A brief philosophical introduction to Anarchism by Jesse Cohn

7/31/2019 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
http://people.nirvanet.net/m/makhno/public_html/ukraine.html


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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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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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The Haymarket Bombing, Chicago, 1886


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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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I call these sources of power the darktrinity (la trinidad sombra):

Ricardo Flores Magon

(1874-1922)


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(1874-1922)

the gun


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(1874-1922)

the gun the dollar


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(1874-1922)

the gun the dollar the lie


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Mikhail Bakuninthe gun the dollar the lie

Slavery may change its formor its name its essenceremains the same.


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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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If men were angels,

no government wouldbe necessary.

The people are

turbulent and changing;they seldom judge ordetermine right.



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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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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.



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No governmentcan be trusted tocheck itself.



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Separation ofpowers is abureaucraticsolution to aproblem created by

the centralization ofpower thatgovernment createsin the first place.



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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.



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[The] Representative

Assembly . . . should bein miniature, an exact

portrait of the people atlarge. It should think,feel, reason, and act likethem.



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Representatives cease torepresent anything butthemselves the momentthey are elected.



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Representatives cease torepresent anything butthemselves the momentthey are elected.

What need have I ofa representative?Cant I express my

wishes myself?



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A democracy[is] the only purerepublic, butimpracticablebeyond thelimits of a town.



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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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Majority rule and minorityrule are equally tyrannical.Neither has a right toimpose its will on the other.



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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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Thomas Jefferson


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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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Yes.

Thomas Jefferson


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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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Mikhail Bakunin

Where all govern, no

one is governed, and theState as such does notexist.

A hi di d


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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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Extension of democracy

A hi di t d


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Democratic planning: direct involvement of thoseaffected by decisions in decision-making

A hi di t d


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Democratic education: teachers, students, and parentsnegotiate policies and curricula


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A hi di t d


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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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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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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)

A hi di t d


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Workers CouncilFarm Cooperative

Anarchism as direct democrac


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Local Council of Production

Workers CouncilWorkers CouncilFarm Cooperative Farm Cooperative



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Regional Producers Federation

Local Councilof Production









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NeighborhoodAssembly



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Community assembly



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Regional federation

Communityassembly

Communityassembly

Communityassembly

Communityassembly














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A Cooperative Commonwealth


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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


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 and anarchism


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Crime and anarchism


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


1872: The InternationalW ki A i ti


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SPLITS

. . . over the conflict between Marx andBakunin, leaders of the two largest factions.


Marxism vs. Anarchism


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Church andState are theservants of theMarketplace.



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Church, State, andMarketplace aremerely different formsof enslavement.



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Church, State, andMarketplace aremerely different formsof enslavement.

Dont

forgetrace!


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After the revolution, theremust be a transitionalgovernment adictatorship of theproletariat.



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Dictatorship

of whom overwhom??



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a s s a c s


You want tocreate a Redbureaucracy!

Dictatorship

of whom overwhom??



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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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We can make arevolution wheneverenough of us wantit!


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We can make arevolution wheneverenough of us wantit!

Hah! You thinkrevolutions aremade by will

power.

No, bycollectiveaction.



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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



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Anarchist Thought

Individualist

Anarchism

Social

Anarchism


Free exchange without theState



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Anarchist Thought

Individualist

Anarchism

Social

Anarchism



Emphasis on individualautonomy



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Anarchist Thought

Individualist

Anarchism

Social

Anarchism




Organization crucial, butmust be decentralized andnon-authoritarian



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Anarchist Thought

Individualist

Anarchism

Social

Anarchism





Socialism without the State



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Anarchist Thought

Individualist

Anarchism

Social

Anarchism





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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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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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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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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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Stirner vs. Hegel


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Truly, you are haunted by a ghost (Geist)!

Your disembodied World Spirit is imaginary a mere abstraction.

Stirner vs. Hegel


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The only true subject is the concrete,bodily individual the Einzige.

Stirner vs. Hegel


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Nothingis Absolute.Everything is what it isrelative to myinterests.

Stirner vs. Hegel


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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)



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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.



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Max StirnerJean Baudrillard

(postmodern theorist, 1929-)



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We share asimilar critique

of Marxs

Hegelian notionof alienation.



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of Marxs


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.


The true man does not lie in the


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of Marxs


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




Mikhail Bakunin



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Max Stirner




Mikhail Bakunin

Demystifying ideas,

stripping them ofsacred authority, ishealthy but Stirnerdeifies the ultimateabstraction: the self-contained ego.



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Max Stirner




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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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.

Stirner vs. the social anarchistsAnd as for economics My intercourse with the world what does it


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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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In all things and

everywhere, I proclaimProgress. . .

Proudhon vs. Hegel

In all things and


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In all things and


Yes! Progressis the law ofHistory!

Proudhon vs. Hegel

In all things and


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In all things and


. . . and noless resolutely,in all things andeverywhere, Idenounce theAbsolute.


Proudhon vs. Hegel

In all things andF i ki


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In all things and


. . . and noless resolutely,in all things andeverywhere, Idenounce theAbsolute.


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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thinking its way through the dialectic. In

effect, History isthe operation of Reason.



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Or, as I like to say: What is

real is rational, and what isrational is real.



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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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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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knowledge of the material world. Higher knowledge must

come from the contemplation of pure ideas.



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Karl Marx

You have things backwards!Ideas are merely a reflection ofthe material world.



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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.



Such as?


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and a wage system onlycreates new problems.



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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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.


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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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bourgeois prejudice.

Anarchism and spirituality


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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.





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In ancient China, Taoism andBuddhism counseled avoidance ofpower and possession.



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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.






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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.



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


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:



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I myself am an

anarchist, but ofanother type.



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I wish people would

not be so afraid ofwords, such as theword anarchist.



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All forms of rule have

this in common: eachwields more powerthan the givenconditions require.


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.


[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

A brief philosophical introduction to Anarchism by Jesse Cohn

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Transcript of A brief philosophical introduction to Anarchism by Jesse Cohn