On September 25th, at the University Club of Chicago, the Lumen Christi Institute was pleased to host renowned poet, novelist, and environmentalist Paul Kingsnorth. Over drinks and hors d’oeuvres, Kingsnorth discussed his new book Against the Machine, in a Q&A with James Matthew Wilson, poet and professor at the University of St. Thomas, Houston. Against the Machine addresses not only the practical problems we humans face due to the rise of technology, but also the spiritual and psychological ones, particularly since the Industrial Revolution.
Kingsnorth shared that our culture currently possesses what he calls a “machine-like” mentality. This mentality encourages us to view the earth as a resource to be controlled, and our humanity as a problem to be transcended. To Kingsnorth, “The Machine” that governs our culture uproots us from home, commitments, objective truth, and God. He argued that humanity is currently trying to liberate itself from everything that causes suffering–particularly those physical and spiritual commitments that are most essential to us.
Throughout the conversation, themes of Kingsnorth’s own conversion to Christianity arose. He shared that when he began thinking through this project many years ago, he was not yet a believer. As a devoted environmentalist, Kingsnorth was able to identify the concerning results of “The Machine” and what a machine-like mindset was doing to people’s relationships with one another and the earth. However, it was only through his conversion that the author fully recognized the flawed desire at the core of this mindset.
Now a member of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Kingsnorth shared that his understanding of our modern times was clarified in the light of Biblical history. “The Machine” is our Tower of Babel. It represents humanity’s consistently false belief that we can gain total control over ourselves and the earth. We need only look to the book of Genesis to see this temptation at the root of human history—A hope for false liberation, a desire to be gods ourselves.
Kingsnorth warned that without faith, there is no reason to halt the progress of “The Machine.” If one has no spiritual perspective, then it is easy to become convinced that there is an obligation to become god-like, to eliminate suffering, even at the cost of that which makes us most human. Without God, we lose sight of who we are and what we are meant for. It is only when we come to terms with the spiritual side of our humanity that we can recognize that there is no real or satisfying transcendence that we can gain on our own.
Yet, despite this warning, Kingsnorth encouraged his audience to take heart. Though technology’s effects are alarming, he believes “The Machine” will fail as it always does. Fortunately, humans have never successfully discarded their humanity. Moreover, deep down, he believes we do not want to.
He reminded his listeners that Christ tells us to “Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33. He also suggested anecdotes that will be familiar to anyone who knows the Lumen Christi Institute’s mission: Community and faith formation. To combat the individualism which plagues and consumes our modern era, we must endeavor to regain our sense of community. This aim begins not as a global movement, but in our own individual lives. We must resist the urge to dominate, and instead live with a renewed awareness of the sacred within, and around us that God has provided. We must recall our commitments to the earth that we have been given, the people with whom we live, and the One who has given us everything.