---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rebellion against technology and…"
description: "\"Rebellion against technology and civilization is real rebellion, a real attack on the values of the existing system. But the green anarchists, anarcho-..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/theodore-kaczynski-15742_adopted_rebellion-against-technology-and-civiliz_1582436.jpg"
---

#  Rebellion against technology and civilization is real…

![“Rebellion against technology and civilization is real rebellion, a real attack on the values of the existing system. But the green anarchists, anarcho-primitivists, and so forth (The &quot;GA Movement&quot;) have fallen under such heavy influence from the left that their rebellion against civilization has…” quote by Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/theodore-kaczynski-15742_adopted_rebellion-against-technology-and-civiliz_1582436.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/theodore-kaczynski-15742_adopted_rebellion-against-technology-and-civiliz_1582436.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/theodore-kaczynski-15742_adopted_rebellion-against-technology-and-civiliz_1582436.jpg)

> “Rebellion against technology and civilization is real rebellion, a real attack on the values of the existing system. But the green anarchists, anarcho-primitivists, and so forth (The "GA Movement") have fallen under such heavy influence from the left that their rebellion against civilization has to great extent been neutralized. Instead of rebelling against the values of civilization, they have adopted many civilized values themselves and have constructed an imaginary picture of primitive societies that embodies these civilized values.”

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote argues that modern anarchist movements have been co-opted by leftist ideas, diluting their anti‑civilization stance and replacing it with a romanticized, yet still civilized, vision of the past.

**In simple terms:** Anarchists have adopted the very values they claim to reject.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address ideological co‑optation.

Themes

political ideology culture critique environmentalism

Mood

critical reflective

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- activist strategy
- environmental policy
- academic analysis
- media framing

Key Concepts

primitivism leftist influence civilization critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How can movements stay true to their core principles?
- What risks arise when opposing ideas merge?

A Different Perspective

The critique may overlook genuine grassroots anti‑technology sentiment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adopted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adopted/) [Anarchist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchist/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilized/) [Fallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fallen/) [Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/) [Heavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heavy/) [Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Rebellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-rebellion-5980496/) [Rebellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebellion/) [Rebellion Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebellion-civilization-5980497/) [Rebellion Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebellion-real-789882/) [Rebellion Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebellion-technology-5980498/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/)

## Related quotes

> [I felt no need for rebellion. I was a real loner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wahl/i-felt-no-need-for-rebellion-i-was-a-real-loner/)

[Ken Wahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wahl/)

> [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-minimum-that-most-minimalists-want-leaves-in-place-just-the/)

[Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/)

> [I'm an anarchist. I'm implacably opposed to heirarchical systems of power and control. I also mistrust crowds, as they often operate according to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-an-anarchist-i-m-implacably-opposed-to-heirarchical-systems-of/)

[Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/)

> [I am in total opposition to any institutional power. I favor a world of neighborhoods in which all social organization is voluntary and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-hess/i-am-in-total-opposition-to-any-institutional-power-i-favor-a-world/)

[Karl Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-hess/)

> [The Anarchists are simply unterrified Jeffersonian Democrats. They believe that 'the best government is that which governs least,' and that which governs least is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-anarchists-are-simply-unterrified-jeffersonian-democrats-they/)

[Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/)

> [Anarchists are opposed to violence; everyone knows that. The main plank of anarchism is the removal of violence from human relations. It is life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/anarchists-are-opposed-to-violence-everyone-knows-that-the-main-plank/)

[Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/)

> [ \[On an anarchist acquaintance:\] Everything in appearance the most alarmist aunt could wish. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/on-an-anarchist-acquaintance-everything-in-appearance-the-most/)

[Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/)

> [The modern day anarchists known as the Tea Party, they believe in no government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reid/the-modern-day-anarchists-known-as-the-tea-party-they-believe-in-no/)

[Harry Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reid/)

> [Creativity comes by breaking the rules, by saying that you're in love with the anarchist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-roddick/creativity-comes-by-breaking-the-rules-by-saying-that-you-re-in-love/)

[Anita Roddick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-roddick/)

> [In the sixties, during the Vietnam war, when anarchists and pacifists and socialists, Democrats and Republicans, decent-hearted Americans, all recoiled with horror at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/in-the-sixties-during-the-vietnam-war-when-anarchists-and-pacifists/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [“Bruno was a musician with the temperament of an anarchist and the breath of a bartender's dishrag. He gave the lie to bookselling as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheridan-hay/bruno-was-a-musician-with-the-temperament-of-an-anarchist-and-the/)

[Sheridan Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheridan-hay/)

> [“An anarchist government somehow creates an impression in the hearts of citizens that no one cares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-anarchist-government-somehow-creates-an-impression-in-the-hearts/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [Anarchism is a definite intellectual current in the life of our times, whose adherents advocate the abolition of economic monopolies and of all political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/anarchism-is-a-definite-intellectual-current-in-the-life-of-our-times/)

[Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/)

> [We must therefore turn to history for enlightenment; here we find that none of the proclaimed anarchist groups correspond to the libertarian position, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/we-must-therefore-turn-to-history-for-enlightenment-here-we-find-that/)

[Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/)

## More by Theodore Kaczynski

> [But what first motivated me wasn't anything I read. I just got mad seeing the machines ripping up the woods and so forth...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/but-what-first-motivated-me-wasn-t-anything-i-read-i-just-got-mad/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [Imagine a society that subjects people to conditions that make them terribly unhappy then gives them the drugs to take away their unhappiness. Science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/imagine-a-society-that-subjects-people-to-conditions-that-make-them/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [Constitutional rights are useful up to a point, but they do not serve to guarantee much more than what could be called the bourgeois…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/constitutional-rights-are-useful-up-to-a-point-but-they-do-not-serve/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [No, what worries me is that I might in a sense adapt to this environment and come to be comfortable here and not resent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/no-what-worries-me-is-that-i-might-in-a-sense-adapt-to-this/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [We can do anything we like as long as it is UNIMPORTANT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/we-can-do-anything-we-like-as-long-as-it-is-unimportant/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [It is not possible to make a LASTING compromise between technology and freedom, because technology is by far the more powerful social force and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/it-is-not-possible-to-make-a-lasting-compromise-between-technology/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [In modern industrial society only minimal effort is necessary to satisfy one's physical needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/in-modern-industrial-society-only-minimal-effort-is-necessary-to/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [My occupation is an open question. I was once an assistant professor of mathematics. Since then, I have spent time living in the woods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/my-occupation-is-an-open-question-i-was-once-an-assistant-professor/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [It is important not to confuse freedom with mere permissiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/it-is-important-not-to-confuse-freedom-with-mere-permissiveness/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [Some people have low susceptibility to advertising and marketing techniques. These are the people who aren't interested in money. Material acquisition does not serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/some-people-have-low-susceptibility-to-advertising-and-marketing/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [We are not supposed to hate anyone, yet almost everyone hates somebody at some time or other, whether he admits it to himself or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/we-are-not-supposed-to-hate-anyone-yet-almost-everyone-hates-somebody/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [Crowding, rapid change and the breakdown of communities have been widely recognized as sources of social problems. But we do not believe they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/crowding-rapid-change-and-the-breakdown-of-communities-have-been/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [ Art forms that appeal to \[leftists\] tend to focus on ... defeat and despair ... as if there were no hope of accomplishing anything… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/art-forms-that-appeal-to-leftists-tend-to-focus-on-defeat-and-despair/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [The industrial-technological system may survive or it may break down. If it survives, it MAY eventually achieve a low level of physical and psychological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/the-industrial-technological-system-may-survive-or-it-may-break-down/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

> [The concept of "mental health" in our society is defined largely by the extent to which an individual behaves in accord with the needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/the-concept-of-mental-health-in-our-society-is-defined-largely-by-the/)

[Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

[Explore all 42 Theodore Kaczynski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/)

## More Adopted quotes

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [Somehow destiny comes into play. These children end up with you and you end up with them. It's something quite magical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/somehow-destiny-comes-into-play-these-children-end-up-with-you-and/)

[Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/)

> [Azerbaijan unleashed the war, and was defeated in that war; Azerbaijan asked for truce (including from the Commander of Karabakh's forces) and later started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/azerbaijan-unleashed-the-war-and-was-defeated-in-that-war-azerbaijan/)

[Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/)

> [I'm not at all against white people adopting black children, because we're all human beings who need to give love and be nurtured in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-m-not-at-all-against-white-people-adopting-black-children-because/)

[Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/)

> [Susan, an only child who never had any roots, and I, a lone wolf who got married 20 years to late, were adopted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harpo-marx/susan-an-only-child-who-never-had-any-roots-and-i-a-lone-wolf-who-got/)

[Harpo Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harpo-marx/)

> [We may argue eloquently that 'Honesty is the best Policy' - unfortunately, the moment honesty is adopted for the sake of policy it mysteriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/we-may-argue-eloquently-that-honesty-is-the-best-policy-unfortunately/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [A son or daughter in any human family is either born to or adopted by the parents. By definition, a child can't be both.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bridges/a-son-or-daughter-in-any-human-family-is-either-born-to-or-adopted-by/)

[Jerry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bridges/)

> [. . . by natural selection our mind has adapted itself to the conditions of the external world. It has adopted the geometry most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/by-natural-selection-our-mind-has-adapted-itself-to-the-conditions-of/)

[Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/)

> [I was adopted my black Americans, I feel that I'm a 'Hybrid'. When I'm around Africans'I suddenly feel very black American. And when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-was-adopted-my-black-americans-i-feel-that-i-m-a-hybrid-when-i-m/)

[Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/)

> [I did this one movie with a great director named Wayne Kramer. It was 'Crossing Over,' and Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chon/i-did-this-one-movie-with-a-great-director-named-wayne-kramer-it-was/)

[Justin Chon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chon/)

> [I had severed relations with the Romanian exiles who had become politically conservative and even extremely right wing; I was giving chess lessons to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dumitru-tepeneag/i-had-severed-relations-with-the-romanian-exiles-who-had-become/)

[Dumitru Tepeneag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dumitru-tepeneag/)

> [People, the common people, can genuinely see what I'm doing. Moreover, people know that I have adopted four principles in living my life: simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-sattar-edhi/people-the-common-people-can-genuinely-see-what-i-m-doing-moreover/)

[Abdul Sattar Edhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-sattar-edhi/)

> [To a large extent, the American church has become merged with the world. It has adopted so many of the world's ideals and standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/to-a-large-extent-the-american-church-has-become-merged-with-the/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [When you're adopted, no matter what, you've got issues with unconditional love. And you find out you're the product of the worst situation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/when-you-re-adopted-no-matter-what-you-ve-got-issues-with/)

[Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/)

> [Capitalism justified itself and was adopted as an economic principle on the express ground that it provides selfish motives for doing good, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/capitalism-justified-itself-and-was-adopted-as-an-economic-principle/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

[Browse all 735 Adopted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adopted/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Rebellion against technology and civilization is real rebellion, a real attack on the values of the existing system. But the green anarchists, anarcho-primitivists, and so forth (The \"GA Movement\") have fallen under such heavy influence from the left that their rebellion against civilization has to great extent been neutralized. Instead of rebelling against the values of civilization, they have adopted many civilized values themselves and have constructed an imaginary picture of primitive societies that embodies these civilized values.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Theodore Kaczynski"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/rebellion-against-technology-and-civilization-is-real-rebellion-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adopted"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/rebellion-against-technology-and-civilization-is-real-rebellion-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/theodore-kaczynski-15742_adopted_rebellion-against-technology-and-civiliz_1582436.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/theodore-kaczynski-15742_adopted_rebellion-against-technology-and-civiliz_1582436.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/theodore-kaczynski-15742_adopted_rebellion-against-technology-and-civiliz_1582436.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Rebellion against technology and civilization is real rebellion, a real attack on the values of the existing…” — Theodore Kaczynski",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Theodore Kaczynski",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Rebellion against technology and civilization is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/rebellion-against-technology-and-civilization-is-real-rebellion-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/rebellion-against-technology-and-civilization-is-real-rebellion-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
