Anarchism - Topic 1 Flashcards
Core ideas and principles of Anarchism and how they relate to human nature, the state, the economy and society
Describe the core principle of the rejection of the state
Democratic states only offer an illusion of freedom; the people are not sovereign - power is given away ata the ballot box as politicial sovereignty lies with the ruling elite. Authority is compulsory and the state’s laws must be obeyed under the coercive threat of punishment. The state restricts liverity and is oppressive. The state enslaves the governed and anarchists are clear that a prerequisite for human society to thrive is that the state be removed. Anarchists broadly view that the state and power have a corrosive effect on individuals despite a positive view of human nature.
Describe the core principle of liberty
Liberty can only be achieve only by abolishing the state. It is incompatible with any form of political authority in the state, society or the economy and is critical of human nature.
What is a collectivist anarchist’s attitude towards liberty?
Mutualist anarchists believe that as the human race develops, it becomes capable of rational thought and an innate sense of justice which is curtailed by religion and the state.
Syndicalists believe that individuals were born with equal intelligence, moral sense and a capability for rational thought which is impacted by its environment. They believe that natural laws were grounded in a belief in community.
Anarcho-communists believe that human nature is positive and predisposed to cooperation or mutual aid. Liberty was rooted in nature and the dominant characteristic of all creature within a society was solidarity. There is a little disagreement within anarcho-communism as to what extent individualism is acknowledged.
What is an individualist anarchist’s attitude towards liberty?
Individualist anarchism views the liberty of the individual from state interference as of paramount importance. Stirner pioneered this position but anarcho-capitalists popularised this idea.
Describe the core principle of ‘anarchy is order’
Anarchist society will be stateless. Social order natural and spotaneously emerges from human nature and is the key to the belief in a peaceful, stable, stateless society.
What is a collectivist anarchist’s attitude towards ‘anarchy is order’?
Mutualists believe that, combined with collectivism and individualism, allowing individuals to opt out if they so wished would naturally happen as humans have an innate sense of justice and are naturally inclined to cooperate.
Syndicalists believe that the foundation would be built on an optimistic view of human nature and see humans as naturally social beings who would experience communal individuality in a federation of communes that were decentralised.
Anarcho-communists believe that mutual aid communes would be drawn to each other by similar interests, becoming interwoven and that human nature is naturall optimistic and will work together because that is what’s best for everyone.
What is an individualist anarchist’s attitude towards ‘anarchy is order’?
Individualist anarchists believe that once free of the artifice of the state, individuals would be free to assert their own rational individualism which would mean self-realisation.
Describe the core principle of economic freedom
Anarchists view that the economy should be a space where free individuals can manage their own affairs without state ownership or regulation. However, they disagree on principle on the model of economics to follow.
What is a collectivist anarchist’s attitude towards economic freedom?
Mutualists believe that ‘property is theft’ and that the entire concept of property is a social construct to exploit the masses. All the means of production would be owned collectively by the workers and society would be organised within small communities.
Syndicalists argue for the means of production controlled by the workers rather than individual owners.
Anarcho-communists believe that mutual aid, which although subtly different from mutualism, required common ownership and a federation of communities. Collectivisation is also proposed to liberate the individual’s economics. This is seen as too limiting of individual freedom for some collectivist anarchists.
What is an individualist anarchist’s attitude towards economic freedom?
Egoists assert that individuals possess a sovereignty akin to a nation state. Individuals are materialists who need to satisfy their needs. By being free from the state, these individuals will reorganise the economy fairly as it will be in their self-interest to avoid social conflict.
Anarcho-capitalists favour both private property and the free market as this will ensure atomistic economic freedom. The free market will provide all public goods originally run by the state. Rational and self-interested individuals are far better at deciding what is in their best interests than the state.
