Anarchism – Revision
Individual or collective?
Anarchism diff traditions, all reject state opposing coercive relationships.
Society should enable widest range of choices.
Most diverse across debate whether individualistic or collective.
P – human nature.
Ex – (I) egotistical, end state, anarcho-cap market, (c) cooperatives and shaped by environment.
Ev – Stirner, Uni of egoists, Rothbard market. Kropotkin, mutual aid benefits individuals, (P+B) order.
An – (c) do acknowledge potential for corruption, Godwin (I) most optimistic, crossover.
Ev – agree to be seen optimistically, social order nature, human nature is like plastic, molded.
P – society.
Ex – (I) fear collective > individual, (C) natural order will emerge due to social nature, bottom up.
Ev – (I) Goldman, uniformity threat, Rothbard market, Stirner x spooks, (C) Bakunin groups, K MA.
An – in (I) no level of order or hierarchy, union of egoists/market, whereas in (C) relationships.
Ev – all want no state, existing is coercive and crates for man not individual, and no blueprint.
P – economy.
Ex – (I) private property/cap fixed ideal, remove, (C) replace PP > possession, fruits, cooperatives.
Ev – Stirner, voluntary contracts, Rothbard PP yes, Proudhon possession, Bakunin collective,
Kropotkin fruits.
An – (C) communes self-managing but voluntary federations, anarcho-cap unique free w/o equality.
Ev – all say econ freedom central, private ownership opposed as exploitative, inequality opposed.
Overall see more links between (I) & (C) compared to anarcho-capitalists, like the stand-out.
Not more than another because high levels of diversity in both types/strands across area.
Is it utopian?
Society w/o state is possible and desirable has led to anarchism being linked to utopianism.
Utopianism: is the belief in the ideal or perfect society/utopia.
P – anarchism & order.
Ex – all want ordered society, humans rational, order not artificial, coercive state = disorder.
Ev – Stirner, act freely, Rothbard, market will establish order, Kropotkin, common ownership = order.
An – utopian, private property natural, liberals & conservatives, to abolish, only through state.
Ev – not all believe this, anarcho-capitalists agree private property natural aspect so not all utopian.
P – anarchism & liberty.
Ex – informs opposition to the state and influences ways in which they seek to achieve freedom.
Ev – (C) x hierarchy, Bakunin, AC, Kropotkin communities, Stirner, unrestrained, Proudhon decentral.
, Anarchism – Revision
An – conservatives, over-optimistic human nature, and then how will bad behavior be dealt with.
Ev – mutualism balance wishes to protect individual from collectivism whilst opposing cap.
P – Anti-clericalism.
Ex – target organized religion, central supporting pillar, people should obey/defy earthy authority.
Ev – all atheists or anti-clerical; except Godwin and Tolstoy, Goldman church, Bakunin if God abolish.
An – it validates a nation of unquestionable authority, supports state, and imposes a moral code.
Ev – unscientific, no history, yet anarchist societies exist like Zapatista rebellion and Rojava rebellion.
Utopianism, construction of future society allows us to see failings of current arrangement.
Anarchism can be seen as unrealistic, -ve sense, provides vision w/ o arrangements.
Role of the state?
Rejecting state, unnecessary, evil & corrupting, extends to all hierarchy, cap & religion.
Reject means to capture state w/ ballot box or rev proletariat, cos it’s unnatural construction.
P – state immoral.
Ex – ruled by physical coercion and deceit which makes it immoral.
Ev – Stirner, only ego sovereign over itself, Rothbard predatory body that steals, seizes wealth w/ tax.
An – oppressive/denies people rational sovereign individuals, replaced w/ market or Uni of Egoists.
Ev – liberals say state formed w/ consent of people; anarchists say cannot give up sovereignty.
P – state impacts human nature.
Ex – all hierarchal forms of authority, command, control corrupt, need to be abolished.
Ev – Bakunin, power to few, Goldman women unequal/oppressive relations between sexes.
An – authority corrupted, lose contact w/ selfless why dictatorship of proletariat unfeasible.
Ev – liberal good demo, Goldman illusion, if voting changed anything they would destroy it.
P – state economically exploitative.
Ex – most oppose capitalism, regard modern state as agent and creator of modern capitalism.
Ev – (C), state PP, defends wealthy, Proudhon < possession. Bakunin common, Kropotkin fruits.
An – anarcho-capitalists reject link between state & capitalism and call for a free market system.
Ev – liberalists good demo, Bakunin unless econ equality, no political equality, voting = smokescreen.
Therefore, role of state is to cease to exist, to allow a society without a state.
w/o interference & coercive relations, harmony of interests will emerge among humans.
Harmony is a spontaneous order; Proudhon says freedom is mother not daughter of order.
Is it just a form of socialism?
Anarchism too diverse, range of ideas, believed to become cross-sectioned with socialism.
Explored through diff areas and argued due to divisions in diff types of anarchism.