Mechanic and the Luddite: A Ruthless Criticism of Technology and Capitalism

Sadowski, Jathan

ISBN 10: 0520398076 / ISBN 13: 9780520398078

Published by University of California Press, 2025

About this Item

Seller Inventory # I-9780520398078

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Mechanic and the Luddite: A Ruthless Criticism of Technology and Capitalism
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520398076
• ISBN 13: 9780520398078
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This short book demystifies how the two systems of technology and capitalism work together and equips readers with practical tools to dismantle them and build a better world, bit by bit.
 
Our society is constantly made to serve the needs of two systems: technology and capitalism. Neither exists outside humans, but both are treated as above and beyond us. The Mechanic and the Luddite offers the critical tools needed to deconstruct these systems—how they work, whom they work for, and what work they do in our lives. With signature style and energy, Jathan Sadowski presents a provocative one-stop shop for understanding the political economy of technology and capitalism.

Each chapter breaks down key features of technological capitalism, offering sharp, synthetic, and authoritative analysis of topics like innovation, labor, data, and risk. It's not enough to know how the machinery of capitalism is put together and how its parts operate; we must also know whom the machines serve and when they should be taken apart, to be rebuilt for new purposes or destroyed for good. The Mechanic and the Luddite provides the political guidance needed to make these crucial decisions.

About the Author

Jathan Sadowski is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University. He is author of the book Too Smart and host of the podcast This Machine Kills, both on the political economy of technology.