Paul Kingsnorth Advocates Worship of Nature, Culture, and God Over Technology
An in-depth look at the iconoclastic writer’s critique of technological society and his call to reclaim humanity
In an era dominated by relentless technological progress, writer Paul Kingsnorth urges society to reconsider what we truly value. In his recent book, Against the Machine, Kingsnorth delivers an impassioned critique of modern-day obsession with innovation and digital connectivity, warning against treating technology as a kind of secular faith.
Based on essays he began publishing on his popular Substack, The Abbey of Misrule, during the pandemic, Against the Machine is Kingsnorth’s 10th book and offers a stark indictment of how “the Machine”—his term for the cumulative power of governments, corporations, and institutions driven by technology—has come to dominate our lives and uproot fundamental human connections to nature, culture, and the divine.
A Quest for Truth and Reality
Kingsnorth’s personal journey mirrors the broad themes of his work. Having moved from England to rural County Galway, Ireland, about a decade ago, he embraced Orthodox Christianity after years as a secularist and practitioner of Buddhism and Wicca. He recently celebrated his 50th birthday in a cave in County Clare—a place historically associated with ascetic spiritual quests—underscoring his ongoing search for "what’s real" amid what he sees as a world going mad.
In a July interview, Kingsnorth explained, “I want to know what’s true. And I also want to know why the world is going mad.” Central to this quest is his robust critique of how human identity and experience have been reduced to consumption patterns enforced by digital interfaces he refers to as “little black mirrors.”
The Machine: A Forces Uprooting Connection
Kingsnorth sees the Machine as the totality of technological control, from vaccine passports and QR codes to algorithms shaping our social and personal choices. This mechanized control, he argues, has severed profound bonds with nature and culture, leaving people as “rootless consumers” devoid of connection to anything enduring or sacred.
Drawing on traditions including Romanticism, Kingsnorth champions a reconnection with four pillars: people, place, prayer, and past. These concepts, he insists, form the bedrock of authentic human belonging and meaning—countering the fleeting, disposable nature of contemporary consumerist culture.
Nicholas Carr, whose own work The Shallows critiques technological dependency, places Kingsnorth among modern spiritual and environmental voices reminiscent of Wordsworth and other Romantics, emphasizing nature not only as sanctuary but as a source of transcendence and resistance.
An Independent Voice Defying Easy Labels
Kingsnorth’s wide-ranging views defy simple categorization. A former environmental activist turned climate pessimist and a secularist turned devout believer, his writing appeals to diverse audiences while steering clear of defining ideological brands. His Substack has over 73,000 subscribers worldwide, including monks, scientists, military personnel, and celebrities—though Kingsnorth does not disclose identities.
He is frequently provocative: questioning COVID-19 vaccine mandates during the pandemic; critiquing gender transition, not from traditionalist politics, but due to concerns over the increasing biomedical technologization of human identity; and rejecting many orthodoxies across the political spectrum. For instance, his 2024 lecture titled "Against Christian Civilization" (delivered for the religious conservative magazine First Things) starkly challenged assumptions about Christianity’s entanglement with modern societal structures.
Jeff Bilbro, an English professor, called Kingsnorth “one of the most interesting writers working right now,” noting that Kingsnorth’s refusal to fit neatly into political or cultural boxes makes his work a “breath of fresh air” amid polarized discourse.
Personal Choices Reflecting His Philosophy
Kingsnorth and his family live deliberately outside mainstream cultural currents, home-schooling their children, growing much of their own food, and employing a composting toilet in their rural Ireland home—a conscious effort to “fend off the excesses of the Machine,” as he puts it. These lifestyle choices echo the themes of Against the Machine—that reclaiming humanity demands personal as well as intellectual commitment.
Significantly, Kingsnorth emphasizes that his is not a political program or a blueprint for civilization but a personal call to awaken spiritual and cultural depth wherever one may be, whether that be a community garden, a hiking trail, or a place of worship across different faiths.
Criticism and Controversy
Kingsnorth’s stance on vaccine skepticism and his views on gender transition have attracted criticism, some labeling him transphobic, though he distinguishes his concern as rooted in opposition to increasing technological intervention rather than opposition to gender diversity per se.
Similarly, as a co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project—an artistic and activist collective critical of modern civilization and mainstream environmentalism—Kingsnorth has often been accused of pessimism or even despair. Yet his followers find value in his unflinching interrogation of contemporary life and his aspiration for a deeper, mythic understanding of existence.
Looking Ahead
At a time when technology often promises salvation, Kingsnorth’s voice is a challenging reminder of what might be lost. By appealing to nature, culture, and God rather than the “Machine,” he invites readers to reconsider what it means to be human, calling for a renewed connection to things enduring rather than fleeting digital patterns.
In a world racing forward with innovation, Kingsnorth urges us to pause and reflect: Are we shaping technology, or is technology shaping us? His answer affirms the need to break free from the Machine before it consumes us entirely.
Paul Kingsnorth’s Against the Machine is now available, exploring these themes through a collection of essays that blend philosophy, spirituality, and cultural critique.
