Book Review: Blood in the Machine by Brian Merchant

This week's review is on Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant.

Part history, part anti-capitalist screed, part-analysis; Brian Merchant offers a fast-paced inter-connected cultural history and analysis of the present and past Luddite movements. He does so to reclaim the word "Luddite" - pointing out that these rebels were "technologists themselves; they did not hate the machines, though they did not hold any undue respect for them, either" (62).

Nice cover design!

Divided into five sections - roughly the rise-, climax and fall of the original Luddite movement followed by two sections focused on the cultural ramifications and today's Luddite efforts; the text consists of short chapters hopping between primary-source based accounts, social and cultural analysis, and blog-style anti-tech/capital posts.

In considering the historical aspects of the book, Merchant presents a one-sided account that conveniently leaves out the positive aspects of industrialization on England's economy and the general alleviation of poverty in the 19th century and the world in the 20th. Quick to point out the injustices of the era, Merchant needs to engage more with supporters than assuming the greedy nature of capitalists prevails (outside of some pro-Robert Owen commentary). Despite the bias, the history is fast-paced, engaging, and eye catching; even when the action moves to Parliament or the Crown Prince's court; rather than the factories of the English countryside. More discussion of the growth of the urban environment and its shift from rural England might have been beyond the scope of the book; but not of a discussion of industrialization's societal effects as a whole.

The cultural context of the Luddite movement is also well-examined with Lord Bryon, Mary Shelley, and their consorts appearing as "characters." The examination of their literature never moves into true academic territory or beyond the paeans of modern, liberal interpretation but fans of the Brontë sisters and the literature of the Regency period will appreciate the references (George Eliot is a strange omission).

The societal, economic, and technological analysis is where Merchant strays from somewhat objective writer to a more, blog-worthy editorial slant. He points out repeatedly how capitalism makes technology seem "an in avoidable outcome of 'progress,' a reality that workers in any technologically advanced society must simply learn to adapt to" (3). Beginning by acknowledging that "for the working people of England, misery was everywhere" (23), Merchant cannot conceive of why that became less so even as industrialization and capitalization expanded (or the non-economic side effects). A discussion of literature and film focuses on how "elites harnessing its [technological automation] power to wipe us away" (342) ignores the critiques of independent AGI/ASI. In the Afterword, Merchant sums up this book as less anti-technology than anti-capital: "If the Luddites have taught us anything, it's that robots aren't taking our jobs. Our bosses are" (400).

Merchant hints at the short-comings of the political system, especially in parts 2, 3 and 5; but fails to offer concrete steps for non-violent resistance two hundred years ago; or in our modern age. His examples and critiques largely appeal to the Left (even when mentioning decentralized movements he ignores those of the Right), leaving plenty of room for a MacIntyre-esque critique of the many negative side effects of our economic model. Ultimately, the fifth section and afterword fall flat - unable to articulate a coherent next step beyond some vague hope that tech leaders wake up and make changes of some sort or the people unite.

Amidst these five sections, Merchant also drops additional threads. One "character" follows an escaped and then recaptured slave in America in the times concurrent to the Luddite uprising. These interludes - which fascinating - seem as an excuse to bring in America's original sin rather than address either the historical or modern Luddite moments. A history of industrialization must mention the role of cotton, weaving, and factories had in the proliferation of the slave trade and the rise of capitalism in Europe and the US; but not a history of the Luddites. Likewise, the asides focused on Owen's utopian efforts lack follow-through - their ending is left undocumented by Merchant and thus an unpromised alternative. These and other asides feel unexplored and unconnected at times - like ingredients collected from the store and shoved into a recipe because they are too valuable to leave out.

Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Good For: A historical examination of the Luddite movement and its echoes to our present moment.

Best nugget: The connections of technology with slavery and the dehumanization of the factory system: "workers are made to internalize factory logic on a personal level, accepting jobs by clicking mechanistically and automatically on smartphone apps and following directions to T, to avoid missing out on chances to work or incurring penalties for slack performance" (359).

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