Whether modern technological development has been beneficial or detrimental to human beings is perhaps the most pressing question facing our society. If technology is harmful, then we must minimize or eliminate the danger. If technology is not the source of the problems and concerns that are frequently attributed to it, then we must find another cause for the social and psychological pressures that our society faces, in order to resolve these problems. Since the advent of the industrial revolution, people have complained about the harmful effects of technology. We must therefore examine what Martin Heidegger, a 20th century German philosopher, called “the question of technology.” In his introduction to Heidegger's speech titled "The Question of Technology," editor David Krell said that on this question "nothing less than the survival of the human species and of planet Earth depends." Martin Heidegger was one of the people who looked at this question. with the greatest care. However, groups such as the Freedom Club (or FC), of which the Unabomber is a member, have brought it to our attention very forcefully. Given that Dr. Theodore Kaczynski recently agreed to accept responsibility for the Unabomber's crimes, now is also a particularly appropriate time to examine these issues. FC asserts that the industrial revolution caused much psychological devastation and environmental destruction, while Heidegger warns of the possibility that man can be enslaved by technology. But it's not just ivory tower intellectuals and misfit hermits who spend time thinking about the problems posed by technology. Various popular fiction authors such as Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Ald...... middle of paper ......s of personal freedom that FC warns against. For Heidegger, this process of questioning is the most important part of the artistic process. Because, as Heidegger says, “questioning is the piety of thought.” (Heidegger 317) Works Cited: Heidegger, Martin. “The Question of Technology” in Martin Heidegger: Basic Writings. Ed. David Krell. New York: Harper & Row, 1977. Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Vivace, 1969. Mill, John Stuart. “On Liberty” in Classics of Western Philosophy, ed. Steven M. Cahn. Indianapolis, 1995. Miller, Walter M., Jr. A Canticle for Leibowitz. New York: Bantam, 1968. Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Plume, 1983. Unabomber. Industrial society and its future. Online. Internet. June 3, 1998. Available at http://www.thecourier.com/manifest.htmVonnegut, Kurt Jr. Player Piano. New York: Dell, 1952.