The True Nature and Goals of Anarchism

Chaos and Disorder?

It's one of the most prevalent and enduring myths regarding Anarchism. It's reinforced daily with news reports of countries that have "descended into anarchy" or political pundits railing against things that we can't do because it would (gasp!) lead to anarchy. The idea that Anarchy and chaos are synonymous has been firmly entrenched within the lexicon of modern imagery. Yet, it couldn't be much further from the true nature of Anarchism. Anarchists don't oppose society, order, or laws in general. What they do oppose is the idea that one segment of any society should arbitrarily be elevated above and given the power to lord over the rest of that society, not the existence of society itself.

In order to understand the distinction it is essential to avoid confusing governance with the Government. The Government, as an institution, is a segment of the population which is set apart from and above the population in general. They are imbued with unwarranted privileges and vested with the authority to dictate to the rest of that population, usually against the will of the vast majority of that populace, generally by force, and often without having to observe those same rules themselves. On the other hand, governance is simply the rules by which a group structures the society in which they live. Anarchists believe that it is not only possible, but actually beneficial that members of any society be free and willing participants of the governance of that society. Such self-governance ensures that the members of that society have a vested interest in it's welfare and success. In contrast, a multi-tiered system of society creates a situation in which an individual or group of individuals is elevated above the rest of society. At best, this creates opportunities for corruption and abuses of authority. At worst, this leads to outright slavery of those at the bottom rungs of that ladder.

Furthermore, in reality, most Anarchists are opposed to unnecessary violence and destruction and many even are pacifists. The Government, however, has always, without exception, resorted to force of one type or another to impose their will upon their subjects. In fact, the very nature of hierarchal rule creates an "us against them" type of relationship that encourages conflict between those making the rules and those being ruled. Many simply accept the idea that, because some level of governance is necessary within a society, then we must bow down to and be abused by people who take advantage of that need to justify and legitimize their crimes and extort special privileges from the rest of society. Anarchists recognize that there is a better, less violent, way.

Real examples of anarchism in history are problemati...
You do not see good examples of anarchism in history because you do not know what anarchism is. You think it is chaos. It is not.
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The Nature of Anarchy

What do you believe Anarchy is?

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Is Self-governance Possible?

Can a society exist without a government?

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Comments

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Ann R. Keye says:
11 months ago

Spot on!

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
11 months ago

Thnx

Misha says:
11 months ago

Would you mind to elaborate on "socialist" anarchism vs "capitalist" anarchism?

Beast of Burden says:
11 months ago

There is no such thing as capitalist anarchy!

Misha says:
11 months ago

Ignorance is a bliss :D

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
11 months ago

Sure:

Social Anarchism is actually an umbrella term for a broad category of Anarchist theory including (but not limited to) Anarcho-collectivism, Anarcho-communism, and Anarcho-syndicalism. Each subgroup espouses different approaches to achieving their goals of creating an Anarchist society, but the common factor is their emphasis on the community based and cooperative aspects of anarchist theory and practice. They generally emphasize social equality and mutual aid within a community.

The other major subset within Anarchism is Individualist Anarchy, of which Capitalist Anarchy (Anarcho-capitalism) is a member. The main belief of Individualists is that an individual person's freedoms and self-interest should not be constrained by any collective body or public authority. They generally emphasize individual freedoms and autonomy.

While both groups are similar in their desire to eliminate statism, there are some major differences. The main difference between Socialist Anarchy theory and Individualist theory is their attitude toward property rights and economics. Collectivists believe that there should be no private ownership and property should be owned collectively by the community or the workers within an industry. In addition, while there are different approaches to the process, for the most part collectivists advocate the elimination of the wage system, which they consider hierarchical in nature. On the other hand, individualists believe in private ownership of property and also favor a free market economy without government intrusion.

Anarcho-capitalism is a rather new school of thought that takes Individualist theory to an extreme, by proposing essentially that government be privatised. The police and military would be replaced by private security forces employed either by the individuals or businesses that they protect. Also, contracts between willing parties would replace laws. The central belief is that the expense of conducting war and the bad reputation caused by unscrupulous business practices would be so damaging to profits that it would discourage such actions. This is a pretty controversial branch of Anarchism and many Anarchists (as you can see by the earlier post) don't accept this as a genuine form of Anarchism. The obvious criticism, being that eventually corporations, equipped with their own private armies, would eventually become governments in everything except name. Another criticism being that capitalism is inherrently heirarchical and therefore at odds with basic Anarchist beliefs of equality.

One thing that should be understood is that, while there are many different schools of Anarchist theory and most people who identify as Anarchists might agree more with one or the other, by and large, the most don't subscribe to one rigidly. Rather, they take bits and parts that they agree with from many sources. Personally, I would consider myself a Syndicalist, which is socialist in nature, although I do feel that free markets are possible, provided that a strong, aggressive union (such as the IWW) is used as a counterbalance to protect the intrests of labor.

Misha says:
11 months ago

Thanks Eye, it's an interesting reading. I did discover recently that my views are very close to anarchism, so that topic sorta interest me. I can't really couple anarchism with communism or socialism, due to my experience with USSR. So I am closer to anarcho-capitalists in your classification :)

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
11 months ago

You're very welcome,

There is quite alot of history between the communists and Anarchists, mostly bad. Anarchists share many of their opinions and goals regarding capitalism and class divisions. However, they disagreed with Marx's statist approach to those goals. In fact, Mikhail Bakunin, a 19th century Anarchist, predicted quite accurately that a Marxist government would become worse than the tsars within a year.

tonymac04 says:
11 months ago

Yes indeed! Anarchy as a political philosophy is much misunderstood and underrated. The old stereotype of an anarchist with a bomb has led to many problems of understanding.

I personally am of what you characterise as social anarchy, and also am a pacifist, which adds to the problem!

Love and peace

Tony

Libertarian Freedom Fighter says:
11 months ago

We do need to limit government, but just goes too far. We need a minimal libertarian government.

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
11 months ago

Thanks Tony!

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
11 months ago

As far as Libertarianism goes, the biggest problem I have with them (as well as Minarchism, which overlaps alot) is that their idea of a limited government is one in which you eliminate everything that has any sort of positive potential that the government does and you retain the most destructive and corrupt aspects of it.

I'm against government services, such as welfare, because of the fact I don't think the government should exist at all and I think there are much better methods of providing for those needs. However, if you believe we should have a government, then why shouldn't they provide us with something beneficial?

Of course, the answer you would get from a Libertarian is that they don't want to pay taxes for those services. But, if you look at the actual budget of the government, significantly more taxes are used for the military and police, which they want to maintain, than for any social services.

Just doesn't add up for me.

Mark Knowles says:
11 months ago

Excellent hub. I am shocked to discover that I too am an anarchist. I guess once you have been through a few years of political bullshit and discovered that your government is not even slightly interested in you or your opinions, this is the logical choice.

Now where did I put that bomb?........

Misha says:
11 months ago

LOL Mark, this should have really hooked you - I don't remember you commenting on anybody's hub but your own :P

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
11 months ago

Thanks Mark!

Usually in the propaganda cartoons the bombs are in a black bag like the doctors carry. Easy access is essential.

Mark Knowles says:
11 months ago

LOL

Misha - I comment on them occasionaly. But only when they really attract my attention. Of course, usually that results in a deleted comment, but not this time.

E - OK, black bag it is :)

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
10 months ago

I don't believe in censorship.

countrywomen says:
10 months ago

You did open a totally different perspective for me. I do agree with your contention of self governance but at the same time I would never encourage taking law into our own hands. It is a very delicate balance to tread. Thumbs up for a great thought provoking hub.

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
10 months ago

Thanks alot for the compliment.

It's not so much a matter of taking the law into your own hands as much as it is a cooperative, non-coersive manner of creating laws within a voluntary society.

countrywomen says:
10 months ago

I know Mahatma Gandhi's non cooperation or civil disobedience movement is a classic example but most of the times the crowd goes out of control and start damaging public property in anger. Anarchy if pursued in the lines of Gandhi is certainly a welcome alternate voice of the people against the "government".

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
10 months ago

Anarchists are involved in demonstrations and civil disobedience, but by and large, we mainly work through what is known as community building. This consists of organizing local groups and demonstrating that services provided by governments can be provided in a better and more efficient way by members of a community, independent of any government interference. If they would simply leave us alone, there would be no need for demonstrations or protests.

Truth is that the government perpetuates and, in fact couldn't exist without, violence. Even in cases where there is violence during a protest, it's almost without exception, a result of somebody responding to government actions or policies.

Sufidreamer says:
10 months ago

Great Hub.

I was watching the BBC today, and they were reporting upon a riot in Athens, a response to a Bulgarian trade unionist having acid thrown in her face.

In true style, the BBC kept blaming 'anarchists' for the trouble, even though it was, quite plainly, left-wing Trade Unionists. At best, this is lazy reporting, at worst a case of oversimplifying the complex issues. Much easier to blame anarchists than actually do some research.

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
10 months ago

With the state of the media, especially in America, I certainly wouldn't discount laziness in such cases. More often than not though the government has those reporters in their back pocket, if not actually on the payroll. It wasn't too long ago that the Bush administration was feeding Judith Miller stories and then citing her NYT articles as proof of their claims about the need to invade Iraq.

Another factor with the media is sensationalism, like in this story: http://cbs5.com/local/inside.oakland.riot.2.903374 ; where a bunch of peaceful protesters, who were just following along in a confused daze, were incited to violence by a group of instigators , who "appeared to be Anarchists," yelling for them to come back. Innocent people caught up in the mob mentality of a few anti-government agitators, who are just looking for any excuse to attack the police, makes for a good story.

The fact that the protests resulted from the illegal and unnecessary murder of an unarmed, completely defenseless person and only turned violent once the police decided to forcibly break up the legal and peaceful protests doesn't quite have the same zing.

bgamall says:
10 months ago

The government was privatized by the oil companies who got Bush to do everything they wanted, from stealing Iraq oil to fighting Afghanistan in order to get the pipeline that the taliban rejected when they went to Texas in 1997!

Philosophical anarchy must have some similarities to populism. Si, No?

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
10 months ago

You're right bgamall, but the government was bought and payed for long before Bush was ever a part of it.

In terms of ideology, Anarchist theory does overlap alot with populism in that they both deal with class warfare and elitism. However, the methods of achieving their goals are very different. Unlike Anarchists, populists generally believe in government intervention and regulation to "protect" people in the lower classes. That is why most populist uprisings have been associated with state socialism and have usually resulted in a dictatorship eventually.

Thanks for the comment!

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
9 months ago

Just a quick note on some updates:

I added a links section with some related hubs and a couple polls people can vote on (vote early, vote often). And some news feeds down below the comments

Dolores Monet says:
7 months ago

Well, sure, I get that anarchists aren't all a bunch of dreadlocked, bandana wearing people who like to throw chairs through the windows of Starbucks and set mattresses on fire, I think the philosphy is great for a small scale sort of culture. The US is just too darn big.

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
7 months ago

I'm fine with a small scale sort of culture.

Dolores Monet says:
7 months ago

I want to live in a small scale culture.

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
7 months ago

We should all be so lucky.

Dolores Monet says:
7 months ago

I am trying to round up some old friends (and I do mean old) to all pitch in and buy an old fresh air camp or something and establish a sort of communal thing. Actually some young folks would work out as well. The geezers could cook, babysit, garden, clean, and be wise. The younger ones could make money. :)

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
7 months ago

That sounds like a great plan Dolores. I'd tell the youngsters to go easy on the counterfeiting idea, though. That's a real good way to attract the wrong kinda attention.

Dolores Monet says:
6 months ago

Hahaha, eye, I meant the young ones could go out and get actual jobs. Not me, of course.

The labelling of protesters as anarchists is to demonize them so that people think all protesters are just a bunch of nuts. Back in 1983, 50 companies controlled the media. Now it's down to 6 or so. So they can spin the news any way they want. One should always stand against power.

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
6 months ago

I think you're right, but it's more of two-fold objective. First, you associate anyone trying to protest with the Anarchist label to scare people into thinking they are dangerous and shouldn't be supported. Secondly, you try to associate Anarchists with any protest that takes place to make them seem like a bunch of cynical, violent, nuts, who aren't worth listening to. It's much easier to just marginalize and discredit someone (especially when you control the media) than it is to provide an honest answer to their questions.

$MasterMind$ says:
4 months ago

This file tells how to defeat the

mechanism on certain vending machines. It is my contitutional right to write this file. This is for

informational purposes only as use of the information contained herien is illegal.

This

works on only certain candy and snack vending machines. Look for the kind that have a dial for each

selection. For instance, the little plastic spiral that holds the snickers bars would have its own

dial, with 2 slots in the dial for quarters. When you place the quarters in the slots, and turn the

dial clockwise, the quarters pass a switch that makes sure the coins are there. If there are no

coins, the switch wont let the dial turn any further. If the coins are present, the dial will turn

all the way around, advancing the candy far enough for it to fall on its own into the area where you

reach in. When the dial is turned halfway around, the quarters are pulled by gravity into a coin

box.

Here’s what to do: Get some toilet paper, or any paper. Loose leaf binder paper

works pretty well. wrap the bottom of each quarter with enough paper to firmly hold the quarter in

the slot. Put on enough paper to keep the quarter from falling when you turn the dial, but not so

much that you can’t get the quarter out after you are finished. Leave a ‘tag’ of paper that you can

grab onto for easier removal of the quarter. Then when you have properly loaded the quarters, turn

the dial and retrieve your snack and your quarters

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
4 months ago

I don't advocate any illegal activities. Unless it results in free candy.

Where are you finding a vending machine with $.50 candy bars?

lxxy says:
2 months ago

"..what they do oppose is the idea that one segment of any society should arbitrarily be elevated above and given the power to lord over the rest of that society.." wow, you just made the ruling class cringe!

It saddens me that party after party, cause after cause, your species divides it's self asking for a monolithic machine for answers and help.

Community, lack of fearing your neighbor, and having no qualms about those who are different from you are often hard lessons to take to heart.

In ignorance and complacency breeds the Idiotocracy.

Justice is not "just us."

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
2 months ago

I consider one of my main duties in life to be making the ruling class cringe.

Ignorance certainly is one of their favorite tools to maintain control. Evidence of that goes all the way back to the middle ages, when they actively tried to prevent the commoners from learning to read because they didn't want them to read the bible and figure out that most of what they were being told wasn't even in there. With the advent of the public school system it has shifted a bit to selective education over forced illiteracy, but ignorance and complacency are still the goals.

Non government-sanctioned community is another big threat to the elite power structure. That's why you see things like riot police raiding Food Not Bombs chapters and arresting members who are simply trying to feed hungry people. If people ever figured out that they could provide for themselves and live peacefully without the Government, it would be all downhill from there for the ruling class.

nextstopjupiter says:
2 weeks ago

Anarchy = order without authority

EYEAM4ANARCHY says:
2 weeks ago

Personally, I think without coercion or coercive authority would be a little more accurate, but you are absolutely right nextstopjupiter.

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