show that your previous beliefs were incorrect, اشتباه بودن باورهای خود را ثابت کردن