Anarchism Flashcards
why would an anarchist argue that the state is a coverice and exploitative body?
the coercive effect of state authority services from the fact that the state rules through punishment, imprisoning, killing those who transgress the laws
Emma Goldman: government symbolised by “the club, the gun, the handcuff or the prison”
the state can deprive individuals of their property, liberty and (through capital punishment) their lives
the state is exploitative as it robs individuals of their property via a system of taxation backed up by the force of law and the possibility of punishment
the state aligns with the wealthy and privileged, serving to oppress the poor and the weak
describe and explain anti clericalism
originating in 19th century Latin America, Italy: PROUDHON; BAKUNIN
authority enslaves the inidivudal, controlling and coercing the people - church is a pillar of the state (sovereign, coercive, compulsory). God represents notion of supreme being.
Religion propagates authority because of its notion of a supreme being who commands ultimate and unquestionable authority: SOVEREIGN
ideology of obedience and submission to both spiritual leaders and earthly rulers backed up by spiritual punishment: COERCIVE. Legitimises the power of earthly rulers e.g. divine right
Religion imposes a set of moral principles on the individual, establishing a code of acceptable behaviour, standards of ‘good’ and ‘evil’, policed by figures of religious authority such as priests.
the individual is robbed of the moral autonomy and capacity to make their own ethical judgements.
Key anarcho syndicalist?
George Sorel
mutualism
a system of fair and equitable exchange in which individuals or groups bargain with one another trading goods and services without profiteering or exploitation
why do some anarchists advocate revolutionary violence?
Terrorism - Bakunin in france and italy
just and fair violence form of retribution originating in oppression perpetrated by police judges etc violence mirrors averyday violcene in society but directs it at the guilty demoralises ruling class
how do individualist anarchists have a positive view of human nature?
they place a particular emphasis on the rational and moral capacities of the individual
enlightened reason
Ayn Rand “reason as his only absolute”
individuals can calculate they are better served by mutualism and cooperation than rivalry and conflict
who proposed the idea of mutual aid
Kropotkin
new politics
a style of politics that distrusts representative mechanism and bureaucratic processes in favour of strategies of popular mobilization and direct action
Examples of pacifist anarchists?
Kroptkin
Leo Tolstoy
Proudhorn
reject violence as the ultimate form of coercion
why are anarchists seen as utopian?
are they argue for the perfectibility of the individual
Godwin
libertarianism
a belief that the individual should enjoy the widest possible realm of freedom
libertarianism implies the removal of both e ternal and internal constraints upon the individual
what would an anarcho capitalist society be like
Anarcho-capitalists argue that government can be abolished and replaced by unregulated market competition.
Property should be owned by soviergn individuals, who may choose, if they wish, to enter into voluntary contracts with others in the pursuit of self interst.
The individual thus remains free and the market, beyond the control of any single individual or group, regulates all social interaction.
Anarcho-capitalists argue that the market can satisfy all human wants.
why do anarchists believe in the possibility of a stateless societu
there is capacityfor social institutions to maintain order
potential goodness of humankind
how do anarchists and liberals disagree over the role of the state
liberals place a greater stress on the need for a state to regulate human behavior.
Whilst individualist anarchists believe in spontaneous harmony, liberals recognize that the state needs to be a neutral arbiter to protect people against their violent and self-seeking impulses.
Thus, a state is required to protect natural rights (locke): “life liberty and property”. In this way, the state is necessary at least as a ‘night watchman’ (Locke) in order to enforce contracts, protect from external attack and maintain domestic order
individualist anarchists would argue that government does nothing more than corrupt human nature, encouraging the greed and aggression that liberals argue is fundamental to human nature
The state is therefore not the solution to the problem of human disorder, but the cause..
how do anarchists and liberals disagree over private property
a fundamental difference between liberals and collectivist anarchists is that of private property
to even the most radical of liberals, private property is important as the embodiment of personal endeavour and fulfilment
to most collectivist anarchists, property is theft (baukuinin)
pacifism
a commitment to peace and a rejection of war or violence in any circumstances
communism
the principle of the common ownership of wealth
communism is often used more broadly to refer to movements or regimes that are based on Marxist principles
what thinker proposed egoism?
Max Stirner
The Ego and His Own 1845
the self is at the centre of the moral universe
individuals should act as they choose with no consideration for laws social conventions or religious principles
extreme form of individualist anarchist
links to atheism and nihilism
strong influence on existentialism
explain the overall link between anarchism and individualism
individualist anarchist tradition: anarcho capitalism,
egoism (stirner) - sovereign individual
- when individualism is taken to its extreme it implies the idea that absolute and unlimited authority resides within each human being
- from this perspective any constraint on the individual is evil especially when imposed by the state (sovereign coercive body)
- extreme individualism implies anarchism
the state government and any system of law an offence against the individual
- it can take the form of methodological individualism, implying that the individual is central to any politician theory or social explanation or ethical individualism
- this implies society, which should be constructed so as to benefit the individual, giving moral prority to individual rights needs and interested
how do liberals and anarchists define freedom?
Classical liberals are interested in negative liberty - freedom from external constraint
Anarchists take this to the extreme arguing for complete lack of constraint
Modern liberals argue that laws such as HRA provide positive liberty by guaranteeing freedom for individuals
Anarchists argue that in a stateless society legal provisions are unneccesary as individuals are guided by internal constraint or private judgement
how is the anarchist view on human nature complicated?
Human nature have often been complex and acknowledged rival potentialities reside within human souls
Proudhon Bakunin and Kropotkin accepted that human beings could be selfish and competitive as well as sociable and cooperative
Although the human core may be morally and intellectually enlighten, a capacity for corruption lurks within each and every human beings
syndicalism
a form of revolutionary trade unionism that is based on a crude notion of class war and emphasises the use of direct action and the general strike
What was Godwin’s text?
Enquiringly Concerning Political Justice
1793
how do anarchists believe in the possibility of a sateless society due to social institutions?
able to maintain order in the absence of the state
these institutions ever anarchist ends by helping to regulate society and encouraging development of positive human attributes rather than negative ones
collectivist anarchists endorse common ownership or mutualism insiturions
individualist anarchists support the market believing in its capacity to maintain unregulated economic equilbirum
or libertarians labour for labour
why do anarchists reject constitutionalism?
it perpetuates the myth that a limited government is possible: it does not tame government power. T
his is because all systems of rule, constitutional and democratic rule as well as arbitrary and dictatorial rule, are, by their nature, evil and oppressive; constitutionalism is simply a façade or a sham dressing up power in an acceptable fashion. All laws infringe on liberty, and so constitutionalism perpetuates a myth of acceptability; when it in fact tricks people into being part of their own oppression.
Even with constitutionalism, political states force laws on people when there is objection and so anarchists favour small communities that utilise direct democracy or egoism - putting the individual at the centre of moral thinking
Methods employed by anarchists
Peaceful education and persuasion
Mass passive resistance to state
Non payment of taxes
Boycott of key institutions or companies
strikes and industrial action
meetings marches and demonstrations
civil disobedience (peaceful law breaking as political protest eg Thoreau)
Riots and insurrection
Acts of violence and terrorism (against political judges and military leaders)
what is the idea of mutual aid
the theory of evolution that supports the idea that sociable and compassionate societies survive
whereas selfish and atomised groups do not
how and why has anarchism been linked to communism?
anarcho communist tradition
Kropotkin
colllectivising wealth with an anarchist belief in self management and natural order
communist assumptions about human nature
emphasise the capacity for sociable cooperative and gregarious behaviourX key to the anarchist belief in statelessness and natural order
communism creates conditions in which anarchist goals will be achieved
common ownership has anarchist implications - collective wealth strengthens social bonds and fosters sympathy among people
marxist idea or withering away the state highlights an anarchist preference for a stateless society
describe and explain anti statism
the state as the ultimate authority
and the oppressor of individual rights and freedoms
state officials (police teachers judges prison wardens) force people’s to fight wars and provide their labour for he benefit of the state rather than their own good
anarchists reject social contract theory
why would an anarchist argue the state is an offence against freedom and equality?
The values that anarchists hold most dear
anarchists go beyond liberal theory (power tends to corrupt) in viewing power in any form but especially the political power wielded by the state, as corrupting, illustrating a belief in human plasticity
anyone who is placed in a position of power will thus become tyrannical and abusive - the same people who would have been cooperative sympathetic and sociable
this helps to explain why devices such constitutionalism and democracy (supported by liberals) incapable of protecting citizens against state oppression
direct democracy
popular self government characterised by the direct and continuous participation of citizens in the tasks of government
how do all anarchists have a positive view of human nature?
view human nature as plastic
in the sense that it is shaped by the social and political circumstances in which people live
this implies a profound or unlimited capacity for human development
how do anarchists believe in the possibility of a sateless society due to natural goodness?
“perfectabilkty is the most important trait of the individual” Godwin
it is thus compatible with order and harmony
turns social contract theory on its head
collectivist:
humans have a capacity for sociable and cooperative behaviour
“social solidarity is the first human law” Bakunin
individualist:
humans have enlightened reason
“reason as his only absolute” Ayn Rand
What did Godwin say on human nature?
perfectability is the most important characteristic of the individual
nihilism
literally a brief on nothing
the rejection of all moral and political principles
what thinker is associated with mutualism?
Proudhorn
Property is theft 1840
accepted limited private property
imagined a system of exchange between independent craftsmen and aristans
exists in society in the form of mutual banks and cooperative societies alongside profit maximising corporations eg switzerland
kropotkin : mutual aid small self governing communes like in the animal kingdom
who coined the term anarcho capitalist
Murray Rothbard
what is utopianism
a style of political theorising that develops a critique of the existing order by constructing a positive model of a perfect alternative or to deluded or fanciful thinking
What type of anarchist does violence divide?
collectivist
What is the theory of egoism?
Complete personal authority
Autonomy where the individual is the centre of his own moral universe
with no objection to accept the rules and restrictions of others
anarchism of the mind
associated with Max Stirner
how do egoists see the ideal society
individuals act as egoists, self consciously pursuing their own individual interests irrespective of community needs
individuals recognise they may be confronted by other powerful self interested egoists
encouraging all to moderate their behaviour
why do egoists argue that religions and ideologies are empty and meaningless
only the individual has meaning
how is anarchism linked to utopianism
linked to a positive model of utopianism in that anarchists have a highly optimistic view of human nature and so believe that the future anarchist
society will be perfect:
unrestricted freedom
absolute equality
peace and social harmony
human nature is unrealistic and it’s goal of a stateless yet harmonious society is unachievable
Who was arguably the first anarchist thinker?
William Godwin
Free market and minimal state
Argued that man was rational and so individuals should have liberty to persuade their own path to progress
The state was an obstruction but it’s gradual abolition was preferred to revolution that stirs up passion, not reason
what does collectivism imply about human nature?
that humans have a naturally social core and that social groups whether social classes, nations, races are meaningful political entities
explain the link between anarchism and collectivism
provides the basis for a belief in a stateless society
strrsseee the human capacity for social solidarity or what kropotkin termed mutual aid
human beings are fundamentally sociable gregarious and cooperative, the relationship between and amongst them being one of sympathy affection and harmony
when people are linked together by the recognition of a common humanity, they have no need to be regulated or controlled by government
not only is government unneccesary but in replacing freedom with oppression, it also makes social solidarity impossible
collectivism: mutualism, anarcho syndicalism and anarcho communism
what would an anarcho communist community feature?
Anarcho communists admire small, self-managing communities along the lines of the medieval city state or the peasant commune
Kropotkin envisaged an anarchic society that would consist of a collection of largely self-sufficient communes, owning wealth in common
society is based on the principles of sharing and collective endeavor, they strengthen the bonds of compassion and solidarity, and help to keep greed and selfishness at bay.
Within these communes, decisions should be made through the process of direct democracy, guaranteeing more popular participation and political equality – the only form of government acceptable to anarchists.
Communes that are small scale allow people to manage their own affairs through face to face interaction; centralization is always associated with depersonalized and bureaucratic social processes.
why do anarchists oppose the law?
it is a denial of individual liberty
why do anarchists oppose private property
created inequality
gives rise to oppressive laws
denial of the natural right of the fruits of the earth
BUT minority, Proudhon saw it as a neccesary evil
how do libertarian anarchists envisage society?
individual enjoying the widest possible realm of freedom: autonomous individuals live and work with one another without the danger of conflict or disorder.
libertarians emphasize human rationality, suggesting conflict can be resolved by reasoned discussion (Godwin who believed that truth will always displace falsehood) .
Also, there could be a mechanism through which the independent actions of free individuals could be brought into harmony with one another.
Extreme individualists such as Warren and Tucker believed this could be achieved through a system of market exchange.
Warren thought that individuals have a sovereign right to property they themselves produce but are also forced by economic logic to work with others in order to gain the advantages of the divisions of labour.
Therefore, he suggested a system of ‘labour for labour’ exchange, with ‘time stores’ in which one person’s labour could be exchanged for the promise to return labour in kind.
what do all anarchists agree society should look like
moral and socially
absence of law systems and rule
individuals enjoy absolute freedom
voluntary social institutions that regulate society and encourage positive human attributes of state
utopian human nature
no requirement for law and order
how and why do some anarchists advocate direct action?
generally anarcho syndicalists
refusing to engage in conventional representative politics
exerting direct pressure on employers by boycotting products sabotaging organised strikes
advocated because
public discontent is not managed by politics s
new politics - innovative and theatrical
why do some anarchists advocate non violent protest?
godwin
proudhon
favour pacifism abhor violence
eg Ghadi campaigning against racial discrimination and led to India’s independence form UK based on Tolstoy’s teachings and Hindu religion
advantages-
respect for humans as moral and autonomous so should be treated with compassion and respect
non violence demonstrates strength and moral purity of conviction
quote about the state being coercive
the government is symbolised by
“the club the gun the handcuff or the prison”
how is the state corruptive?
people who would otherwise cooperative sympathetic and sociable become tyrannical and abusive when in power
“psychology of power” - dominance and submission
human plasticity - shaped by society and institutions which they live in
bakunin quote on corruption of the state
the best of men the most intelligent unselfish and pure will be inevitably be corrupted in this pursuit
how does an anarchist society embody true freedom?
freedom is a birth right
abandoning it in support of the state is not true to human nature
as they are coerced
free anarchist society allows human nature to be fully expressed
all states whether constitutional or abritary democratic or dictatorial are an offence to freedom
why do anarchists believe the state is unnecessary?
enquiry concerning political justice 1793
“perfectibility is the most important characteristic of the individual”
human nature means people look after eachother and work together without the state
there is no need for the state to allocate resources as people can commonly own things, communication cooperating and sharing
faith in natural order
example of means advocated by thoreau and libertarian individualist anarchists
civil disobedience: individual conscience above the demands of political obligation
didn’t pay tax as he thought the us gjvernment was immoral by upholding slavery and going to war
anarchist who doesn’t dismiss private property
proudhon
distinguished between possessions and property
said it could be tolerated provided the explotative aspect of capitalism was illuminated
why was the individualist anarcho capitalist friedman a non revolutionary
as the process could occur gradually as increasing forms of social activity are transferred to the private sector
William Godwin
adopted an optimism based not he enlightenment view of human nature
rational and perfectible based on education and social conditioning
enquiry conceding political justice
Josiah Warren
individualist anarchist
sovereignty of the individual
advocated a system of equitable commerce,
recognised labour as the only legitimate capital
promised to banish poverty and excessive luxury
Max Stirner
extreme form of individualism
based on egoism, condemning all checks on personal autonomy
sterner emphasised sole the owness of the human individual, thereby placing the individual at the centre of the moral universe
contrast to other anarchists support for justice, reason, community
The Ego and His Own
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
What is Property
Attacked both traditional property rights and collective ownership
argued that instead of mutualism a cooperative productive system geared towards need rather than profit
organised within self governing communities
Mikhail Bakunin
collectivist anarchist
political power is intrinsically oppressive and placing his faith in human sociability
he instead proposed that freedom could only be achieved through collectivism
this is done by means of self-governing communes based on voluntary cooperation
absence of private property
rewards reflecting contributions
“SACRED INSTINCT OF REVOLT”
Henry Thoreau
individualist anarchist
two year experiment in simple living
emphasises the virtue of self reliance contemplation and a closeless to nature
he defended the validity of conscientious objection to unjust laws
emphasising that government should never conflict with individual conscience
Peter Kropotkin
Reworked Darwins theory
mutual aid as the principle means of human and animal development
he claimed to provide an empirical basis for both anarchism and communism
looking to reconstruct society on the basis of self management and decentralisation
Murray Rothbard
economist and libertarian thinker
advocated anarcho-capitalism based on extreme Lockean liberalism with Austrian School free market economics
Right to self ownership is a “UNIVERSAL ETHIC”
economic freedom is incompatible with the power of government
fierce enemy of the welfare-warfare state
no intervention in domestic and foreign affairs
explain Sorel’s ideas for syndicalism
Sorel embraced the idea of turning trade unions into revolutionary instruments of the working class, eventually making workers organisations, rather than local communes, the basic units of collectivist order.
This revolution would occur in the form of a mass general strike (something Lenin criticised as adventurism).
why do anarchists disagree with modern liberals on the means of achieving positive freedom
Liberals argue it can be achieved via laws of an ‘enabling state’.
For example, the Human Rights Act (1998) guarantees freedoms for individuals so improves personal liberty
an anarchist wold argue that if absolute freedom was granted, such legal provisions would be unnecessary as individuals would be guided by ‘private judgement’
admit
what view on the state do anarchists and classical liberals share
anarchists believe the state is evil as it is ultimately corrupting and infringes on people’s freedom, forcing them to act a certain way due the threat of punishment.
classical liberals agree that the state is corrupting (as they believe egoism with power makes corruption); as warned by Lord Acton ‘power tends to corrupt an absolute power corrupts absolutely’.
whilst anarchists argue it is jut evil, liberals argue it is a necessary evil and so satisfy this by checks and balances, not the abolition of the state
explain why all anarchists oppose managed capitalism because of support for economic freedom
economic freedom
opposed to the 1945 western countries
collectivist : state intervention props up a system of class exploitation and gives capitalism a human face
individualist: intervention distorts competitive markets and creates economics dominated by both public and private monopolies
explain why all anarchists oppose soviet style state socialism due to economic freedom
individualist
object to the violating of property right and individual freedom that occurs in a planned economy
collectivist
state socialism is a contradiction
state replaced capitalist class as a source of exploitation
bakunin anti clerical anti statist quote
“The abolition of the Church and the State must be the first and indispensable condition of the true liberation of society”
why do anarchists oppose authority in general
the alleged right of one person to influence the behaviour of others (enslaves, oppresses and limits human life).
damages and corrupts those who are subject to authority and those who are in authority
since human beings are free and autonomous creatures; to be subject to authority means to be diminished, have ones essential nature suppressed
to be in authority gives rise to the psychology of power: dominance and submission in society
why is the state a sovereign body
exercises supreme authority over all individuals and associations
it has authority that is absolute and unlimited
law can restrict public behaviour, limit political activity, regulate economic life, interfere with morality
why is the state compulsory
anarchists reject the social contract, instead arguing that individuals become subject to authority either by being born in a particular country or conquest
why is the state destructive
“war is the health of the state” Randolph Bourne
individuals are required to fight, kill and die in wars that are invariably precipitated by a quest for territorial expansion, plunder or national glory
by one state at the expense of others
why is anarchists theory of the state criticised
the assumption that state oppression stems from the corruption of individuals by their social and political circumstances is circular,
that is unable to explain how political authority arose in the first place
why do anarchists reject consent?
it exacerbates the myth that being ruled is in the public interest; they are recruited into their own oppression.
It promotes subservience among the masses and recruit citizens into their own oppression as they invest government with bogus legitimacy.
Anarchists argue that the state is compulsory, and so reject the liberal notion that political authority arises from voluntary agreement. They instead argue that individuals become subject to state authority either by being born in a particular country, or by conquest and so you never consent.
Furthermore, to consent to government is to give up your own liberty, and be untrue to your real nature: Liberty is a birth right and can’t be conceded, its abandonment is a denial of humanity.
what is consent
Consent is the principle that government should be based on the will of the people, expressed in practice in regular and democratic elections.
what is constitutionalism
the imposition of checks on the exercise of government power by either the establishment of formal rules (usually through a codified constitution) or institutional fragmentation of government power
why do marxists see the state as necessary
Marxists believe a “dictatorship of the proletariat” is necessary. During the transition from the worker’s revolution to socialism, the working class take control of the state to prevent a bourgeoisie counter-revolution. Marxists believe inequality is so deeply rooted in favour of the ruling class in society, that without a strong state they will inevitably re-emerge.
Also, the proliteriat state can establish the appropriate conditions for socialism to emerge.
Anarchists argue against this, stating such a state would not wither away, but would endure in the form of a new ruling class.
to what extent do marxists agree that the state is evil
Marxists agree with this to the extent of the BOURGEOISIE state under capitalism. This is because it is viewed as an agent of class oppression yielded by the economically dominant class.
However, after the socialist revolution the state is a benevolent figure, acting to protect the interests of the proliteriat and help to establish full communism.
why is the state evil
it is a repository of sovereign, compulsory and coercive authority
why did Godwin disagree with the social contract
human beings are essentially rational: inclined by education and enlightened judgement to live in accordance with truth and universal moral laws
thus people have a natural propensity to organise their own lives in a harmonious and peaceful fashion
the corruption of humans comes from government and unnatural law, NOT original sin
government is cause of the problem of social order, not the solution
why do proudhon, bakunin and kropotkin think that human nature is not all good
they acknowledge the rival potentialities within the human soul
accepting that human beings can be selfish and competitive as well as socially cooperative
whilst the human core may be morally and intellectually enlightened
a capacity for corruption lurks within each and every individual
explain why socially enlightened anarchist institutions have been criticised
if selfish or negative impulses are basic to human nature (conservatives, liberals) and not merely evidence of corruption, then the prospect of natural order is simply a delusion
explain how collectivist and individualist anarchists differ on utopianism
in the collectivist strand it is the most pronounced
a lot less prominent in individualist strand with some anarcho-capitalists rejecting it altogether
how do anarchists differ from marxists on the ruling class
marx saw it as those who own the means of production
anarchists see it as those who command privilege and power in society: kings, priests, industrialists, bankers
explain why all anarchists oppose social democracy
they all oppose managed capitalism post-war
collectivists argue that is merely props up a system of class exploitation and gives capitalism a human face
individualist argue that intervention distorts the competitive market, creating economies dominated by public and private monopolies
explain why all anarchists oppose state socialism
individualist anarchists object to the violation of property rights and individual freedom that occurs in a planned economy collectivist anarchists argue it is a contradiction in terms, as the state merely replaces the capitalist class as the main source of exploitation
mutualist ideal society
A society based largely on individual craft workers who work on their own account and exchange goods with each-other on the basis of the value of labour, rather than market labor: PROUDHON
anarcho syndicalist ideal society
State should be replaced by a series of trade union based socialist organizations, constructed on the basis of common ownership and shared rewards: SOREL
individualist ideal society
There are no social organizations at all, individuals become largely self-sufficient and cooperate only when strictly necessary: THOREAU
egoist ideal society
A society where all individuals operate in an independent manner and seek to pursue their own interests, the balance of self-interests forms a kind of harmony: STIRNER (cooperation based on egoism)
why do liberals support fragmentation of political power
liberals believe that government power can be tamed or controlled by the development of constitutional and representative institutions.
Constitutions claim to protect the individual by limiting the power of the government and creating checks and balances among its various institutions.
Regular elections are designed to force government to be accountable to the general public or the majority of the electorate.
why do anarchists reject the fragmentation of political power
Anarchists dismiss the idea of limited, constitutional or representative government.
They regard constitutionalism and democracy as facades, behind with naked political oppression operates.
All laws infringe individual liberty, whether the government that enacts there is constitutional or arbitrary, democratic or dictorial.
All states are a offence against individual liberty.
describe Ayn Rand’s objectivism
s “the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life”
“the virtue of selfishness”
ethical egoism is the guiding moral principle
how do anarcho capitalists resolve conflict/protection in society
Rothbard recognized that in an anarchist society indiviudals will seek protection from one another, but argued this protection could be delibered competively by privately owned ‘protection assoications’ and ‘privae courts’ without the need for police force or a state court system.
These profit making protection agencies offer a better service than the present police force because competition provides consumers with a choice, ensuring agencies are cheap, efficient an respond to consumer needs.
Also, private courts would have to develop a reputation for fairness in order to attract custom from individuals wishing to resolve conflict.
In practice, the USA several states have already used private prisons, experiments with private courts and arbitration services are well established.
how do libertarians see conflict resolved
libertarians emphasize human rationality, suggesting conflict can be resolved by reasoned discussion
mutualist ideal society
a system of property ownership that avoids exploitation and promotes social harmony.
a system of fair and equitable exchange, in which small groups of craftsmen and artisans exchange goods with each other, without profiteering or exploitation.
based off of Proudhon’s admiration for the independence and initiative of small communities of peasants, craftsmen and artisans – e.g. watchmakers of Switzerland, who had traditionally managed their affairs base on cooperation
social interaction is voluntary, mutually beneficial and harmonious, requiring no regulation or interference from government.
Proudhon’s followers put these ideas into practice by setting up the mutual credit banks in Switzerland and France, providing cheap loans for investors and charged interest only high enough to cover the cost of running the bank.
egoists ideal society
the individual is free to act as he or she chooses, without any consideration for law, social convention, religion or moral principle
As Stirner proposed, the individual is at the center of the moral universe
Balance and equilibrium is found as individuals are aware that they may be confronted by together, more powerful self-interested egoists
In Ayn Rand’s theory of objectivism, she envisaged a society in which man is a “heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose in life”
These individuals exist for their own sake, not sacrificing themselves to others or others to themselves.
collectivist anarchist and marxist human nature
a belief that stems from the view that human nature is naturally cooperative and gregarious. Mutualist Kropotkin asserted this, stating “the ants and the termites have renounced the Hobbesian war and are the better for it”.
Marxism interprets this in the principle of ‘fraternity’ – the idea that no man is an island (John Donne), people are tied together in social bonds between comrades.
makes economic sense as when individuals work together in bonds of sympathy, care and affection, the energies of an entire community can be harnessed, as opposed to those of a single individual.
Kropotkin echoed this in the idea of ‘mutual aid’ – the reason human species has survived for so long is as they can be motivated by moral incentives not just material incentives.
collectivist anarchists and marxists on common ownership
Marxists favor the “politics of ownership”; absolutely rejecting private property as morally unacceptable.
Collectivist anarchist notably share this distaste, particularly anarcho communist who argue all property is theft.
Both schools of thought agree private property encourages selfish behavior, breeding acquisitiveness and materialism, and the view that property ownership encourages division in society, promoting conflict and social disharmony.
Particularly concerning for anarcho-communists is the fostering of greedy, envious, resentful traits in the individual, due to their plasticity.
Therefore, an anarchist utopia, free of conflict and disorder would require the abolition of private property.
what do socialist collectivists and anarchists disagree on
socialist collectivism is not market by the rejection of the state: Marxists support a system of comprehensive collectivization through a strong state; favoring the utilization of a command economy geared to human needs, not profitability.
For example, the USSR collectivized the agricultural sector, out of a belief collectivism would increase the food supply. This was achieved by powerful intervention by the state – a clear conflict to the markedly anti-statist anarchist tradition.
Therefore, anarcho-communists favor economic collectivism on a much smaller scale.
They advocate small, self-managing communities where wealth is shared, and collective endeavor is harnessed.
Anarchism is arguably not an extreme form of socialist collectivism, as it significantly reinterprets the practical meaning of this.
why does socialist collectivism conflict with egoism
egoist anarchists argue that individuals do not wish to work together, for the greater good, because we are fundamentally self-seeking, only pursuing our own pleasure.
Max Stiner’s idea of ‘egoism’, arguing the individual is the center of the moral universe
Ayn Rand proposed the philosophy of ‘objectivism’ –individuals moral purpose in life is their own happiness
envisage a society in which there would be no pooling of labour or sharing as the individual does whatever they want.
In the same way socialist collectivism brings about harmony and peace in society, egoists argue that an equilibrium and balance in society is found as individuals are sufficiently rational to realize they should mediate their behavior, as they could be confronted by other powerful egoists.
Collectivism suggests collaborating is natural and intrinsic to humanity, whilst egoism fundamentally argues the opposite.
This is summed up by Ayn Rand, stating the individual should “exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself”.
why do anarcho capitalists and socialist collectivists differ
opposed collectivism as it promotes laziness, reduces drive, and leads to many free-loading off the few.
Murray Rothbard reinterpreted anarcho-collectivist Proudhon’s assertion “property is theft” to its polar opposite: “taxation is theft”.
suggest that inequalities in wealth reflect differences in drive, ability, hard work and decision making – the individual is reliant on their own ability, to forge their own destiny
instead of arguing for total common ownership, they argue for total private ownership:the unencumbered free market to meet all human needs and desires.
For example, there need not be the employment of the Soviet-style secret police that defined socialist collectivism in the 20th century, as the free market delivers ‘protection agencies’
support for absolute economic freedom is a marked departure from the centrally planned economies of the USSR.
explain why free market liberals and individualist anarchists share a view of human nature
Individualist anarchists share a belief in unlimited human rationality with free market liberals.
Classical liberalism, born out of the enlightenment, put absolute faith in rationalism strengthening their belief in individualism and freedom.
Similarly, at the heart of individualist anarchism is the belief that human beings are rational creatures.
Notably, Godwin argued that humans are inclined by education and enlightened judgement to live in accordance with truth and universal moral laws.
humans have a natural propensity to organize their own lives in a peaceful and harmonious fashion.
both free market liberals and individualist anarchists believe that individuals should be free within the market to make rational economic decisions.
explain why free market liberals and anarcho capitalists share an ideal society
Anarcho-capitalists draw on the ideas of free market theorist Adam Smith to argue for the absolute benevolence of the market as a self-regualting mechanism.
the state is nothing but a ‘dead hand’ that interferes with the ‘invisible hand’ of the market.
In an ideal anarcho-capitalist society, people would be absolutely free to enter into voluntary contracts and make rational decisions.
The neoliberal revolution of the 1980s mirrors this to a certain extent – a massive rolling back of the state through the mass privatization of industry and the de-regulation of the city of London in the ‘Big Bang’ of 1986.
Ultimately, both free market liberals and anarcho-capitalists believe that there is a naturally existing harmony among competing interests in society.
explain why libertarians share an ideal society with free market liberals
Libertarians such as Warren and Tucker advocate a system of labour-for-labour, through so-called ‘time stores’.
Therefore, people are able to gain the benefits of the division of labour without profiteering and exploitation.
However, it should be acknowledged that free market liberals have a far lesser concern about the pursuit of profit, constructing the idea of the ‘economic man’ who is driven by egoistical and material drives.
explain why anarcho collectivists differ from free market liberals on human nature
The foundation of free market liberal theory is the rationality and self-interest of human nature, whereas collectivist anarchists argue instead for a gregarious and sympathetic view.
Anarcho-communist Kropotkin evidenced this theory in ‘mutual aid’ – the reason human species has survived for so long is as they can be motivated by moral incentives not just material incentives.
This is starkly contrasted by the egoistical and materially acquisitive ‘economic man’ of free market liberalism.
Overall, this difference is ultimately a collectivist/individualist conflict: Collectivism suggests collaborating is natural and intrinsic to humanity, whilst individualism fundamentally argues the opposite.
explain why anarcho communists and free market liberals differ on their ideal society
advocate common ownership – the opposite
Whilst free market liberals view “property” as an absolute natural right, anarcho-communists desire the comprehensive abolition of it.
They believe that due to the plasticity of human nature, if the institutions of society are created to encourage cooperation and harmony, people will adopt these traits.
In addition, the virtues of common ownership strengthen bonds of social solidarity, keeping greed and selfishness at bay.
Free market liberals would dismiss this on the basis it promotes laziness, reduces drive, and leads to many free-loading off the few.
Therefore, Proudhon’s assertion “property is theft” is reinterpreted to its polar opposite: “taxation is theft”.
