Meadowhawk reviewed Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
Exceptional
5 stars
Made history of the past incredibly relevant to today's events.
Unabridged
English language
Published Sept. 26, 2023 by Hachette Audio.
- ISBN:
- 978-1-5491-9989-9
- OCLC Number:
- 1401252364
- ASIN:
- B09SBS22JM
- Goodreads:
- 60282328
Copied ISBN!
5 stars
(29 reviews)
The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods.
The Luddites organized guerrilla raids to smash those machines—on punishment of death—and won the support of Lord Byron, enraged the Prince Regent, and inspired the birth of science fiction. This all-but-forgotten class struggle brought nineteenth-century England to its knees.
Today, technology imperils millions of jobs, robots are crowding factory floors, and artificial intelligence will soon pervade every aspect of our economy. How will this change the way we live? And what can we do about it?
The answers lie in Blood in the Machine. Brian Merchant intertwines a lucid examination of our current age with the story of the Luddites, showing how automation …
The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods.
The Luddites organized guerrilla raids to smash those machines—on punishment of death—and won the support of Lord Byron, enraged the Prince Regent, and inspired the birth of science fiction. This all-but-forgotten class struggle brought nineteenth-century England to its knees.
Today, technology imperils millions of jobs, robots are crowding factory floors, and artificial intelligence will soon pervade every aspect of our economy. How will this change the way we live? And what can we do about it?
The answers lie in Blood in the Machine. Brian Merchant intertwines a lucid examination of our current age with the story of the Luddites, showing how automation changed our world—and is shaping our future.
Meadowhawk reviewed Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
Exceptional
5 stars
Fantastic guide from the first luddites to the luddites of today. Gen ludd would be proud. Also this is a fine example of the old saying, those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I wash it wasn't so!
Also the author did an amazing job documenting and researching the history as well as making it incredibly relevant .
Matthew reviewed Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
Excellent
5 stars
Book review: Blood in the Machine, by Brian Merchant.
Chant no more your old rhymes about bold Robin Hood, His feats I but little admire. I will sing the achievements of General Ludd, Now the hero of Nottinghamshire.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a rare book which felt like it opened my eyes to something new; almost life-changing in some sense with the shift in perspective. The story of the Luddites and their fight to protect their way of life.
Nowadays of course, we think of a Luddite as a backwards, anti-technology person. Indeed, we use the word as an insult, to describe somebody who doesn't keep up with the times. But this is an excellent example of 'history written by the victors'.
The Luddites had a good, fulfilling way of life - they worked to their own schedule, they spent time with their families. They had a …
Book review: Blood in the Machine, by Brian Merchant.
Chant no more your old rhymes about bold Robin Hood, His feats I but little admire. I will sing the achievements of General Ludd, Now the hero of Nottinghamshire.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a rare book which felt like it opened my eyes to something new; almost life-changing in some sense with the shift in perspective. The story of the Luddites and their fight to protect their way of life.
Nowadays of course, we think of a Luddite as a backwards, anti-technology person. Indeed, we use the word as an insult, to describe somebody who doesn't keep up with the times. But this is an excellent example of 'history written by the victors'.
The Luddites had a good, fulfilling way of life - they worked to their own schedule, they spent time with their families. They had a career for life, with progression guaranteed. They were weavers, knitters, stockingers, and the surrounding trades. Crucially, they relied heavily on technology to provide this way of life.
What they fought against was not technology, but automation and the factory system which allowed the new entrepreneurial class to rewrite the fabric of society - without their consent and against the laws of the time - in order to redistribute wealth into their hands. The technology which allowed the wealthy to deny them work and good wages, which forced them into a life of working for the benefit of the factory owners. In the words of the Luddite George Mellor, "a soul is of more value than work or gold."
The book gives a fascinating insight into a time of profound change, and compares it with our modern era where we can see many of the same patterns being repeated. The Luddites are written about with compassion and humanity, and Merchant gives them a respect and dignity which history has denied them.
screamsbeneath reviewed Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
Grab a Hammer
5 stars
Fascinating and informative. Highly recommended if you’re curious in the origins of workers rights, unions, uprisings, etc. Does a great job of putting into focus the often ambiguous specter of the machinations that the titans of industry/big tech/etc as they wage war against the work class in the name of higher profit margins.
It does help put into context many references towards the Luddites I’ve encountered in fiction recently, most notably in Babel. I also have a new appreciation for Frankenstein that I’ve somehow missed out on in all of my counter culture exposure.
I likely need a cool down period since I am even more outraged than normal at every injustice I’ve encountered since starting this book. And let’s face it, it’s hard to turn around without being confronted by injustice.
borgbookcollective reviewed Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
A (factual) perspective on the Luddites
5 stars
This is an incredibly well-researched and masterfully written book on the history of the Luddites and the first unscrupulous tech titans of the 19th century. Highly recommended read.
dellis reviewed Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
Blood in the machine review
4 stars
This book has two components, the retelling of the original Luddites and commentary on current events of Silicon Valley taking jobs. The Luddite portions are five star and wonderful. The commentary isn’t bad, but isn’t particularly insightful either.
Dan Milway reviewed Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
Ned Ludd was right then, and he's right now
5 stars
A vividly told narrative of the Luddite uprisings of the early 19th Century. Brian Merchant expertly connects the struggles of textile workers then with workers of every stripe today whose jobs are continually under threat by the bosses using the smokescreen of technology.
hunterowens reviewed Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
found this a bit mid
3 stars
there wa sa lot of praise for this book and it is very up my alley, but I didn't engage as much as I wanted iwth the through line argument. still a solid read though
Poltirsh reviewed Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
None
2 stars
This should be 100 pages instead of 500
Derek Caelin reviewed Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant
It made me angry
5 stars
Where is Enoch's hammer?
