Dr. David Skrbina on the Unabomber and the philosophy of technology / talk
About the talk
UNABOMBER - this is the code name given by US intelligence agencies to the "unsolvable" case of terrorism that terrorized the US between 1978 and 1995. The unknown perpetrator behind the code was Ted Kaczynski, a mathematical genius in his youth who at one point turned into a recluse, a letter-writing bombast and a radical critic of technology and modern society. David Skrbina, who will be in Ljubljana on 7 October, knows this story intimately, as the American philosopher of Slovenian roots is not only an internationally renowned professor and author of numerous books on the philosophy of technology and environmental ethics. He is also a man who corresponded with Kaczynski when he was in prison. He has not only read the infamous Unabomber Manifesto, he has also been in contact with its author. His insight into issues of technology and violence is therefore profound, specific and extremely interesting.
The talk will explore the themes of technology and violence through the example of Unabomber, with
highlighting the deeper connections between these issues and their impact on contemporary society. The Conversation with Dr. David Skrbina will be moderated by Boštjan Narat, philosopher, musician, writer and theatre
The panel will be followed by.
The discussion will be held in English.
About the speaker
Dr David Skrbina is Professor of Philosophy, currently Visiting Researcher at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He has researched and published in a wide range of areas, including philosophy of technology, history of philosophy, environmental ethics, philosophy of mind and philosophy of religion. He has published more than two dozen academic articles or book chapters and written or edited ten books, including The Metaphysics of Technology (Routledge, 2015), Confronting Technology (Creative Fire, 2020), Panpsychism in the West (MIT Press, revised edition 2017) and The Jesus Hoax (2024). Dr. Skrbina has taught at many prestigious institutions, including the University of Michigan for 15 years, as well as Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University, and Ghent University (Belgium). His work and publications can be viewed on his personal website www.davidskrbina.com.
The event is part of a series of talks that serve as an introduction to the themes of the play, premiered in spring 2025, by Tatjana Peršuh and Boštjan Narat.
Another talk in this series is planned for the end of the year, with an expert in the field of artificial intelligence.