Join Transom Bookshop at Irvington Theater on September 30, 2025, at 7pm, for a reading and discussion
with poet, novelist and essayist Paul Kingsnorth. Click here for ticket info.
Against the Machine
A wholly original—and terrifying—account of the technological-cultural matrix enveloping all of us. With masterful insight into the spiritual and economic roots of techno-capitalism, Kingsnorth reveals how the Machine, in the name of progress, has choked Western civilization, is destroying the Earth itself, and is reshaping us in its image.
On the Unmaking of Humanity
by Paul Kingsnorth
SPECIAL EVENT PRE-ORDER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE IRVINGTON THEATER
In Against the Machine, “furiously gifted” (The Washington Post) novelist, poet, and essayist Paul Kingsnorth presents a wholly original—and terrifying—account of the technological-cultural matrix enveloping all of us. With masterful insight into the spiritual and economic roots of techno-capitalism, Kingsnorth reveals how the Machine, in the name of progress, has choked Western civilization, is destroying the Earth itself, and is reshaping us in its image. From the First Industrial Revolution to the rise of artificial intelligence, he shows how the hollowing out of humanity has been a long game—and how your very soul is at stake.
It takes effort to remain truly human in the age of the Machine. Writing in the tradition of Wendell Berry, Jacques Ellul and Simone Weil, Kingsnorth reminds us what humanity requires: a healthy suspicion of entrenched power; connection to land, nature and heritage; and a deep attention to matters of the spirit. Prophetic, poetic, and erudite, Against the Machine is the spiritual manual for dissidents in the technological age.
About Irvington Theater
Irvington Theater is home to a diverse range of innovative cultural programming that entertains, enlightens, and inspires.
We produce original programming and, in collaboration with our Arts Partners, curate high-quality theater, music, film, comedy, and dance for the greater New York metropolitan area.
With the knowledge that our individual differences make us collectively stronger, we are wholeheartedly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, in process, performance, and protocol. Irvington Theater is a community for all.