Are you an anarchist? The answer may surprise you (2000)

Post by feralimal » Sat, Sep 05, 2020, 1:46 PM UTC

woko wrote: post #31

feralimal wrote: post #2

Yes, apparently he died last week. The person said to be behind the phrase we are the 99% at the Occupy Wall Street movement. He was an interesting character. My question would be: do anarchists really work as professors at the London School of Economics? And Yale? Aren't you a 'system man' at that point?

> do anarchists really work as professors at the London School of Economics? And Yale? I know a banker who is communist. It does not mean that he behaves like a communist in his actions, but he does in his words. From my perspective, he takes the best (or the worst) of both worlds: the quality of life of a very rich man who can afford living in the most expensive places and whatever leisure he wants, and the ability…

Post by vidarh » Sat, Sep 05, 2020, 1:48 PM UTC

torb-xyz wrote: post #47

Giorgi wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, libertarianism is quite close to anarchy or minarchy. It looks like such sentiments are very strong in places where goverment has failed their people for dozens of years, in comparison of Europe for example.

With the exception of anarchism being anti-capitalist. Any ‘anarchist’ that is pro-capitalism is generally not regarded as anarchist by the wider anarchist movement. Fun fact: befor the modern US meaning, libertarian used to mean anarchist-communist as a way around french authorities banning the word anarchist in the late 1800 if I remember correctly.

Post by hippich » Sat, Sep 05, 2020, 1:49 PM UTC

browserface wrote: post #43

Anyone who has ever lived in a share house (or next to one) knows that without laws civilization will descend into absolute chaos and endless tit for tat revenge warfare. Try parenting with anarchist principles. At some point you run into limits. The point is, what imposes those limits? Physics, gravity, society or yourself? Ideally the limits you put on yourself should mean you never encounter (negatively or destruc…

Post by hippich » Sat, Sep 05, 2020, 1:51 PM UTC

browserface wrote: post #88

vidarh wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anarchism does not suggest no rules, but voluntary association. A flat share is a perfect example in that if ypu don't like the rules you find other people to share with - the rules are not imposed from above, but the result of negotiation and entered into voluntarily. I'm not an anarchist though I share some of the views, but so much of the criticism of anarchism comes from misrepresenting anarchism as rejecting all…

I get that you see it that way. I think that might be shifting the goalposts of anarchism in the face of criticism, and I suspect the appeal to "zero rules" can be brought back later in less critical contexts. But I appreciate the expanded perspective you've given me. So...voluntary association, but still having rules and organizing. OK, sounds alright. How is that different to the current global system? I mean it li…

Post by zozbot234 » Sat, Sep 05, 2020, 1:53 PM UTC

brbrodude wrote: post #81

oxymoran wrote: post #11

“Anarchists are simply people who believe human beings are capable of behaving in a reasonable fashion without having to be forced to.” My anarchist sympathies want this to be true but this is a demonstrably false fairy tale. Just look at how we treat the planet and other living things in the presence of lawful order. Why would you assume that we would act righteously in the absence of law? It is painfully obvious th…

This is where I see one of the most striking arguments for anarchist philosophy. That is: It takes, and it took, an immensurable ammount of violence to make the status quo, 'lawful order' is a very shaky concept there. From this perspective it's way clearer that the unbalances and the unlawlessness of a big chunk of the "order" are themselves the sources of so much messed up stuff we have to deal with and try hopeles…