Key Thinkers Flashcards
anarchist key thinkers
Max Stirner (1806 – 56)
Pierre Joseph Proudhon (1809 – 65)
Mikhail Bakunin (1814 – 76)
Peter Kropotkin (1842 – 1921)
Emma Goldman (1869 – 1940)
MAX STIRNER: the ego and human nature
each person possesses unique individuality, which should not be limited
the individual ‘ego’ must be placed above all else, it must not be controlled or restricted in any way
“there is no judge but myself who can decide if I am right or wrong” – in other words, the individual should be free to do as they please without being restricted by law or other societal institutions
humans are autonomous, rational and self-interested
MAX STIRNER: the state
in his book The Ego and His Own, he develops a comprehensive criticism of the state and existing society for being restrictive and limiting
in his view, the individual ‘ego’ must be placed above all else, it must not be controlled or restricted in any way
there must be an end to the control of our thoughts by existing societal institutions, such as the church and morality
criticised the state and hierarchy for preventing people from being truly free; our individuality is crushed by law, habit, custom and prejudice
MAX STIRNER: the economy
rejected existing economic systems as they limit the ‘ego’ by preventing fulfilment and forbidding the individual to keep the full fruits of their labour
in the workplace, people are constantly carrying out tasks that are unnecessary and unrewarding
MAX STIRNER: the union of egoists
his vision of the future (The Union of Egoists) is of a free society acting in the interests of all individuals, it will be based on voluntary agreements made on the basis of the individual’s personal interest rather than for the common good
the Union of Egoists is based on the conscious, self-interested will of each individual
such a society will not be achieved by revolution, as revolution is an authoritarian act, it will instead be achieved by insurrection
MAX STIRNER: methods of achieving anarchy
an anarchist society will not be achieved by revolution as this is an authoritarian act
it will instead be achieved by insurrection which involves the individual becoming an egoist and withdrawing from capitalist labour and the state altogether, eventually leading to the state decaying and dying
PIERRE JOSEPH PROUDHON: private property
private property, including the ability to extract rent, interests and profit, is exploitative and divisive
“property is theft” – this view is developed by collectivist anarchism and is central to the Occupy movement and the idea of ‘the 99 percent v the 1 percent’
he defined private property as the right to own without the need to occupy, which drives inequality and exploitation as the ownership of private property allows the wealthy to earn income through rent, interest and the exploitation of labour whilst doing no work themselves
the masses have no choice but to work under the threat of violence because if they don’t, they risk imprisonment due to debt, losing their homes or will be left to starve
PIERRE JOSEPH PROUDHON: possession
endorses the right to possession, particularly the right of the individual to keep the full fruits of their labour, both of which provide protection for the individual against the collective
PIERRE JOSEPH PROUDHON: mutualism
in his book What is Property? he provides the bridge between individualism and collectivism in anarchism - this is known as mutualism, which he viewed as the economic basis of liberty
politically, mutualism would be based on federalism and decentralisation, organised from the bottom up with most power lying in small, local bodies and the least power lying in the largest bodies
all federations would join together using voluntary agreements and have the liberty to leave at any time, no one would be forced to participate
PIERRE JOSEPH PROUDHON: co-operatives
within a mutualist system, worker co-operatives would organise their own work and mutually exchange goods with other individuals and co-operatives
this would be based on labour notes which record the working time taken to create a product and would provide the basis for such exchanges
example of co-operatives working in the modern world would be the Mondragon Co-operative Federation in Spain, whose slogan is “humanity as work” and has a wage differential of around 1:6 between the lowest and highest wage earners within its individual co-operatives
PIERRE JOSEPH PROUDHON: methods of achieving anarchy
change should be evolutionary rather than revolutionary
the state is not entirely without morality, therefore a new society can be constructed within the shell of the existing state
mutualist organisations, such as worker co-operatives and a People’s Bank, would be established within the current state and would form the basis of future society
the existing state will eventually die away and be replaced by this new society, it will not have to be overthrown in revolutionary action
MIKHAIL BAKUNIN: human nature
humans possess rationality and individuality
humans, by their very nature, are social beings that cannot exist outside of society
we are shaped by the society that we live in, so need to achieve liberty to explore our full potentials
MIKHAIL BAKUNIN: methods of achieving anarchy
endorsed propaganda by the deed – a radical and revolutionary strategy with a strong emphasis in the revolutionary will of the people
he rejected all traditional forms of parliamentary politics and Marxist calls for capturing the state in order to achieve anarchy
believed that the masses had to free themselves and this could only be achieved by the destruction of the state
MIKHAIL BAKUNIN: propaganda by the deed
propaganda by the deed involves acts such as the non-payment of taxes, rents and debts, mass strikes and the refusal of conscription or the draft
these actions would be the catalyst for a spontaneous revolution from below and the people would be freed through the practice of direct action, empowering individuals and exposing the mechanisms of power
this emphasis on direct action and ‘DIY politics’ seems to have inspired the political rebellion seen today, including the Occupy Wall Street movement and the anti-globalisation movement as a whole
MIKHAIL BAKUNIN: the state
highly critical of the state and religion
as human nature is socially determined and we are shaped by the society that we live in, humans must achieve liberty to explore our full potentials and the only way to achieve such liberty is by rejecting the state and the authority of the church
with the state and institutions like the church still in place, humans are not truly free
“if there is a state, there must be the domination of one class by another, and as a result, slavery”
MIKHAIL BAKUNIN: the economy
critical of both capitalism and Marxism
endorsed collectivisation which involves the abolition of private property and replacing it with a system of common ownership, particularly collective ownership of the means of production because liberty without equality is just privilege and injustice
PETER KROPOTKIN: mutual aid
in his book Mutual Aid, he argues that the survival of the fittest is a race between species and mutual aid is the key factor for success
in other words, when members of the same species show high levels of sociability and work together, they succeed in the evolutionary race
he applied this idea to human nature – as humans have successfully survived for centuries, they must have the natural ability to cooperate and behave altruistically
humans have always been cooperative and altruistic, which can be seen in the types of society that pre-date the emergence of the modern state
PETER KROPOTKIN: examples of mutual aid
mutual aid, operating outside the existing state structure, can also be seen in modern society
for example, the Black Panther food and survival programme of the 1960s and 1970s, which included free ambulance provision, breakfast for children and dental services
PETER KROPOTKIN: methods of achieving anarchy
education then revolution
Kropotkin endorsed a strategy for change based on education
he realised that any revolution to end the oppression and injustice of the state and capitalism would be violent
the masses would need to take over the land, the means of production as well as social goods to satisfy their needs and ensure that the new world works for them
after this revolution, a future society would exist where war and violence is no longer necessary
PETER KROPOTKIN: utopian
his outline of future society is utopian, which he argued it needed to be in order to develop criticisms of existing society and practical strategies for change
PETER KROPOTKIN: the ideal future society
economically, future society would be based on communism where the means of production would be owned collectively and private property would be abolished
each would work according to their ability and receive according to their need
society would be based on communes, which would be voluntary and connected in federations based on direct democracy, starting from the local unit upwards
it would nurture altruism, end poverty and create a peaceful, harmonious society
PETER KROPOTKIN: the state
opposed the state and capitalism – anarchism is “not only against Capitalism, but also against the pillars of Capitalism; Law, Authority and the State”
argued that if the state was removed, humans would act in line with their true nature of altruism and cooperation
EMMA GOLDMAN: the state
the machinery of government is made up of “the club, the gun, the handcuff, or the prison”
the state is entirely immoral as it restricts autonomy and individuality
EMMA GOLDMAN: government and violence
argued that all forms of government rely on violence….
internally, the state uses the police, the law and the threat of violence to maintain control over its citizens
externally, the state is a body of competitive struggle, constantly looking to expand its power through the use of the military
patriotism is used by the state to force obedience to the flag and state, stir up divisions with others and fund a growing military in order to control the increasing discontent of the masses, both domestically and globally
this ‘patriotism’ undermines social harmony and universal brotherhood, an argument that has grown in relevance with the rise of patriotic nationalism in an increasingly unstable 21st-century world
EMMA GOLDMAN: methods of achieving anarchism
Goldman was opposed to parliamentary politics, which she believed was reformist and corrupting
she used the example of the women’s suffrage movement – once women had won seats in the legislature, rather than reforming the system from the inside, they become corrupted by authority in the same way that working men have been
the ballot would not set women free, emancipation can only come from within by each woman asserting her individuality
EMMA GOLDMAN: reform
even if reform could be achieved, working within the state will not tackle the real causes of oppression that lie in the state, hierarchical authority structures like the church, private property and existing social and sexual conventions
EMMA GOLDMAN: society
drew on the ideas of Stirner in that she supported the autonomy of the individual
also drew on the ideas of Kropotkin through her theory of social harmony
