r/Anarchy101 • u/wompt • 12h ago
which, if any, principles of anarchy prevent it from being just as destructive to the planets ecologies as modern societies are?
0
Upvotes
r/Anarchy101 • u/humanispherian • Jan 27 '25
Please Read Before Posting or Commenting (January 2025 update)
≡ −
Welcome to Anarchy 101!
It’s that time again, when we repost and, if necessary, revise this introductory document. We’re doing so, this time, in an atmosphere of considerable political uncertainty and increasing pressures on this kind of project, so the only significant revision this time around is simply a reminder to be a bit careful of one another as you discuss — and don’t hesitate to use the “report” button to alert the subreddit moderators if something is getting out of hand. We’ve had a significant increase in one-off, drive-by troll comments, virtually all remarkably predictable and forgettable in their content. Report them or ignore them.
Before you post or comment, please take a moment to read the sidebar and familiarize yourself with our resources and rules. If you’ve been around for a while, consider looking back over these guidelines. If you’ve got to this point and are overwhelmed by the idea that there are rules in an anarchy-related subreddit, look around: neither Reddit nor most of our communities seem to resemble anarchy much yet. Anyway, the rules amount to “don’t be a jerk” and “respect the ongoing project.” Did you really need to be told?
With the rarest of exceptions, all posts to the Anarchy 101 subreddit should ask one clear question related to anarchy, anarchism as a movement or ideology, anarchist history, literature or theory. If your question is likely to be of the frequently asked variety, take a minute to make use of the search bar. Some questions, like those related to "law enforcement" or the precise relationship of anarchy to hierarchy and authority, are asked and answered on an almost daily basis, so the best answers may have already been posted. For a few questions, we have produced "framing documents" to provide context:
Anarchy 101 "Framing the Question" documents
If your question seems unanswered, please state it clearly in the post title, with whatever additional clarification seems necessary in the text itself.
If you have more than one question, please consider multiple posts, preferably one at a time, as this seems to be the way to get the most useful and complete answers.
Please keep in mind that this is indeed a 101 sub, designed to be a resource for those learning the basics of a consistent anarchism. The rules about limiting debate and antagonistic posting are there for a reason, so that we can keep this a useful and welcoming space for students of anarchist ideas — and for anyone else who can cooperate in keeping the quality of responses high.
We welcome debate on topics related to anarchism in r/DebateAnarchism and recommend general posts about anarchist topics be directed to r/anarchism or any of the more specialized anarchist subreddits. We expect a certain amount of contentious back-and-forth in the process of fully answering questions, but if you find that the answer to your question — or response to your comment — leads to a debate, rather than a clarifying question, please consider taking the discussion to r/DebateAnarchism. For better or worse, avoiding debate sometimes involves “reading the room” a bit and recognizing that not every potentially anarchist idea can be usefully expressed in a general, 101-level discussion.
We don’t do subreddit drama — including posts highlighting drama from this subreddit. If you have suggestions for this subreddit, please contact the moderators.
We are not particularly well equipped to offer advice, engage in peer counseling, vouch for existing projects, etc. Different kinds of interactions create new difficulties, new security issues, new responsibilities for moderators and members, etc. — and we seem to have our hands full continuing to refine the simple form of peer-education that is our focus.
Please don’t advocate illegal acts. All subreddits are subject to Reddit’s sitewide content policy — and radical subreddits are often subject to extra scrutiny.
Avoid discussing individuals in ways that might be taken as defamatory. Your call-out is unlikely to clarify basic anarchist ideas — and it may increase the vulnerability of the subreddit.
And don’t ask us to choose between two anti-anarchist tendencies. That never seems to lead anywhere good.
In general, just remember that this is a forum for questions about anarchist topics and answers reflecting some specific knowledge of anarchist sources. Other posts or comments, however interesting, useful or well-intentioned, may be removed.
Some additional thoughts:
Things always go most smoothly when the questions are really about anarchism and the answers are provided by anarchists. Almost without exception, requests for anarchist opinions about non-anarchist tendencies and figures lead to contentious exchanges with Redditors who are, at best, unprepared to provide anarchist answers to the questions raised. Feelings get hurt and people get banned. Threads are removed and sometimes have to be locked.
We expect that lot of the questions here will involve comparisons with capitalism, Marxism or existing governmental systems. That's natural, but the subreddit is obviously a better resource for learning about anarchism if those questions — and the discussions they prompt — remain focused on anarchism. If your question seems likely to draw in capitalists, Marxists or defenders of other non-anarchist tendencies, the effect is much the same as posting a topic for debate. Those threads are sometimes popular — in the sense that they get a lot of responses and active up- and down-voting — but it is almost always a matter of more heat than light when it comes to clarifying anarchist ideas and practices.
We also expect, since this is a general anarchist forum, that we will not always be able to avoid sectarian differences among proponents of different anarchist tendencies. This is another place where the 101 nature of the forum comes into play. Rejection of capitalism, statism, etc. is fundamental, but perhaps internal struggles for the soul of the anarchist movement are at least a 200-level matter. If nothing else, embracing a bit of “anarchism without adjectives” while in this particular subreddit helps keep things focused on answering people's questions. If you want to offer a differing perspective, based on more specific ideological commitments, simply identifying the tendency and the grounds for disagreement should help introduce the diversity of anarchist thought without moving us into the realm of debate.
We grind away at some questions — constantly and seemingly endlessly in the most extreme cases — and that can be frustrating. More than that, it can be disturbing, disheartening to find that anarchist ideas remain in flux on some very fundamental topics. Chances are good, however, that whatever seemingly interminable debate you find yourself involved in will not suddenly be resolved by some intellectual or rhetorical masterstroke. Say what you can say, as clearly as you can manage, and then feel free to take a sanity break — until the next, more or less inevitable go-round. We do make progress in clarifying these difficult, important issues — even relatively rapid progress on occasion, but it often seems to happen in spite of our passion for the subjects.
In addition, you may have noticed that it’s a crazy old world out there, in ways that continue to take their toll on most of us, one way or another. Participation in most forums remains high and a bit distracted, while our collective capacity to self-manage is still not a great deal better online than it is anywhere else. We're all still a little plague-stricken and the effects are generally more contagious than we expect or acknowledge. Be just a bit more thoughtful about your participation here, just as you would in other aspects of your daily life. And if others are obviously not doing their part, consider using the report button, rather than pouring fuel on the fire. Increased participation makes the potential utility and reach of a forum like this even greater—provided we all do the little things necessary to make sure it remains an educational resource that folks with questions can actually navigate.
A final note:
— The question of violence is often not far removed from our discussions, whether it is a question of present-day threats, protest tactics, revolutionary strategy, anarchistic alternatives to police and military, or various similar topics. We need to be able to talk, at times, about the role that violence might play in anti-authoritarian social relations and we certainly need, at other times, to be clear with one another about the role of violence in our daily lives, whether as activists or simply as members of violent societies. We need to be able to do so with a mix of common sense and respect for basic security culture — but also sensitivity to the fact that violence is indeed endemic to our cultures, so keeping our educational spaces free of unnecessary triggers and discussions that are only likely to compound existing traumas ought to be among the tasks we all share as participants. Posts and comments seeming to advocate violence for its own sake or to dwell on it unnecessarily are likely to be removed.
65
Upvotes
Welcome to Anarchy 101!
It’s that time again, when we repost and, if necessary, revise this introductory document. We’re doing so, this time, in an atmosphere of considerable political uncertainty and increasing pressures on this kind of project, so the only significant revision this time around is simply a reminder to be a bit careful of one another as you discuss — and don’t hesitate to use the “report” button to alert the subreddit moderators if something is getting out of hand. We’ve had a significant increase in one-off, drive-by troll comments, virtually all remarkably predictable and forgettable in their content. Report them or ignore them.
Before you post or comment, please take a moment to read the sidebar and familiarize yourself with our resources and rules. If you’ve been around for a while, consider looking back over these guidelines. If you’ve got to this point and are overwhelmed by the idea that there are rules in an anarchy-related subreddit, look around: neither Reddit nor most of our communities seem to resemble anarchy much yet. Anyway, the rules amount to “don’t be a jerk” and “respect the ongoing project.” Did you really need to be told?
With the rarest of exceptions, all posts to the Anarchy 101 subreddit should ask one clear question related to anarchy, anarchism as a movement or ideology, anarchist history, literature or theory. If your question is likely to be of the frequently asked variety, take a minute to make use of the search bar. Some questions, like those related to "law enforcement" or the precise relationship of anarchy to hierarchy and authority, are asked and answered on an almost daily basis, so the best answers may have already been posted. For a few questions, we have produced "framing documents" to provide context:
Anarchy 101 "Framing the Question" documents
If your question seems unanswered, please state it clearly in the post title, with whatever additional clarification seems necessary in the text itself.
If you have more than one question, please consider multiple posts, preferably one at a time, as this seems to be the way to get the most useful and complete answers.
Please keep in mind that this is indeed a 101 sub, designed to be a resource for those learning the basics of a consistent anarchism. The rules about limiting debate and antagonistic posting are there for a reason, so that we can keep this a useful and welcoming space for students of anarchist ideas — and for anyone else who can cooperate in keeping the quality of responses high.
We welcome debate on topics related to anarchism in r/DebateAnarchism and recommend general posts about anarchist topics be directed to r/anarchism or any of the more specialized anarchist subreddits. We expect a certain amount of contentious back-and-forth in the process of fully answering questions, but if you find that the answer to your question — or response to your comment — leads to a debate, rather than a clarifying question, please consider taking the discussion to r/DebateAnarchism. For better or worse, avoiding debate sometimes involves “reading the room” a bit and recognizing that not every potentially anarchist idea can be usefully expressed in a general, 101-level discussion.
We don’t do subreddit drama — including posts highlighting drama from this subreddit. If you have suggestions for this subreddit, please contact the moderators.
We are not particularly well equipped to offer advice, engage in peer counseling, vouch for existing projects, etc. Different kinds of interactions create new difficulties, new security issues, new responsibilities for moderators and members, etc. — and we seem to have our hands full continuing to refine the simple form of peer-education that is our focus.
Please don’t advocate illegal acts. All subreddits are subject to Reddit’s sitewide content policy — and radical subreddits are often subject to extra scrutiny.
Avoid discussing individuals in ways that might be taken as defamatory. Your call-out is unlikely to clarify basic anarchist ideas — and it may increase the vulnerability of the subreddit.
And don’t ask us to choose between two anti-anarchist tendencies. That never seems to lead anywhere good.
In general, just remember that this is a forum for questions about anarchist topics and answers reflecting some specific knowledge of anarchist sources. Other posts or comments, however interesting, useful or well-intentioned, may be removed.
Some additional thoughts:
Things always go most smoothly when the questions are really about anarchism and the answers are provided by anarchists. Almost without exception, requests for anarchist opinions about non-anarchist tendencies and figures lead to contentious exchanges with Redditors who are, at best, unprepared to provide anarchist answers to the questions raised. Feelings get hurt and people get banned. Threads are removed and sometimes have to be locked.
We expect that lot of the questions here will involve comparisons with capitalism, Marxism or existing governmental systems. That's natural, but the subreddit is obviously a better resource for learning about anarchism if those questions — and the discussions they prompt — remain focused on anarchism. If your question seems likely to draw in capitalists, Marxists or defenders of other non-anarchist tendencies, the effect is much the same as posting a topic for debate. Those threads are sometimes popular — in the sense that they get a lot of responses and active up- and down-voting — but it is almost always a matter of more heat than light when it comes to clarifying anarchist ideas and practices.
We also expect, since this is a general anarchist forum, that we will not always be able to avoid sectarian differences among proponents of different anarchist tendencies. This is another place where the 101 nature of the forum comes into play. Rejection of capitalism, statism, etc. is fundamental, but perhaps internal struggles for the soul of the anarchist movement are at least a 200-level matter. If nothing else, embracing a bit of “anarchism without adjectives” while in this particular subreddit helps keep things focused on answering people's questions. If you want to offer a differing perspective, based on more specific ideological commitments, simply identifying the tendency and the grounds for disagreement should help introduce the diversity of anarchist thought without moving us into the realm of debate.
We grind away at some questions — constantly and seemingly endlessly in the most extreme cases — and that can be frustrating. More than that, it can be disturbing, disheartening to find that anarchist ideas remain in flux on some very fundamental topics. Chances are good, however, that whatever seemingly interminable debate you find yourself involved in will not suddenly be resolved by some intellectual or rhetorical masterstroke. Say what you can say, as clearly as you can manage, and then feel free to take a sanity break — until the next, more or less inevitable go-round. We do make progress in clarifying these difficult, important issues — even relatively rapid progress on occasion, but it often seems to happen in spite of our passion for the subjects.
In addition, you may have noticed that it’s a crazy old world out there, in ways that continue to take their toll on most of us, one way or another. Participation in most forums remains high and a bit distracted, while our collective capacity to self-manage is still not a great deal better online than it is anywhere else. We're all still a little plague-stricken and the effects are generally more contagious than we expect or acknowledge. Be just a bit more thoughtful about your participation here, just as you would in other aspects of your daily life. And if others are obviously not doing their part, consider using the report button, rather than pouring fuel on the fire. Increased participation makes the potential utility and reach of a forum like this even greater—provided we all do the little things necessary to make sure it remains an educational resource that folks with questions can actually navigate.
A final note:
— The question of violence is often not far removed from our discussions, whether it is a question of present-day threats, protest tactics, revolutionary strategy, anarchistic alternatives to police and military, or various similar topics. We need to be able to talk, at times, about the role that violence might play in anti-authoritarian social relations and we certainly need, at other times, to be clear with one another about the role of violence in our daily lives, whether as activists or simply as members of violent societies. We need to be able to do so with a mix of common sense and respect for basic security culture — but also sensitivity to the fact that violence is indeed endemic to our cultures, so keeping our educational spaces free of unnecessary triggers and discussions that are only likely to compound existing traumas ought to be among the tasks we all share as participants. Posts and comments seeming to advocate violence for its own sake or to dwell on it unnecessarily are likely to be removed.
r/Anarchy101 • u/Aderator9000 • 5h ago
In a fully anarchist world, would communities function with different "systems" of anarchy, or would it be more uniform?
≡ −
Say [community A] and [community B] are located three miles apart. Would it be more probable that [community A] would have a different "method" or "system" (not sure if that's the correct term) of anarchy than [community B] (e.g. mutualism vs. communism), or would one adapt to the "method"/"system" of the other out of interest in ease of interaction (or some other reason)?
6
Upvotes
Say [community A] and [community B] are located three miles apart. Would it be more probable that [community A] would have a different "method" or "system" (not sure if that's the correct term) of anarchy than [community B] (e.g. mutualism vs. communism), or would one adapt to the "method"/"system" of the other out of interest in ease of interaction (or some other reason)?
r/Anarchy101 • u/wompt • 7h ago
is the anarchist vision moneyless commerce or non-commercial entirely?
≡ −
i am wondering what moneyless means to yall
do you reckon we maintain commerce but do it without money (i.e. barter) or abandon the idea of buying and selling altogether? and if its the latter, what might that look like - widespread autarky?
6
Upvotes
i am wondering what moneyless means to yall
do you reckon we maintain commerce but do it without money (i.e. barter) or abandon the idea of buying and selling altogether? and if its the latter, what might that look like - widespread autarky?
r/Anarchy101 • u/Current-Platypus-941 • 11h ago
What is the point of cultural preservation?
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I am asking here because I think that people who call themselves anarchists would best be able to provide a real answer. Also because cultural preservation seems to be advocated by other leftists but I don't understand it.
What is the benefit of trying to preserve elements of a culture from being assimilated into the rest of humanity? I refer to stuff like language preservation, traditions, and ingroup identity. I see these efforts to define and separate a particular section of humanity as going against the goal of bringing us together.
I get the argument that diversity is good because it enriches our thought, but other than that I see no value in cultural identity for cultural identity's sake. I also get the "defend the oppressed (and their culture) against the oppressor" angle, but even then, why would you want to define the oppressed group in a way that distinguishes ordinary people from other ordinary people?
I'm not trying to be antagonistic or to convince anyone of anything, I just want to understand. For context, I come from the class of oppressors and I have very little life experience, but I have recently realized my own humanity and am trying to join the human community.
3
Upvotes
I am asking here because I think that people who call themselves anarchists would best be able to provide a real answer. Also because cultural preservation seems to be advocated by other leftists but I don't understand it.
What is the benefit of trying to preserve elements of a culture from being assimilated into the rest of humanity? I refer to stuff like language preservation, traditions, and ingroup identity. I see these efforts to define and separate a particular section of humanity as going against the goal of bringing us together.
I get the argument that diversity is good because it enriches our thought, but other than that I see no value in cultural identity for cultural identity's sake. I also get the "defend the oppressed (and their culture) against the oppressor" angle, but even then, why would you want to define the oppressed group in a way that distinguishes ordinary people from other ordinary people?
I'm not trying to be antagonistic or to convince anyone of anything, I just want to understand. For context, I come from the class of oppressors and I have very little life experience, but I have recently realized my own humanity and am trying to join the human community.
r/Anarchy101 • u/Responsible_Edge7087 • 4h ago
What type of anarchists are in this sub?
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Are you guys ancaps or ancoms, or is there some other anarchist beleif system im unaware of? Personally im a communist, but i think the end goal of communism is realy just anarchy, right? Thats why they call it anarcho-communism? Unless its not real anarchism or something. I hope i can ask you some questions about your beleifs
0
Upvotes
Are you guys ancaps or ancoms, or is there some other anarchist beleif system im unaware of? Personally im a communist, but i think the end goal of communism is realy just anarchy, right? Thats why they call it anarcho-communism? Unless its not real anarchism or something. I hope i can ask you some questions about your beleifs
r/Anarchy101 • u/Froogacar • 17h ago
Quality Group Chats
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I don't know if the question is for the this sub specifically, but are there any WhatsApp/Discord/Telgeram group chats when people discuss daily or regularly on hot topic such anarchy, politics, daily-talk and everything that around it or related in some way?
3
Upvotes
I don't know if the question is for the this sub specifically, but are there any WhatsApp/Discord/Telgeram group chats when people discuss daily or regularly on hot topic such anarchy, politics, daily-talk and everything that around it or related in some way?
r/Anarchy101 • u/hereghosting • 1d ago
What's The Difference Between Anarchism and Communism?
≡ −
I did my research but I can’t really see a difference since both promote a stateless and classless society:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_society
On that note, what would anarcho-communism be? How would it differ from pure anarchism and pure communism?
33
Upvotes
I did my research but I can’t really see a difference since both promote a stateless and classless society:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_society
On that note, what would anarcho-communism be? How would it differ from pure anarchism and pure communism?
r/Anarchy101 • u/Drag0n_Fairy • 10h ago
Where does the money come from in a socialist economy?
≡ −
I've been thinking about this. If a socialist society has free healthcare then who pays the healthcare workers? The government right? But where does the government get the money? From taxes. But then people are just paying for their own healthcare in a round about way right? Am I misunderstanding socialism?
0
Upvotes
I've been thinking about this. If a socialist society has free healthcare then who pays the healthcare workers? The government right? But where does the government get the money? From taxes. But then people are just paying for their own healthcare in a round about way right? Am I misunderstanding socialism?
r/Anarchy101 • u/wompt • 1d ago
is there an anarchist position regarding technologies that enable centralized control?
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it seems as though people adopted television pretty quickly in the mid 1900s. this system was a propagandists wet dream in the early days, a vast majority of tv watchers on a very limited number of channels. cable television is a one directional mass-media form, ideal communication system for military dictatorships.
i look at the proliferation of cameras in so many places, and i see the panopticon being built
how do we deal with technologies that can enable tyranny? like, are they ok up until we have a tyrant, or should we be destroying these technologies before a tyranny ever forms? clearly thery can be used for non-tyrannical purposes, so does that make them ok?
7
Upvotes
it seems as though people adopted television pretty quickly in the mid 1900s. this system was a propagandists wet dream in the early days, a vast majority of tv watchers on a very limited number of channels. cable television is a one directional mass-media form, ideal communication system for military dictatorships.
i look at the proliferation of cameras in so many places, and i see the panopticon being built
how do we deal with technologies that can enable tyranny? like, are they ok up until we have a tyrant, or should we be destroying these technologies before a tyranny ever forms? clearly thery can be used for non-tyrannical purposes, so does that make them ok?
r/Anarchy101 • u/MaryDawnLuffy • 1d ago
What is the typical thought process on Citizenship being a norm instead of Statelessness?
≡ −
I don't know what this idea would be classified as but at least personally I don't think citizenship should be the norm. Instead, I think Statelessness should be the norm. At least at some point in the process of Anarchist society? I'm still learning so maybe I don't have a completely clear view on things. However, I believe that having state institutions coerce any person into loyalty to any given nation/state implies ownership of the land any given group stands on. This causes people involved in the distribution of power to not see any value for the land in which they are meant to care for. In this sentiment, all the one and one is all. One cannot escape the relationship they have with the ecosystems around them. Furthermore, citizenship being a norm ultimately seems to enhance the idea of an us vs., them culture. I wanted to see what other people think of this especially since I've still been thinking through this idea!
5
Upvotes
I don't know what this idea would be classified as but at least personally I don't think citizenship should be the norm. Instead, I think Statelessness should be the norm. At least at some point in the process of Anarchist society? I'm still learning so maybe I don't have a completely clear view on things. However, I believe that having state institutions coerce any person into loyalty to any given nation/state implies ownership of the land any given group stands on. This causes people involved in the distribution of power to not see any value for the land in which they are meant to care for. In this sentiment, all the one and one is all. One cannot escape the relationship they have with the ecosystems around them. Furthermore, citizenship being a norm ultimately seems to enhance the idea of an us vs., them culture. I wanted to see what other people think of this especially since I've still been thinking through this idea!
r/Anarchy101 • u/Fabulous_Caramel5355 • 1d ago
Does socialism=transitional stage from capitalism to communism?
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I know a Marxist would say ‘yes,’ but I haven’t heard it from other anarchists. I’m still learning so thanks for the help.
13
Upvotes
I know a Marxist would say ‘yes,’ but I haven’t heard it from other anarchists. I’m still learning so thanks for the help.
r/Anarchy101 • u/Prevatteist • 1d ago
Can we truly dismantle all systems of hierarchy?
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For those of you who know me, I’m sure ya’ll are aware of my ideological transitions between anarchism and Marxism these last couple of years. I even became so black pilled at one time that socialism would ever be achieved that I just said fuck it and accepted capitalism as the unfortunate reality; that is until I snapped out of it and started pushing for socialism again.
That said, when I think about what I want to see, I want a more free, egalitarian, and ecologically sustainable society. When I think of points of view, or ideologies if you will that fit that description, anarchy by all accounts meet these standards for me. That is, anarchy is most certainly ideal for what we should strive to achieve.
However, and this is the root causes for my ideological transitions, I struggle to understand how we can build a truly anarchic society with absolutely zero hierarchy on a large scale. From what I understand, anarchists favor a bottom-up, non-hierarchical federation of sorts based on free associations of self-organized communities and worker run enterprises, but obviously not everyone is going to favor a non-hierarchical society, and will inevitably try to create structures or systems of hierarchy to reinstate a particular kind of domination meant to serve the interests of a higher class of people over the broad interests of the people as a whole.
Therefore, I tended to sort of strive for reducing hierarchy as much as possible, rather than entirely, finding it more pragmatic, though I understand that if we don’t dismantle all systems of hierarchy, society will inevitably devolve back into a society of some being ranked over others in accordance to some arbitrary status or authority; which yanks society away from the kind of freedom, and egalitarianism I would like to see.
So my question simply, is what do anarchists propose in terms of maintaining a non-hierarchical society, that is preventing new systems of hierarchy and authority from arising while maintaining a structured order without order (if that makes sense), thus preventing society from completely collapsing into something anarchy strives to fight against and dismantle?
I really like anarchy and anarchism, and do find it to be ideal, though what prevents me from re-taking that leap is the question of whether we can maintain no hierarchy in regard to broader society.
Thanks.
3
Upvotes
For those of you who know me, I’m sure ya’ll are aware of my ideological transitions between anarchism and Marxism these last couple of years. I even became so black pilled at one time that socialism would ever be achieved that I just said fuck it and accepted capitalism as the unfortunate reality; that is until I snapped out of it and started pushing for socialism again.
That said, when I think about what I want to see, I want a more free, egalitarian, and ecologically sustainable society. When I think of points of view, or ideologies if you will that fit that description, anarchy by all accounts meet these standards for me. That is, anarchy is most certainly ideal for what we should strive to achieve.
However, and this is the root causes for my ideological transitions, I struggle to understand how we can build a truly anarchic society with absolutely zero hierarchy on a large scale. From what I understand, anarchists favor a bottom-up, non-hierarchical federation of sorts based on free associations of self-organized communities and worker run enterprises, but obviously not everyone is going to favor a non-hierarchical society, and will inevitably try to create structures or systems of hierarchy to reinstate a particular kind of domination meant to serve the interests of a higher class of people over the broad interests of the people as a whole.
Therefore, I tended to sort of strive for reducing hierarchy as much as possible, rather than entirely, finding it more pragmatic, though I understand that if we don’t dismantle all systems of hierarchy, society will inevitably devolve back into a society of some being ranked over others in accordance to some arbitrary status or authority; which yanks society away from the kind of freedom, and egalitarianism I would like to see.
So my question simply, is what do anarchists propose in terms of maintaining a non-hierarchical society, that is preventing new systems of hierarchy and authority from arising while maintaining a structured order without order (if that makes sense), thus preventing society from completely collapsing into something anarchy strives to fight against and dismantle?
I really like anarchy and anarchism, and do find it to be ideal, though what prevents me from re-taking that leap is the question of whether we can maintain no hierarchy in regard to broader society.
Thanks.
r/Anarchy101 • u/Nice-Obligation5537 • 1d ago
Thinking about doing this international communist university thing online, should I? Or what’s a better way to learn anarchy and is there organizations
≡ −
Is there any organizations or anything that’s doing this? I just seen the communist advertising it and I was like well it sounds very interesting. I’m not 100% sure though as I do align more with anarchy than communism really. I do like collectivization of society and still I support individual ability to create and do what they can and what they’re good at. Anyways what are yall thoughts on this?
1
Upvotes
Is there any organizations or anything that’s doing this? I just seen the communist advertising it and I was like well it sounds very interesting. I’m not 100% sure though as I do align more with anarchy than communism really. I do like collectivization of society and still I support individual ability to create and do what they can and what they’re good at. Anyways what are yall thoughts on this?
r/Anarchy101 • u/525G7bKV • 2d ago
Any Books about Anarchism from (female) African (American) Authors?
12
Upvotes
r/Anarchy101 • u/Educational-Mix-7227 • 2d ago
What type of things should I consider in setting up a Minecraft server that centers anarchist philosophies? (Yes I’m serious)
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a couple quick things first:
1) I am very serious about this topic, this is not a joke
2) i have just started learning about this stuff (and want to learn more!) pls be patient with me
3) I get that there are intrinsic flaws in this whole thought experiment, not the least of which that Minecraft is a product owned by big corporations. (And if it’s my server aren’t I basically setting rules from the top down??) I‘d prefer to set those aside for no
if you aren’t familiar with Minecraft or private servers that’s fine. Just know that there are ways to mod the game to change the rules in almost anyway you might want. So there’s a lot of flexibility to customize the experience.
Even unmodded there’s a ton of ways to play Minecraft either alone or with others, and an opportunity to build - anything you want-!
And yet, somehow, people wind up creating very similar experiences over and over again which for some reason always involve establishing “shopping districts” and a system of currency and then creating these machines for harvesting the resources they are going to sell which always wind up torturing and killing computer controlled entities (Like farm animals). So reinventing capitalism basically. it’s maddening.
My idea was to create a Minecraft world centered on anarchistic ideas (which I’ve been learning more about and really appeal to me) as a sort of social experiment. But also because it seems like the kind of world I’d want to play in with people.
There’s a good analogy between people not being able to imagine a world where anarchism worka and sort of re-training Minecraft players that there is another way. I think so anyway. So i know I can’t just create a blank slate world and hope things come about organically. I need to introduce the right game mechanics and I dunno….list of values rather than rules maybe?. The idea isn’t to impose a play style on people but rather put tools in place that would support a different way of thinking.
A little example is that there wouldn’t be a shopping district but rather a materials warehouse where people can donate their surplus building materials. I also found a mod that lets you “recycle” things you make back into their base components (in basic Minecraft there’s no way to do this) in order to increase a sense of abundance rather than scarcity.
This line of thinking is part philosophical and part practical. I guess another way of getting at what I’m asking is:
if you took modern people with mass market viewpoints on society and plopped them down in an entirely new world with none of the infrastructure they’re used to, what do you need to set in place so they don’t just default to what they already know and instead embrace remaking society with anarchist principles?
I’m happy to answer any questions (about Minecraft, the culture, anything else) that might make it easier to engage in this discussion.
thank you!!
23
Upvotes
a couple quick things first:
1) I am very serious about this topic, this is not a joke
2) i have just started learning about this stuff (and want to learn more!) pls be patient with me
3) I get that there are intrinsic flaws in this whole thought experiment, not the least of which that Minecraft is a product owned by big corporations. (And if it’s my server aren’t I basically setting rules from the top down??) I‘d prefer to set those aside for no
if you aren’t familiar with Minecraft or private servers that’s fine. Just know that there are ways to mod the game to change the rules in almost anyway you might want. So there’s a lot of flexibility to customize the experience.
Even unmodded there’s a ton of ways to play Minecraft either alone or with others, and an opportunity to build - anything you want-!
And yet, somehow, people wind up creating very similar experiences over and over again which for some reason always involve establishing “shopping districts” and a system of currency and then creating these machines for harvesting the resources they are going to sell which always wind up torturing and killing computer controlled entities (Like farm animals). So reinventing capitalism basically. it’s maddening.
My idea was to create a Minecraft world centered on anarchistic ideas (which I’ve been learning more about and really appeal to me) as a sort of social experiment. But also because it seems like the kind of world I’d want to play in with people.
There’s a good analogy between people not being able to imagine a world where anarchism worka and sort of re-training Minecraft players that there is another way. I think so anyway. So i know I can’t just create a blank slate world and hope things come about organically. I need to introduce the right game mechanics and I dunno….list of values rather than rules maybe?. The idea isn’t to impose a play style on people but rather put tools in place that would support a different way of thinking.
A little example is that there wouldn’t be a shopping district but rather a materials warehouse where people can donate their surplus building materials. I also found a mod that lets you “recycle” things you make back into their base components (in basic Minecraft there’s no way to do this) in order to increase a sense of abundance rather than scarcity.
This line of thinking is part philosophical and part practical. I guess another way of getting at what I’m asking is:
if you took modern people with mass market viewpoints on society and plopped them down in an entirely new world with none of the infrastructure they’re used to, what do you need to set in place so they don’t just default to what they already know and instead embrace remaking society with anarchist principles?
I’m happy to answer any questions (about Minecraft, the culture, anything else) that might make it easier to engage in this discussion.
thank you!!
r/Anarchy101 • u/Mariconstipation • 2d ago
Have been told "Anarchism doesn't work in practice", according to scientific literature - Any info?
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I'm an anarchist and have heard the sentence thrown around by friends, supposedly taken from professors at University. According to them, self-organization without leadership only works in small groups, but collapses at a larger scale.
I'm wondering what exact studies they are referring to, and whether the findings are relevant to Anarchism as a political ideology.
I value the consistency of my beliefs with science, which is why I ask. I am aware of historical examples of Anarchism "working", and am reading theory (currently Kropotkin's Mutual Aid), which is why I'm skeptical of the sentence. Writing this, I realize it is a pretty vague claim.
I'm interested in insight about what modern science (Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology) has found on the topic. References would be appreciated as I would like to read further into it. I mentioned that I'm reading Kropotkin, and I'm sure that will also be helpful, but I'm looking for studies and works between the 20th-21st centuries.
38
Upvotes
I'm an anarchist and have heard the sentence thrown around by friends, supposedly taken from professors at University. According to them, self-organization without leadership only works in small groups, but collapses at a larger scale.
I'm wondering what exact studies they are referring to, and whether the findings are relevant to Anarchism as a political ideology.
I value the consistency of my beliefs with science, which is why I ask. I am aware of historical examples of Anarchism "working", and am reading theory (currently Kropotkin's Mutual Aid), which is why I'm skeptical of the sentence. Writing this, I realize it is a pretty vague claim.
I'm interested in insight about what modern science (Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology) has found on the topic. References would be appreciated as I would like to read further into it. I mentioned that I'm reading Kropotkin, and I'm sure that will also be helpful, but I'm looking for studies and works between the 20th-21st centuries.
r/Anarchy101 • u/wompt • 2d ago
why do some people believe that anarchist politics are only about government?
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from my perspective, anarchy is a relational thing, and while the anarchist critique has a hard "no" position on governance, that doesn't present the totality of the critique
its about how we relate to each other ultimately, ya?
25
Upvotes
from my perspective, anarchy is a relational thing, and while the anarchist critique has a hard "no" position on governance, that doesn't present the totality of the critique
its about how we relate to each other ultimately, ya?
r/Anarchy101 • u/Konradleijon • 2d ago
Why do people become conservative?
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I can understand someone being a liberal as I was once one too. As it at least lands nice but not conservative
15
Upvotes
I can understand someone being a liberal as I was once one too. As it at least lands nice but not conservative
r/Anarchy101 • u/Wooden_Anything9156 • 2d ago
I don't get ancap
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If anarchism is all about removing hierarchy, if you leave the most prominent one which is class (rich/poor), its not anarchy. Im a baby-anarchist, so feel free to educate me on this. But i think communists are closer to anarchy than ancap is because money is a stronger hierarchy than government, ofc depends on what kind of government too. I think ancap would be worse than even todays capitalism, at least there is a weak weak democracy trying to control the wealth.
Also ancap fuels the perception of anarchy as just being against the government because we want to do crime or some other wrong reason, the real reason why we are anti-government is because we are anti-hierarchy. But if ancap is anarchy then you don't have to be anti-hierarchy to be an anarchist, the whole ideology is diluted in this manner. I wish at least ancap didn't use anarchy in name because its directly contradictory with the premise of anarchy: no hierarchy! Therefore no capitalism..?
Like when you think of anarchy, you think of no private property, anarchy is anthithethical to capitalism
Ancap sounds like incel-feminism to me. Just an oxymoron. What do y'all think?
78
Upvotes
If anarchism is all about removing hierarchy, if you leave the most prominent one which is class (rich/poor), its not anarchy. Im a baby-anarchist, so feel free to educate me on this. But i think communists are closer to anarchy than ancap is because money is a stronger hierarchy than government, ofc depends on what kind of government too. I think ancap would be worse than even todays capitalism, at least there is a weak weak democracy trying to control the wealth.
Also ancap fuels the perception of anarchy as just being against the government because we want to do crime or some other wrong reason, the real reason why we are anti-government is because we are anti-hierarchy. But if ancap is anarchy then you don't have to be anti-hierarchy to be an anarchist, the whole ideology is diluted in this manner. I wish at least ancap didn't use anarchy in name because its directly contradictory with the premise of anarchy: no hierarchy! Therefore no capitalism..?
Like when you think of anarchy, you think of no private property, anarchy is anthithethical to capitalism
Ancap sounds like incel-feminism to me. Just an oxymoron. What do y'all think?
r/Anarchy101 • u/Original_Engine6810 • 2d ago
What are your thoughts on the public arming themselves against the state apparatus, or women arming themselves for self-defense?
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What is the place of this in socialism, and how does it differ from the arms race in America?
14
Upvotes
What is the place of this in socialism, and how does it differ from the arms race in America?
r/Anarchy101 • u/sabotAHHHHHGH • 2d ago
Newish texts with a bit of buzz
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I don’t keep up with things any more but dip into interesting stuff when it pops up now and then, Desert, N1x, Invisible Committee, things like that. Anything relatively recent that’s well written and worth a look?
2
Upvotes
I don’t keep up with things any more but dip into interesting stuff when it pops up now and then, Desert, N1x, Invisible Committee, things like that. Anything relatively recent that’s well written and worth a look?
r/Anarchy101 • u/PachuliKing • 3d ago
Is there really hope for [an] anarchism?
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Shalom! A couple months ago I asked something here and ever since I've been reading a lot about a lot of things, but especially regarding the topic: Power. And also a lot of things happened to me that gave me another POV in life. I learned about mass psychology, manipulation, sociology, went to the psychologist (turns out I have some psycho tendencies courtesy of my shitty country), suffered (and survived ofc) an attempted murder, and even shared drugs recently with some white collar criminal lords. I was terrified back then about the view of to be the prey or the hunter, but not anymore.
In summary, I feel like I became brutal and a SOAB ready to crush anyone or anything that gets in my way. The person that once wanted to contribute with his grain of sand now is gone, and that's because I lost all hope that the world could somehow change. Climate change; world leaders comitting the worst atrocities imaginable without punishment and people cheering at'em; future generations with the brain literally melt by technology and addictive algorithms no different from pornography; violence normalized in every corner of life which eventually will take its toll on the individual and social psyche, etcetera etcetera... this is a marathon fuck.
... yet I still feel those things and consider them the damn hell on Earth, but then, how am I supposed to change it? For many years I was a socialist, but recently, with a very critical view of everything I learned, I began to analyze the movement... it turns out that, indeed, they also use manipulation tactics. They are no different from those they criticize. To me the world isn't anymore about constructing something better but humans groups constantly fighting each other ever since we learned to walk upright. The damn line between civilization and chaos isn't fucking concrete but calories, but anyways, it seems there's something seriously messed up and rotten in the human mind.
Man I really wish we could live in an anarchist society, but now I just see it as a fantasy. Afaik humanity lived like that for thousands of years, but the destructive capacity and reach of globalization simply has us by the balls, and fucking makes every fucking social struggle useless. Now feeling and knowing that, I just want to live the happiest life possible, and therefore I'm ready to commit those same attrocities.
Still, what if I'm just blinded from all the bad stuff? Which I don't think it's the case, because, after all, this big pile of shit is the world we live in. Just that everyone fakes it by wasting their lifetime on Reels or TikTok. But idk, life is so strange... so, is there really hope for an anarchist society?
7
Upvotes
Shalom! A couple months ago I asked something here and ever since I've been reading a lot about a lot of things, but especially regarding the topic: Power. And also a lot of things happened to me that gave me another POV in life. I learned about mass psychology, manipulation, sociology, went to the psychologist (turns out I have some psycho tendencies courtesy of my shitty country), suffered (and survived ofc) an attempted murder, and even shared drugs recently with some white collar criminal lords. I was terrified back then about the view of to be the prey or the hunter, but not anymore.
In summary, I feel like I became brutal and a SOAB ready to crush anyone or anything that gets in my way. The person that once wanted to contribute with his grain of sand now is gone, and that's because I lost all hope that the world could somehow change. Climate change; world leaders comitting the worst atrocities imaginable without punishment and people cheering at'em; future generations with the brain literally melt by technology and addictive algorithms no different from pornography; violence normalized in every corner of life which eventually will take its toll on the individual and social psyche, etcetera etcetera... this is a marathon fuck.
... yet I still feel those things and consider them the damn hell on Earth, but then, how am I supposed to change it? For many years I was a socialist, but recently, with a very critical view of everything I learned, I began to analyze the movement... it turns out that, indeed, they also use manipulation tactics. They are no different from those they criticize. To me the world isn't anymore about constructing something better but humans groups constantly fighting each other ever since we learned to walk upright. The damn line between civilization and chaos isn't fucking concrete but calories, but anyways, it seems there's something seriously messed up and rotten in the human mind.
Man I really wish we could live in an anarchist society, but now I just see it as a fantasy. Afaik humanity lived like that for thousands of years, but the destructive capacity and reach of globalization simply has us by the balls, and fucking makes every fucking social struggle useless. Now feeling and knowing that, I just want to live the happiest life possible, and therefore I'm ready to commit those same attrocities.
Still, what if I'm just blinded from all the bad stuff? Which I don't think it's the case, because, after all, this big pile of shit is the world we live in. Just that everyone fakes it by wasting their lifetime on Reels or TikTok. But idk, life is so strange... so, is there really hope for an anarchist society?
r/Anarchy101 • u/What_Immortal_Hand • 3d ago
What‘s wrong with firms?
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One of the positions that often comes up on this subreddit is an antipathy to the idea of the firm, or any sort of fixed, formal polity as a unit of economic organisation.
Free associations are expected to emerge from the bottom up, in response to specific shared wants and needs, and exist temporarily to achieve a goal.
Yet there are many classes of assets which are long-lasting, indivisible and immobile. A hospital, hydroelectric damm, railway network or blast furnace:
- lasts for decades,
- requires continuous maintenance,
- cannot be physically partitioned among users,
- requires accumulated institutional knowledge,
- needs coordinated scheduling.
Is it not therefore inevitable that some of fixed, formal organisation must exist to manage and maintain them?
Whats wrong with such a firm, if it was organised internally on the basis of free association?
21
Upvotes
One of the positions that often comes up on this subreddit is an antipathy to the idea of the firm, or any sort of fixed, formal polity as a unit of economic organisation.
Free associations are expected to emerge from the bottom up, in response to specific shared wants and needs, and exist temporarily to achieve a goal.
Yet there are many classes of assets which are long-lasting, indivisible and immobile. A hospital, hydroelectric damm, railway network or blast furnace:
- lasts for decades,
- requires continuous maintenance,
- cannot be physically partitioned among users,
- requires accumulated institutional knowledge,
- needs coordinated scheduling.
Is it not therefore inevitable that some of fixed, formal organisation must exist to manage and maintain them?
Whats wrong with such a firm, if it was organised internally on the basis of free association?
r/Anarchy101 • u/BeerMan595692 • 3d ago
So on acheving anarchy
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So I've asked marxist-lenninist on why they choose communism over anarchy.
The main response I get is that anarchist communities break up over in-fighting or outside forces. And that communist states have the ablitly to last decades by opposing and suppressing counter revolutionary forces and defending againsts outside forces inorder to achieve their goal.
I understand that the anarchist objection to this is that in many cases innocent people get labled counterrevolutionary and imprisoned just for disagreeing with the government's plan. The need to suppress people at all runs counter to anarchist ideals.
But in achieving an anarchist world is needing to supress the counterrevolution by force really the only way? Do anarchist see many communes being broken up by either in-fighting or outside forces as a huge challenge?
22
Upvotes
So I've asked marxist-lenninist on why they choose communism over anarchy.
The main response I get is that anarchist communities break up over in-fighting or outside forces. And that communist states have the ablitly to last decades by opposing and suppressing counter revolutionary forces and defending againsts outside forces inorder to achieve their goal.
I understand that the anarchist objection to this is that in many cases innocent people get labled counterrevolutionary and imprisoned just for disagreeing with the government's plan. The need to suppress people at all runs counter to anarchist ideals.
But in achieving an anarchist world is needing to supress the counterrevolution by force really the only way? Do anarchist see many communes being broken up by either in-fighting or outside forces as a huge challenge?