anarchism short answers Flashcards
Why have anarchists viewed the state as inherently evil and oppressive?
- because of their view on human nature. People can either be good or bad depending on the political and social circumstances. People in society who would have been cooperative, sympathetic and sociable become nothing less than oppressive tyrants given power, privileged and wealth.
Evil and oppressive because anarchists replace the liberal warning from Lord Acton that “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” with a more radical approach- power in any shape will corrupt absolutely. - View the state as a sovereign entity that exercises supreme authority over all individuals. Authority goes against freedom and equality; the right of one person to influence the behaviour of others oppresses and limits human life.
Anarchists endorse absolute freedom, but laws enforce by the state restrict public behaviour, limit political activity, regulates economic life and interferes with private morality. State limits freedom - Exploitative and coercive. Robs individuals of their property through various forms of taxation- backed up by punishments.
State is an alliance with the rich because they are the ones given authority- state oppresses poor.
Coercive because laws must be obeyed by all individuals otherwise punishments.
Emma Goldman- govt is symbolised by “the club, the gun, the handcuff, or the prison” State deprives individuals of property, liberty, life. - State is destructive. Randolph Bourne “war is the health of the state” Individuals are required to fight, kill and die in wars that are invariably cause by a quest for territorial expansion or national glory by one state at the expense of another.
State causes suffering not just to its own people
Explain the link between anarchism and utopianism.
Utopianism- belief in the unlimited possibilities of human self-development expressed in a belief of establishing a perfect society.
Anarchism positively linked because they believe that political authority can be abolished and replaced by a society in which individuals are free.
Utopian ideal because in order for individuals to be free society would need to be stateless.
Problem- without a state how do you provide for ‘public goods’ if one person refuses to pay we cant turn off the street light.
2.Highly optimistic view of human nature. Godwin- human beings are essentially rational creatures with educated minds and tolerant judgement. =People have natural tendency to organise their own lives.
Godwin- corrupting influence of govt rather than ‘original sin’ that creates injustice, greed and aggression.
Circular argument- anarchists unable to explain how political authority arose in the first place- political authority must have originated from natural impulses of greed
- Social order can arise naturally and spontaneously.
Collectivist anarchists stressed human capacity for sociable and cooperative behaviour while individualist anarchist highlight importance of enlightened human reason.
Potential for spontaneous harmony is linked to belief that nature itself is biased in favour of natural order.
Utopian- social order cannot logistically arise naturally in 21st century due to population.
Organic societies require natural leaders to guide them just as bodies need brains. - Belief that social institutions also promote spontaneous harmony, respect and cooperation. Anarcho-collectivists endorse common ownership and anarcho-capitalists the market.
Highly Utopian- anarcho-capitalists believe that the market can statisfy all human wants- not the case natural selfish and greedy impulses.
Explain the link between anarchism and collectivism
Collectivism- collective human effort is of greater practical and moral value than individual self-striving. Reflects the ideas that human nature has a social core and implies social groups, whether classes, nations, races are political entities.
Collectivism has provided as basis for collectivist/left wing anarchism to develop. Takes socialist collectivism to its logical extreme
- stresses human capacity for social solidarity, Kropotkin “mutual aid”. Human beings are naturally social and sympathetic and cooperative- natural relationships between human beings is one of sympathy and harmony.
When people linked together by this they have no need to be controlled by a govt- Bakunin “social solidarity is the first human law”
2.Anarchists are very suspicious of individual activities and therefore support a collectivist approach. Free market and property encourages people to be selfish and greedy- damages natural cooperative and harmonious relationships between individuals.
Human nature is malleable- people either good or bad depending on political circumstances. Innate capacity for collectivist action- state has corrupted individuals as given some authority.
Proudhon “property is theft”- condemned a system of economic exploitation based on accumulation of capital. Solution is collectivist communes.
- Social equality and collective action is possible without a state. Collectivist anarchists argue that human beings are essentially cooperative and social beings. Once free from influence of oppressive ideas and institutions, state and laws.. people will spontaneously combine to live and work together in a non-competitive environment.
Expressed through different strands, eg. anarcho-syndicalists saw the syndicate as a model for de-centralised, non-hierarchical society of the future.
