A brief philosophical introduction to Anarchism by Jesse Cohn
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Transcript of A brief philosophical introduction to Anarchism by Jesse Cohn
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a brief philosophical
introduction to anarchism
Jesse Cohn
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Anarchism in History
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Anarchism in Culture
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Anarchism in U.S. Politics
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What Isnt Anarchism?
Alexander Berkman(1870-1936 )
Before I tell you whatAnarchism is, I want to tellyou what it is not . . .
It is not bombs, disorder, or
chaos.It is not robbery and murder.
It is not a war of eachagainst all.
It is not a return tobarbarism or to the wild stateof man.
Anarchism is the veryopposite of all that.
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What Is Anarchism?
anarchism(n'r-kz'm) 1. a.
Absence of government; a state
of lawlessness due to theabsence or inefficiency of thesupreme power; political disorder.
b. A theoretical social state inwhich there is no governing body
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What Isnt Anarchism?
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What Isnt Anarchism?
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What Isnt Anarchism?
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What Isnt Anarchism?
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What Isnt Anarchism?
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What Isnt Anarchism?
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propaganda by the deed
Between 1876-1900, a wave of anarchistbombings and assassinations
Typically aimed at heads of state, judges, police,army, bosses
Individual, spontaneous actions instead oforganized resistance
Extremely ineffective merely outraged the
public and strengthened the State Sometimes instigated or even perpetrated by
government agents
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propaganda by the deed
The Haymarket Bombing, Chicago, 1886
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propaganda by the deed
Execution of Chicago anarchists, November 11, 1887
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1894: Villainous Laws in France enablegovernment crackdown on the press
1902: New York Criminal Anarchy statutemakes advocacy of anarchism illegal
1907: Immigration Act prohibits anarchistsfrom entering the U.S. 1917-1920: Criminal Syndicalist Laws
allow repression of anarcho-syndicalistunions; display of black flag illegal;anarchists deported from U.S. foropposition to war
1917-1921: Soviets jail and kill anarchists 1918: Anti-Anarchist Act gives government
authority to deport anarchist aliens livingin U.S.
1968-1971: FBI targets anarchist groups forsurveillance and harassment viaCOINTELPRO program
2001: FBI declares anarchist groupsReclaim The Streets and Earth LiberationFront domestic terrorists
2004: FBI makes nationwide sweep,questioning anarchist groups
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Jean Grave
(1854-1939)
Bombs . . .
cannot, in fact,
change social
conditions.
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Errico Malatesta
(1853-1932)
One only destroys,
effectively andpermanently, thatwhich one replaces
by something else.
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Gustav Landauer
(1870-1919)
The state is a
condition, a certainrelationship amonghuman beings, amode of behavior
between men; wedestroy it by
contracting other
relationships, bybehaving differentlytoward one another.
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Thomas Hobbes(1588-1679)
During the time men
live without a commonpower to keep them allin awe, they are in that
condition which is calledwar, and such a war asis of every man againstevery other man.
Leviathan(1651)
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Thomas Hobbes(1588-1679)
During the time men
live without a commonpower to keep them allin awe, they are in that
condition which is calledwar, and such a war asis of every man againstevery other man.
Leviathan(1651)
So support your local
monarchy!
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Every State . .. presupposesman to be
essentially eviland wicked.
Mikhail Bakunin
(1814-1876)
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Thus the State, likethe Church, starts
out with thisfundamentalsupposition, thatmen are basicallyevil . . .
Albrecht Drer, Cain Killing Abel(1511)
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. . . and that, ifdelivered up to
their naturalliberty, they wouldtear each otherapart and offer thespectacle of themost terrifyinganarchy, wherethe stronger wouldexploit and
slaughter theweaker . . .
Victim of the riots
orchestrated by thegovernment of Gujarat
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. . . quite thecontrary of whatgoes on in ourmodel states
today, needlessto say!
My Lai Massacre, 1968
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What Is Anarchism?
anarchism(n'r-kz'm) 1. a. Absenceof government; a state of lawlessness due
to the absence or inefficiency of the
supreme power; political disorder.b. Atheoretical social state in which there is no
governing person or body of persons, but
each individual has absolute liberty(without implication of disorder).
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What Is Anarchism?
Emma Goldman
(1869-1940)
ANARCHISM: Thephilosophy of a new socialorder based on liberty
unrestricted by man-made law;the theory that all forms ofgovernment rest on violence,and are therefore wrong and
harmful, as well asunnecessary.
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What Is Anarchism?
Emma Goldman
(1869-1940)
In other words, anarchistsoppose allforms of coercion,hierarchy, and oppression
not just government per se.
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Anarchist critique of power
Errico Malatesta lists three means by which thepowerful maintain power:
1. directly, by brute force : i.e., via political
power2. indirectly, by depriving [workers] of the means
of subsistence and thus reducing them tohelplessness: i.e., via economic privilege
3. by acting on [our] emotional nature: i.e., viareligious authority.
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Anarchist critique of power
I call these sources of power the darktrinity (la trinidad sombra):
Ricardo Flores Magon
(1874-1922)
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Anarchist critique of power
I call these sources of power the darktrinity (la trinidad sombra):
Ricardo Flores Magon
(1874-1922)
the gun
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Anarchist critique of power
I call these sources of power the darktrinity (la trinidad sombra):
Ricardo Flores Magon
(1874-1922)
the gun the dollar
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Anarchist critique of power
I call these sources of power the darktrinity (la trinidad sombra):
Ricardo Flores Magon
(1874-1922)
the gun the dollar the lie
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Anarchist critique of power
Mikhail Bakuninthe gun the dollar the lie
Slavery may change its formor its name its essenceremains the same.
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Anarchist critique of power
Mikhail Bakunin
Even a democratic
State is still oppressive.
In democracy, as I like to
say, the people are beatwith the peoples stick.
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
If men were angels,
no government wouldbe necessary.
Thomas JeffersonJohn Adams James Madison
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
If men were angels,
no government wouldbe necessary.
The people are
turbulent and changing;they seldom judge ordetermine right.
Thomas JeffersonJohn Adams James Madison
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Representative Democracy vs. AnarchismIf all of us are corrupted
by power, which of us isangelic enough to betrusted to govern?
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
In framing a government which
is to be administered by menover men, the great difficulty is
this: you must first enable thegovernment to control thegoverned; and in the next placeoblige it to control itself.
Thomas JeffersonJohn Adams James Madison
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
No governmentcan be trusted tocheck itself.
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
No governmentcan be trusted tocheck itself.
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
No governmentcan be trusted tocheck itself.
Separation ofpowers is abureaucraticsolution to aproblem created by
the centralization ofpower thatgovernment createsin the first place.
Thomas JeffersonJohn Adams James Madison
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
No governmentcan be trusted tocheck itself.
Separation ofpowers is abureaucraticsolution to aproblem created by
the centralization ofpower thatgovernment createsin the first place.
Power must be decentralized,
dispersed among the peoplethemselves,to prevent itsabuse. This is what afederation of free communitiesand associations will do.
Thomas JeffersonJohn Adams James Madison
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
[The] Representative
Assembly . . . should bein miniature, an exact
portrait of the people atlarge. It should think,feel, reason, and act likethem.
Thomas JeffersonJohn Adams James Madison
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
Representatives cease torepresent anything butthemselves the momentthey are elected.
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
Representatives cease torepresent anything butthemselves the momentthey are elected.
What need have I ofa representative?Cant I express my
wishes myself?
Thomas JeffersonJohn Adams James Madison
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
A democracy[is] the only purerepublic, butimpracticablebeyond thelimits of a town.
Thomas JeffersonJohn Adams James Madison
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
In a decentralized federation ofcommunities, each unit can makeagreements with others in the region,and regional assemblies cancoordinate with one another.
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
Majority rule and minorityrule are equally tyrannical.Neither has a right toimpose its will on the other.
Thomas JeffersonJohn Adams James Madison
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
Majority rule and minorityrule are equally tyrannical.Neither has a right toimpose its will on the other.
What you are reallyafraidof, however, is that yourwealthy minority will beoutvoted by the workingclass majority.
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
Thomas Jefferson
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
I am convinced that those societies (as the
Indians) which live without government,enjoy in their general mass an infinitelygreater degree of happiness, than thosewho live under the European governments.Among the former, public opinion is in theplace of law, and restrains morals aspowerfully as laws ever did anywhere.
Thomas Jefferson
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
Yes.
Thomas Jefferson
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Representative Democracy vs. Anarchism
That must be whyyou denied Indiansthe vote.
Thomas Jefferson
A hi di d
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Representative democracy
Popular consent only requiredperiodically at election time
Elected representatives craftpolicy on behalf of constituents
Once elected, officials exerciseauthority over citizens
Little citizen initiative or
participation necessary orpossible
Direct democracy
Direct participation instead ofelections
People craft policy themselvesin small assemblies
Assemblies send delegates todiscuss policy in larger bodies
Delegates are given strict
instructions if these areviolated, they may be recalledimmediately
A hi di d
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Mikhail Bakunin
Where all govern, no
one is governed, and theState as such does notexist.
A hi di d
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Mikhail Bakunin
Where all govern, no
one is governed, and theState as such does notexist.
But how to practicethis self-government?
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A hi di d
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Extension of democracy
A hi di t d
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Extension of democracy
Democratic planning: direct involvement of thoseaffected by decisions in decision-making
A hi di t d
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Extension of democracy
Democratic planning: direct involvement of thoseaffected by decisions in decision-making
Democratic education: teachers, students, and parentsnegotiate policies and curricula
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A hi di t d
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Extension of democracy
Democratic planning: direct involvement of thoseaffected by decisions in decision-making
Democratic education: teachers, students, and parentsnegotiate policies and curricula Military democracy: election and rotation of officer
duties Consumer democracy: consumers make collective
decisions about needs and investments
A hi di t d
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Extension of democracy
Democratic planning: direct involvement of thoseaffected by decisions in decision-making
Democratic education: teachers, students, and parentsnegotiate policies and curricula Military democracy: election and rotation of officer
duties Consumer democracy: consumers make collective
decisions about needs and investments Workplace democracy: producers collectively decidehow to organize production
A hi di t d
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Anarchism as direct democracy
No one knows better
than the workers
themselves the capacityof each one in a specificworkplace. There,where everybody knows
everybody, the practiceof democracy ispossible. D.A. de Santillan
(1897-1983)
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Workers CouncilFarm Cooperative
Anarchism as direct democrac
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Local Council of Production
Workers CouncilWorkers CouncilFarm Cooperative Farm Cooperative
Anarchism as direct democracy
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Regional Producers Federation
Local Councilof Production
Workers CouncilWorkers CouncilFarm Cooperative Farm Cooperative
Local Councilof Production
Workers CouncilWorkers CouncilFarm Cooperative Farm Cooperative
Local Councilof Production
Workers CouncilWorkers CouncilFarm Cooperative Farm Cooperative
Local Councilof Production
Workers CouncilWorkers CouncilFarm Cooperative Farm Cooperative
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Anarchism as direct democracy
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Anarchism as direct democracy
NeighborhoodAssembly
Anarchism as direct democracy
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Anarchism as direct democracy
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
Community assembly
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Anarchism as direct democracy
Regional federation
Communityassembly
Communityassembly
Communityassembly
Communityassembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
NeighborhoodAssembly
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A Cooperative Commonwealth
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A Cooperative Commonwealth
A Cooperative Commonwealth
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A Cooperative Commonwealth
A Cooperative Commonwealth
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A Cooperative Commonwealth
The principle of organization
must not issue from a centercreated in advance to capturethe whole and impose itself
upon it but, on the contrary, itmust come from all sides tocreate nodes of coordination,natural centers to serve allthese points.
Voline
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. . . Do you need a railway? . . .
Regional federationRegional federation
Transregional federation
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. . . Do you need a railway? Thecommunities concerned in a wholeregion will make one better thanthe contractors who pile upmillions building bad railways.
Regional federationRegional federation
Transregional federation
Crime and anarchism
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Crime and anarchism
The fruitful source ofcrimes consists in this
circumstance, one
man's possessingin abundance thatof which another
man is destitute.
William Godwin (1756-1836)
Crime and anarchism
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Crime and anarchism
Crime is strongly linked tounemployment, lack of education,and poverty; eliminating theseshould sharply reduce the crimerate.
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Crime and anarchism
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Crime and anarchism
Crime is strongly linked tounemployment, lack of education,and poverty; eliminating theseshould sharply reduce the crimerate.
Victimless crimes e.g.,
narcotics possession arecreated by the State and wouldvanish with it.
Prisons function as universities of
crime; abolishing prisons could
actually reduce crime.
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Crime and anarchism
Crime is strongly linked tounemployment, lack of education,and poverty; eliminating theseshould sharply reduce the crimerate.
Victimless crimes e.g.,
narcotics possession arecreated by the State and wouldvanish with it.
Prisons function as universities of
crime; abolishing prisons could
actually reduce crime. Crime is also a symptom of social
alienation. A culture of solidaritycan reduce motives for crime.
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Crime and anarchism
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Crime and anarchism
There will be no solutionto crime and antisocial
behaviour without
the resurrection ofhuman community.
Graham PurchaseAnarchism and Ecology(1997)
1872: The International
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Workingmens Association . . .
1872: The InternationalW ki A i i
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SPLITS
Workingmens Association . . .
1872: The InternationalW ki A i ti
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SPLITS
. . . over the conflict between Marx andBakunin, leaders of the two largest factions.
Workingmens Association . . .
Marxism vs. Anarchism
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
Marxism vs. Anarchism
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
Church andState are theservants of theMarketplace.
Marxism vs. Anarchism
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
Church andState are theservants of theMarketplace.
Church, State, andMarketplace aremerely different formsof enslavement.
Marxism vs. Anarchism
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
Church andState are theservants of theMarketplace.
Church, State, andMarketplace aremerely different formsof enslavement.
Dont
forgetrace!
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
After the revolution, theremust be a transitionalgovernment adictatorship of theproletariat.
Marxism vs. Anarchism
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
After the revolution, theremust be a transitionalgovernment adictatorship of theproletariat.
Dictatorship
of whom overwhom??
Marxism vs. Anarchism
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a s s a c s
After the revolution, theremust be a transitionalgovernment adictatorship of theproletariat.
You want tocreate a Redbureaucracy!
Dictatorship
of whom overwhom??
Marxism vs. Anarchism
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After the revolution, theremust be a transitionalgovernment adictatorship of theproletariat.
You want tocreate a Redbureaucracy!
Dictatorship
of whom overwhom??
Revolutionarymeans must beconsistent withrevolutionaryends.
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Capitalismhas to createthe conditionsfor asuccessfulrevolution.
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Capitalismhas to createthe conditionsfor asuccessfulrevolution.
We can make arevolution wheneverenough of us wantit!
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
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Capitalismhas to createthe conditionsfor asuccessfulrevolution.
We can make arevolution wheneverenough of us wantit!
Hah! You thinkrevolutions aremade by will
power.
No, bycollectiveaction.
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
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Marxism vs. Anarchism
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From a Marxist perspective . . . the road to socialism is through capitalism.
the path to a free society is through the
dictatorship of the proletariat.From an anarchist perspective . . .
means must be consistent with ends.
rather than engaging in actions contrary toour values, we need to put our values intoaction.
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In other words . . .
Direct Action
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Indirect actionbrings aboutsomething otherthan or even
contrary to onesreal goals.
An indirect response to a problem means working throughexisting (bureaucratic) channels, getting someone else to
deal with the problem. For instance: writing letters ofcomplaint to the newspaper, signing petitions,demonstrating, or campaigning for a reform candidate.
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Direct Action
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Voltairine de Cleyre(1866-1912)
Every person who ever inhis life had a difference with
anyone to settle, and wentstraight to the other personsinvolved to settle it . . . was adirect actionist.
Direct Action
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Murray Bookchin(1921-)
Direct democracy isa permanentform ofdirect action.
Direct Action
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We live highly indirect lives: we spend allday doing things we dont want to in order
to be allowed to do the things we want to
do. We produce useless things for otherpeople in exchange for money.Overproduction throws workers out of
work. Houses stand empty and food goesto waste while millions starve out in theopen.
Direct Action
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Anarchists aspire to live more directly.Production and consumption are unitedwhen we produce goods for our own use.
Work becomes play when the activity ofworking is made enjoyable, so that it is itsown reward, containing its end within itself.When we work for ourselves, we dont
need bosses, surveillance, and discipline.
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Schools ofAnarchist Thought
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Anarchist Thought
Individualist
Anarchism
Social
Anarchism
Only voluntary, limited, andtemporary forms oforganization
Schools ofAnarchist Thought
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Anarchist Thought
Individualist
Anarchism
Social
Anarchism
Only voluntary, limited, andtemporary forms oforganization
Free exchange without theState
Schools ofAnarchist Thought
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Anarchist Thought
Individualist
Anarchism
Social
Anarchism
Only voluntary, limited, andtemporary forms oforganization
Free exchange without theState
Emphasis on individualautonomy
Schools ofAnarchist Thought
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Anarchist Thought
Individualist
Anarchism
Social
Anarchism
Only voluntary, limited, andtemporary forms oforganization
Free exchange without theState
Emphasis on individualautonomy
Organization crucial, butmust be decentralized andnon-authoritarian
Schools ofAnarchist Thought
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Anarchist Thought
Individualist
Anarchism
Social
Anarchism
Only voluntary, limited, andtemporary forms oforganization
Free exchange without theState
Emphasis on individualautonomy
Organization crucial, butmust be decentralized andnon-authoritarian
Socialism without the State
Schools ofAnarchist Thought
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Anarchist Thought
Individualist
Anarchism
Social
Anarchism
Only voluntary, limited, andtemporary forms oforganization
Free exchange without theState
Emphasis on individualautonomy
Organization crucial, butmust be decentralized andnon-authoritarian
Socialism without the State
Balance of autonomy andcommunity
Individualism
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Max STIRNER(1806-1856)
Max STIRNER (1806-1856)
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Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
All of history is really the progress of
Ideas the journey of a World Spirit(Weltgeist) toward self-discovery..
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
All of history is really the progress of
Ideas the journey of a World Spirit(Weltgeist) toward self-discovery..
Ideas progress through thedialectic: first, the idea
appears positively, as aThesis, which calls forth itsopposite or Antithesis; then aSynthesis can emerge,combining the best of both.This, too, becomes a thesis,
and the process repeats . . .
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
All of history is really the progress of
Ideas the journey of a World Spirit(Weltgeist) toward self-discovery..
Ideas progress through thedialectic: first, the idea
appears positively, as aThesis, which calls forth itsopposite or Antithesis; then aSynthesis can emerge,combining the best of both.This, too, becomes a thesis,
and the process repeats . . .
Until finally an all-encompassing Idea isattained the Absolute.
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Truly, you are haunted by a ghost (Geist)!
Your disembodied World Spirit is imaginary a mere abstraction.
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Truly, you are haunted by a ghost (Geist)!
Your disembodied World Spirit is imaginary a mere abstraction.
The only true subject is the concrete,bodily individual the Einzige.
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Truly, you are haunted by a ghost (Geist)!
Your disembodied World Spirit is imaginary a mere abstraction.
The only true subject is the concrete,bodily individual the Einzige.
Nothingis Absolute.Everything is what it isrelative to myinterests.
Stirner vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Max Stirner
Truly, you are haunted by a ghost (Geist)!
Your disembodied World Spirit is imaginary a mere abstraction.
The only true subject is the concrete,bodily individual the Einzige.
Nothingis Absolute.Everything is what it isrelative to myinterests.
Nothing is
more to methan myself!
Stirners place in philosophyEXISTENTIALISTS
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Max Stirner
SrenKierkegaard Albert Camus
Jean-Paul Sartre FriedrichNietzsche
Stirners negation of God and anysource of values beyond theindividual places him in thecompany of the existentialists . . .
Stirners place in philosophyEXISTENTIALISTS
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Max Stirner
SrenKierkegaard Albert Camus
Jean-Paul Sartre FriedrichNietzsche
Stirners negation of God and anysource of values beyond theindividual places him in thecompany of the existentialists . . .
. . . But we also wonder ifhe isnt just a nihilist.
Stirners place in philosophy
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Max Stirner
Stirner is thedialectician whoreveals nihilism asthe truth of thedialectic.
Gilles Deleuze
(poststructuralistphilosopher,1925-1995)
Stirners place in philosophy
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Max Stirner
Stirner is thedialectician whoreveals nihilism asthe truth of thedialectic.
Gilles Deleuze
(poststructuralistphilosopher,1925-1995)
. . . which makes
him an importantancestor of
poststructuralism.
Stirners place in philosophy
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Max StirnerJean Baudrillard
(postmodern theorist, 1929-)
Stirners place in philosophy
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Max StirnerJean Baudrillard
(postmodern theorist, 1929-)
We share asimilar critique
of Marxs
Hegelian notionof alienation.
Stirners place in philosophy
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Max StirnerJean Baudrillard
(postmodern theorist, 1929-)
We share asimilar critique
of Marxs
Hegelian notionof alienation.
What an absurdity it is to
pretend that men are'other', to try to convincethem that their deepestdesire is to become'themselves' again! Eachman is totally there ateach instant.
Stirners place in philosophy
The true man does not lie in the
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Max StirnerJean Baudrillard
(postmodern theorist, 1929-)
We share asimilar critique
of Marxs
Hegelian notionof alienation.
The true man does not lie in the
future, an object of longing, but lies,
existent and real, in the present.Whatever and whoever I may be,
joyous and suffering, a child or agraybeard, in confidence or doubt,in sleep or in waking, I am it, I amthe true man.
What an absurdity it is to
pretend that men are'other', to try to convincethem that their deepestdesire is to become'themselves' again! Eachman is totally there ateach instant.
Stirner vs. the social anarchistsThe true man does not lie in the
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Max Stirner
future, an object of longing, but lies,
existent and real, in the present.Whatever and whoever I may be,
joyous and suffering, a child or agraybeard, in confidence or doubt,in sleep or in waking, I am it, I amthe true man.
Mikhail Bakunin
Stirner vs. the social anarchistsThe true man does not lie in the
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Max Stirner
future, an object of longing, but lies,
existent and real, in the present.Whatever and whoever I may be,
joyous and suffering, a child or agraybeard, in confidence or doubt,in sleep or in waking, I am it, I amthe true man.
Mikhail Bakunin
Demystifying ideas,
stripping them ofsacred authority, ishealthy but Stirnerdeifies the ultimateabstraction: the self-contained ego.
Stirner vs. the social anarchistsThe true man does not lie in the
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Max Stirner
future, an object of longing, but lies,
existent and real, in the present.Whatever and whoever I may be,
joyous and suffering, a child or agraybeard, in confidence or doubt,in sleep or in waking, I am it, I amthe true man.
Mikhail Bakunin
Anarchism is a philosophy ofhuman development of thepotentialcontained within the
actual. We only become freeto develop fully in community.For Stirner, there isnopotentiality, no becoming ordevelopment.
Demystifying ideas,
stripping them ofsacred authority, ishealthy but Stirnerdeifies the ultimateabstraction: the self-contained ego.
Stirner vs. the social anarchistsAnd as for economics
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Max StirnerMikhail Bakunin
And as for economicsStirners criticism
leaves the competitiveindividualism ofcapitalism unscathed.
Stirner vs. the social anarchistsAnd as for economics My intercourse with the world what does it
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Max StirnerMikhail Bakunin
And as for economicsStirners criticism
leaves the competitiveindividualism ofcapitalism unscathed.
My intercourse with the world, what does it
aim at? I want to have the enjoyment of it,therefore it must be my property, andtherefore I want to win it. I do not want theliberty of men, nor their equality ; I want onlymypower over them, I want to make them myproperty, i. e. material for enjoyment.
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Max StirnerMikhail Bakunin
And as for economicsStirners criticism
leaves the competitiveindividualism ofcapitalism unscathed.
Property istheft!
My intercourse with the world, what does it
aim at? I want to have the enjoyment of it,therefore it must be my property, andtherefore I want to win it. I do not want theliberty of men, nor their equality ; I want onlymypower over them, I want to make them myproperty, i. e. material for enjoyment.
P.-J. Proudhon
Stirner vs. the social anarchists
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Mikhail Bakunin P.-J. Proudhon
In fact, the critique of property
and the creation of economicalternatives to capitalism will turnout to be central to anarchisttheory.
Social Anarchism
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Mutualism
Anarcho-syndicalism Anarcho-communism
Mutualism
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Pierre-JosephPROUDHON
(1805-1865) Voluntary contracts betweenindividuals
Producer-consumercooperatives
Decentralized federationsinstead of centralized States
Exchange economy withoutrent, profit, or interest on loans
Proudhon vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
Proudhon vs. Hegel
In all things and
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
In all things and
everywhere, I proclaimProgress. . .
Proudhon vs. Hegel
In all things and
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
In all things and
everywhere, I proclaimProgress. . .
Yes! Progressis the law ofHistory!
Proudhon vs. Hegel
In all things and
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
In all things and
everywhere, I proclaimProgress. . .
. . . and noless resolutely,in all things andeverywhere, Idenounce theAbsolute.
Yes! Progressis the law ofHistory!
Proudhon vs. Hegel
In all things andF i ki
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
In all things and
everywhere, I proclaimProgress. . .
. . . and noless resolutely,in all things andeverywhere, Idenounce theAbsolute.
Yes! Progressis the law ofHistory!
Frickin
anarchists,always gotta be
different . . .
Proudhons place in philosophy Hegels cherished notion of
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Hegel s cherished notion of
the Absolute is anathemato Proudhon. He identifies itwith absolutism, or thesearch, in nature, society,religion, politics, morality,etc., for the eternal, theimmutable, the perfect, thefinal, the unchangeable, theundivided in short, adefense of the status quo.
For Hegel, everything that
exists is the necessary resultof a rational process. ForProudhon, everything thatexists is capable of changeand must be maderational.
Proudhon vs. HegelHistory is the work of the World Spiritthi ki it th h th di l ti I
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
thinking its way through the dialectic. In
effect, History isthe operation of Reason.
Proudhon vs. HegelHistory is the work of the World Spiritthi ki it th h th di l ti I
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
thinking its way through the dialectic. In
effect, History isthe operation of Reason.
Or, as I like to say: What is
real is rational, and what isrational is real.
Proudhon vs. HegelHistory is the work of the World Spiritthi ki it th h th di l ti I
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
thinking its way through the dialectic. In
effect, History isthe operation of Reason.
Or, as I like to say: What is
real is rational, and what isrational is real.
On the one hand, this isridiculous. There is no WorldSpirit, only individual mindsworking in a material world.
Proudhon vs. HegelHistory is the work of the World Spiritthinking its way through the dialectic In
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
thinking its way through the dialectic. In
effect, History isthe operation of Reason.
Or, as I like to say: What is
real is rational, and what isrational is real.
On the one hand, this isridiculous. There is no WorldSpirit, only individual mindsworking in a material world.
On the other hand, just as ourcombined laborour collectiveforce can accomplish more thanthe sum of our individual efforts, sosociety as a whole can be said topossess a collective reason.
Proudhons place in philosophy Labor, for Proudhon, always
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Labor, for Proudhon, always
involves the exercise ofintelligence and creativity.The working classpossesses, therefore, notonly a collective force but acollective reason.
Proudhons place in philosophy
In effect while hitherto
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In effect, while hitherto . . .
philosophy, like wealth, hasbeen reserved for certainclasses, as Proudhon
remarks, to make every
artisan a philosopher . . . itwould be enough to teachhim what? his profession.
Proudhon vs. HegelMere sensory experiences can only render limitedknowledge of the material world Higher knowledge must
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
knowledge of the material world. Higher knowledge must
come from the contemplation of pure ideas.
Proudhon vs. HegelMere sensory experiences can only render limitedknowledge of the material world Higher knowledge must
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
knowledge of the material world. Higher knowledge must
come from the contemplation of pure ideas.
Karl Marx
You have things backwards!Ideas are merely a reflection ofthe material world.
Proudhon vs. HegelMere sensory experiences can only render limitedknowledge of the material world Higher knowledge must
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. Proudhon
knowledge of the material world. Higher knowledge must
come from the contemplation of pure ideas.
Karl Marx
You have things backwards!Ideas are merely a reflection ofthe material world.
I refuse the very distinctionbetween ideas and matter.
The two cannot be separatedfrom one another.
Proudhon vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel P.-J. ProudhonKarl Marx
I refuse the very distinctionbetween ideas and matter.
The two cannot be separatedfrom one another.
Frickin
anarchists!
Proudhons place in philosophy Since ideality and materiality
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y y
are two inseparable aspectsof Being, there can be nofirm distinction betweenmanual labor and mentallabor. All labor requiresintelligence and creativityif
workers merely obeyeddirect commands, workwould grind to a halt.
If all labor is done with themind as well as the body,
then workers are potentiallycapable of self-management and there is no reason forthe existence of managers.
Anarcho-syndicalism
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MikhailBAKUNIN
(1814-1876) Labor unions as means ofrevolution and framework fornew society
Collective self-managementin the workplace
Limited wage systemretained
Bakunin vs. HegelSince history is the progress of ideas, philosophy is the scienceof history In fact the goal of history is to produce the
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G.W.F. Hegel Mikhail Bakunin
of history. In fact, the goal of history is to produce the
philosopher who can render historys pattern clear.
Karl Marx
Bakunin vs. HegelSince history is the progress of ideas, philosophy is the scienceof history In fact the goal of history is to produce the
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G.W.F. Hegel Mikhail Bakunin
of history. In fact, the goal of history is to produce the
philosopher who can render historys pattern clear.
Hegel, a professional thinker,imagines that history is a matter ofprogress in ideas. In fact, ideasfollow material, economicprogress.
My science of history will be foundedon the study of economics.
Karl Marx
Bakunin vs. HegelSince history is the progress of ideas, philosophy is the scienceof history. In fact, the goal of history is to produce the
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G.W.F. Hegel Mikhail Bakunin
of history. In fact, the goal of history is to produce the
philosopher who can render historys pattern clear.
Hegel, a professional thinker,imagines that history is a matter ofprogress in ideas. In fact, ideasfollow material, economicprogress.
My science of history will be foundedon the study of economics.
There is no science of
history, and even if
there were, thescientists would have
no right to dictate to therest of us.
Karl Marx
Bakunin vs. Hegel
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G.W.F. Hegel Mikhail Bakunin
There is no science of
history, and even if
there were, thescientists would have
no right to dictate to therest of us.
Frickin
anarchists!
Karl Marx
Bakunins place in philosophy Bakunin is profoundly
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p y
suspicious of claims toknowledge, particularly whenthat knowledge is cited as abadge of authority.
Knowledge (ideas,categories, words, discourse)is inevitably an abstraction,
a generalizationand, forthat very reason, in somesort a negation of real life.
Thus, Bakunin calls for therevolt of life against science.
Bakunins place in philosophyBakunin and I attended the same lecture by the philosopher
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SrenKierkegaard Mikhail Bakunin
EXISTENTIALISM
Friedrich Schelling at which he argued that Hegels philosophyhad to be replaced by a philosophy of existence theinspiration for my existentialist philosophy. Both of us distrustabstract systems of thought.
Bakunins place in philosophyBakunin and I attended the same lecture by the philosopher
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SrenKierkegaard Mikhail Bakunin
EXISTENTIALISM
Friedrich Schelling at which he argued that Hegels philosophyhad to be replaced by a philosophy of existence theinspiration for my existentialist philosophy. Both of us distrustabstract systems of thought.
True. However, I am before all elsean atheist and a socialist not forme Kierkegaards incessant whining,
his preoccupation with dread,despair, and God, and his
individualistic indifference to politics.
Bakunins place in philosophy
Bakunins rejection of science in favor of life puts him close to
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Mikhail BakuninJean-Franois
Lyotard
POSTMODERNISM
my own postmodernist philosophy, which is all about beingskeptical toward grand narratives big ideas like History,Progress, God, Reason, Nature, Truth, etc. Intellectuals usegrand narratives to enhance their own authority and power at ourexpense. In fact, there is no objective knowledge, only stories wetell ourselves about the world we live in.
Bakunins place in philosophy
Bakunins rejection of science in favor of life puts him close to
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Mikhail BakuninJean-Franois
Lyotard
POSTMODERNISM
my own postmodernist philosophy, which is all about beingskeptical toward grand narratives big ideas like History,Progress, God, Reason, Nature, Truth, etc. Intellectuals usegrand narratives to enhance their own authority and power at ourexpense. In fact, there is no objective knowledge, only stories wetell ourselves about the world we live in.
But I would make a badpostmodernist, too. I value thenatural sciences for making itpossible to understand the worldwithout reference to God. Nor doI deny the possibility of objectiveknowledge. Its just that we
should never grand absoluteauthority to anyone, not even tothose who possess knowledge.
Anarcho-communism
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PeterKROPOTKIN(1842-1921)
No wage system orownership of the meansof production
Communist distributiveethic: from eachaccording to ability, toeach according to need
Kropotkins place in philosophy
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My place is not so much with thepure philosophers as it is with thescientists and ethicists.
Kropotkins place in philosophyOf all the differences between
man and the lower animals, the
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Thomas Huxley Charles Darwin John Stuart Mill Peter Kropotkin
moral sense or conscience is byfar the most important.
The moral feelings are not
innate, but acquired.
Kropotkins place in philosophyThe practice of that which is ethically best what we call goodness or virtue involves a
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Thomas Huxley Charles Darwin John Stuart Mill
what we call goodness or virtue involves a
course of conduct which, in all respects, isopposed to that which leads to success in thecosmic struggle for existence.
Kropotkins place in philosophy[In primitive societies,] the weakest and stupidest went to
the wall while the toughest and shrewdest those who
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Thomas Huxley Charles Darwin John Stuart Mill
the wall, while the toughest and shrewdest, those whowere best fitted to cope with their circumstances, but notthe best in another way, survived. Life was a continuousfree fight, and beyond the limited and temporary relationsof the family, the Hobbesian war of each against all was thenormal state of existence.
Kropotkins place in philosophyWe must find a conception ofmorality which is thoroughly
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Thomas Huxley Charles Darwin John Stuart Mill
morality which is thoroughlycompatible with the findings ofnatural science, not requiringany supernatural authority toestablish right and wrong.Fortunately, Darwin has
shown us the way to one.
Kropotkins place in philosophyWe must find a conception ofmorality which is thoroughly
Natural selection does not promote thesurvival of the fittest individuals but that of
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Thomas Huxley Charles Darwin John Stuart Mill
morality which is thoroughlycompatible with the findings ofnatural science, not requiringany supernatural authority toestablish right and wrong.Fortunately, Darwin has
shown us the way to one.
survival of the fittest individuals, but that of
the fittest species. This explains why, aswe can see from the abundance of social
species on Earth, cooperation is as muchthe law of nature as competition.
Kropotkins place in philosophyNatural selection does not promote thesurvival of the fittest individuals, but that of
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Thomas Huxley Charles Darwin John Stuart Mill
survival of the fittest individuals, but that of
the fittest species. This explains why, aswe can see from the abundance of social
species on Earth, cooperation is as muchthe law of nature as competition.
Altruism is as much part ofhuman nature as egoism isour collective survival hasrequired it. Our customs andinstitutions can encourage thedevelopment of one instinct or
the other that is all.
Social Anarchist Economics
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Anarchist economicsis simply the art ofarranging for needsto be met with theminimum of wasted
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effort. From eachaccording to ability,to each according toneed.
But who is todecide myabilities or myneeds? I say myneeds are 100;
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you say they are90. I say myabilities are 90;you say they are100.
Its all a matter of labor. If
you are able to work anddont, you shouldnt share
in the wealth produced byothers labor. To each
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according to his deeds!
A community does havethe right to eject someonewho refuses to help out.Still, it shouldnt come to
that most of the time
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and a wage system onlycreates new problems.
A community does havethe right to eject someonewho refuses to help out.Still, it shouldnt come to
that most of the time
Such as?
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and a wage system onlycreates new problems.
A community does havethe right to eject someonewho refuses to help out.Still, it shouldnt come to
that most of the time
Such as?
Well, who is to decide howvaluable the products of my
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and a wage system onlycreates new problems.labor are? Is brain work worthmore or less than manuallabor? What about child-rearing?
It is true that economic valueis very difficult to formulate.Thats why it should be a
matter of negotiation ofcontract.
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There are two problemswith reliance on a systemof free contracts betweenindividuals.
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First of all, it will benecessary to coordinateand plan on a bigger scalethan a couple of individualsmaking a deal..
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First of all, it will benecessary to coordinateand plan on a bigger scalethan a couple of individualsmaking a deal..
Second, the outcome of thosecontractual arrangements maybe that someone ends up asexclusive owner of the meansof production which gives
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them the power to force othersto work for them.
There are a few wayswe can avoid theseproblems.
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There are a few wayswe can avoid theseproblems.
For instance, we canestablish equitable systems
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of trade for instance,labor note currencies
which allow us to tradework-time for work-time.
There are a few wayswe can avoid theseproblems.
For instance, we canestablish equitable systems
We can also makecontracts between
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of trade for instance,labor note currencies
which allow us to tradework-time for work-time.
groups of producers andconsumers organizedinto cooperatives, whichcan in turn be networked.
Such a system is still toodivisive too much haggling.Anarchism requires a deepersense of community. Whenpeople are assured that their
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needs will be met, they feelmore secure and are capableof more generous behavior.
We should look to the example setby those primitive societies in whichthe primary form of property is stillthe gift an institution which stillsurvives among us in forms such as
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gthe barn-raising, the Red Cross, thequilting bee . . . and, of course, thefamily.
Anarchism as ethics
Right and wrong are not just a
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Peter Kropotkin
matter of the good or badresults of ones action (so thatit all depends on thecircumstances) . . .
. . . nor is it just a matter ofpure principle (so that rightand wrong are always thesame for everyone).
Both principles andcircumstances means andends must be taken intoaccount.
Anarchism as ethics
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John Stuart Mill
CONSEQUENTIALIST
Peter Kropotkin
ANARCHIST
Immanuel Kant
DEONTOLOGICAL
Anarchism as ethicsActions are right in proportion as they tend to
promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce
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John Stuart Mill
CONSEQUENTIALIST
Peter Kropotkin
ANARCHIST
Immanuel Kant
DEONTOLOGICAL
the reverse of happiness.
Anarchism as ethics
Act only according to that maxim by
which you can at the same time will that it
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John Stuart Mill
CONSEQUENTIALIST
Peter Kropotkin
ANARCHIST
Immanuel Kant
DEONTOLOGICAL
should become a universallaw.
Anarchism as ethicsThe morality which emerges from the
observation of the whole animal kingdom
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John Stuart Mill
CONSEQUENTIALIST
Peter Kropotkin
ANARCHIST
Immanuel Kant
DEONTOLOGICAL
may be summed up in the words: Do toothers what you would have them do to youin the same circumstances.
Anarchism as ethics
Moral materialism: no appeal
f
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Peter Kropotkin
to a separate world of spirit assource of meaning
Moral naturalism: moralityrooted in the struggle for
species survival Moral historicism: moral truthsare not eternal or unchanging,but evolve over time
Anarchism as ethicsWe need a critique of moral values, and we must first
question the very value of these values. For that we need
k l d f h di i d i f
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
a knowledge of the conditions and circumstance out ofwhich these values grew, under which they havedeveloped and changed . . .
Anarchism as ethicsThe conception of good or evil varies
according to the degree of intelligence
f k l d i d Th i
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
or of knowledge acquired. There isnothing unchangeable about it . . .
Anarchism as ethicsThere are epochs in which the moral conception
changes entirely . . . Let us welcome such epochs,
f th h f iti i Th
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
for they are epochs of criticism. They are aninfallible sign that thought is working in society. Ahigher morality has begun to be wrought out.
Anarchism as ethicsNihilism is the necessary consequence of the
ideals entertained hitherto . . . [for] all the old
id l h til t lif
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
ideals are hostile to life.
Anarchism as ethicsThe end of morals cannot be transcendental, as the
idealists desire it to be: it must be real. We must find
l ti f ti i lif d t i f f
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
moral satisfaction in lifeand not in some form ofextra-vital condition.
Anarchism as ethicsWhat is good? All that heightens thefeeling of power, the will to power,
po er itself in man
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
power itself in man.
Anarchism as ethicsNature was represented by the Darwinists asan immense battlefield upon which one seesnothing but an incessant struggle for life and an
extermination of the weak ones by the strongest
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
extermination of the weak ones by the strongest. . . evil was the only lesson which man couldget from Nature . . .
Anarchism as ethicsBut if a scientist maintains that the only lessonwhich Nature gives to man is one of evil, then henecessarily has to admit the existence of some
other extra natural or super natural influence
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
other, extra-natural, or super-natural influencewhich inspires man with conceptions of supremegood, and guides human development towards ahigher goal . . .
Anarchism as ethicsIn reality, however, things do not stand sobadly as that . . . Mutual aid is thepredominant fact of nature.
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
Anarchism as ethicsLife manifests itself in growth, in multiplication, inspreading . . . . From this consciousness of thesuperabundance of vital force, which strives to
manifest itself in action results that which we
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
manifest itself in action, results that which weusually call self-sacrifice. We feel that we possessmore energy than is necessary for our daily life, andwe give this energy to others.
Anarchism as ethicsBe strong. Overflow with emotional andintellectual energy, and you will spread yourintelligence, your love, your energy of action
broadcast among others! This is what all
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
broadcast among others! This is what allmoral teaching comes to.
Anarchism as ethicsEqual to the equal, unequal to the
unequal thatwould be the true
slogan of justice; and also its
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
slogan of justice; and also itscorollary: Never make equal what is
unequal.
Anarchism as ethicsEquality in mutual relations with the solidarityarising from it, this is the most powerfulweapon of the animal world in the struggle for
existence
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
existence.
Anarchism as ethicsThe world is perfect thus says theinstinct of the most spiritual . . . What is bad. . . Is born of weakness, of envy, of
revenge The anarchist and the Christianh th i i
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
revenge. The anarchist and the Christianhave the same origin.
Anarchism as ethics[You] did not understand anything aboutthe economic workers' revolt. The greatNietzsche . . . remained a slave to
bourgeois prejudice
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Peter Kropotkin Friedrich Nietzsche
bourgeois prejudice.
Anarchism and spirituality
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Anarchism and spirituality
Long before Proudhon became the first to call himself an anarchist in
1840 anarchist ideas and movements had emerged in religious forms
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1840, anarchist ideas and movements had emerged in religious forms.
Anarchism and spirituality
Long before Proudhon became the first to call himself an anarchist in
1840 anarchist ideas and movements had emerged in religious forms
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In ancient China, Taoism andBuddhism counseled avoidance ofpower and possession.
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Anarchism and spirituality
Long before Proudhon became the first to call himself an anarchist in
1840 anarchist ideas and movements had emerged in religious forms
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In ancient China, Taoism andBuddhism counseled avoidance ofpower and possession.
The Hebrew Scriptures centered
on themes of emancipation frombondage to worldly power.
In medieval Europe, heretical andmystical forms of Christianitydenounced princes and Popesalike as usurpers.
1840, anarchist ideas and movements had emerged in religious forms.
Anarchism and spirituality
Long before Proudhon became the first to call himself an anarchist in
1840 anarchist ideas and movements had emerged in religious forms
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In ancient China, Taoism andBuddhism counseled avoidance ofpower and possession.
The Hebrew Scriptures centered
on themes of emancipation frombondage to worldly power.
In medieval Europe, heretical andmystical forms of Christianitydenounced princes and Popesalike as usurpers.
Protestantism opened the way to aseries of anarchic religious revolts,including those of the Diggers,Ranters, Lollards, and Anabaptists.
1840, anarchist ideas and movements had emerged in religious forms.
Anarchism and spirituality
CONFLICTS CONVERGENCES
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Anarchists are stronglycritical of organizedreligion as ally of the
State Anarchist materialismrules out appeal tootherworldly values
Anarchists reject appeals
to divine authority
Strong precedents foranarchism in religiousheresies
Anarchism is also idealist,but in an immanentsense the living world isinfused with values
Anarchists share a
rejection of worldlyauthority
Anarchism and spirituality
A few who have
combined opposition to
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Mohandas K. Gandhi
Martin Buber
Leo Tolstoy
Dorothy Day
combined opposition toState and Capital with
religious belief:
Anarchism and spirituality
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I myself am an
anarchist, but ofanother type.
Anarchism and spirituality
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I wish people would
not be so afraid ofwords, such as theword anarchist.
Anarchism and spirituality
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All forms of rule have
this in common: eachwields more powerthan the givenconditions require.
Anarchism and spirituality
A few who have
combined opposition to
All state obligations arei t th i f
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Leo Tolstoy
Mohandas K. Gandhi
Martin Buber
Dorothy Day
combined opposition tothe State and Capital
with religion:
All state obligations areagainst the conscience ofa Christian the oath ofallegiance, taxes, law
proceedings, and militaryservice. And the wholepower of the governmentrests on these very
obligations.
Anarchism and spirituality
[In] a state of enlightened
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[In] a state of enlightenedanarchy . . . every one ishis own ruler. He ruleshimself in such a mannerthat he is never ahindrance to his neighbour. . . therefore, there is no
political power becausethere is no State.
Anarchism today
Since the fall of the Berlin
Wall in 1989, international
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Wall in 1989, internationalanarchist movementshave recovered some ofthe momentum lost to
authoritarian communistand nationalist forcesfollowing the apparentsuccess of Bolshevismand various nationalliberation struggles (e.g.,Cuba, China, Kenya).
Anarchism today
At the same time, the
apparent triumph of
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apparent triumph ofglobal capitalism has putworking-class movementseverywhere on the
defensive. Even the wordlibertarian once asynonym for anarchismhas become a term forlaissez-faire capitalism.
Anarchism today
Anarchist practices
direct action, organization
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direct action, organizationvia decentralizednetworks, consensusdecision-making have
been widely adopted inthe global justice
movement which hasgained internationalattention since the SeattleWTO protests of 1999.
Anarchism today
Anarchist practices
direct action, organizationi d t li d
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direct action, organizationvia decentralizednetworks, consensusdecision-making havebeen widely adopted in
the global justicemovement which hasgained internationalattention since the SeattleWTO protests of 1999.
Oddly enough, anarchistsmake great organizers.
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Anarchism today
Anarchist political and
economic strategies
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eco o c st ateg esproducer-consumercooperatives, squatting,factory occupations,
popular assemblieshave been adopted assurvival tactics in theworlds economic shock
zones, from Mexico,
Argentina and Brazil toRussia and South Africa.
Popular assembly, Argentina
Anarchism today
Meanwhile, anarchism
continues to evolve. In the
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absence of a strong laborunion movement, a concernwith ecology has taken
center stage. Varieties ofeco-anarchism range fromMurray Bookchins social
ecology to John Zerzans
anti-technologicalprimitivism and the
monkeywrenching tactics
of Earth First.
Murray Bookchin
John Zerzan
How do you live as an anarchist ina hierarchical world?
Resist much, obey little.
Find ways to make work into play
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Find ways to make work into play.
Dont mourn, organize form cooperatives,unions, and other horizontal associations.
Treat others with respect; demand respectfultreatment.
Name and denounce oppression wherever you
see it. Be strong and daring and unashamed.
The End?No cuente conl, mu