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| 24399 | Anarchism is the political expression of the common reaction against authority |
| Full Idea: Anarchism is the political elaboration of the psychological reaction against authority which appears in all human groups. | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p.01) | |||
| A reaction: This obviously implies a converse political movement as the expression of people who love authority. Hence one could hardly justify anarchist politics just because it expresses this particular feeling. That said, the point seems correct. |
| 24406 | Mutualism is the voluntary formation of groups of people, seen as equals |
| Full Idea: Anarchist mutualism would organise society by individuals entering into voluntary agreements on the basis of equality and reciprocity. | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p.14) | |||
| A reaction: That is probably how most social institutions started, but how do you prevent them from becoming ossified and even corrupt over a long period of time? Institutions seem to need a constitution. How do you get rid of domineering bullies? |
| 24400 | People are sociable and self-sufficient; if that is not so, why allow men to rule others? |
| Full Idea: Anarchists think almost all men are sociable, and similar, and capable of living their own lives. …If all men are so bad that they need to be ruled by others, anarchists ask, how can any men be good enough to rule others? | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p.01) | |||
| A reaction: There seems to be an important inconsistency in anarchism, which is huge optimism about ordinary people, and deep pessimism about people when they acquire power. We're lovely ruling ourselves, but horrible when ruling others. |
| 24402 | Liberals and socialists want government, which suppresses either equality, or freedom |
| Full Idea: Both liberals and socialists depend on government - liberals ostensibly to preserve freedom but actually to prevent equality, socialists ostensibly to preserve equality but actually to prevent freedom. | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p.04) | |||
| A reaction: A bit too neat and simplistic. A good point, though. Lots of freedom will struggle to prevent inequality, and rigid equality is bound to limit some freedom. This seems to contradict Idea 24401. How can anarchism deliver equality? |
| 24407 | Anarchists co-ordinate their mutualist groups into a federation |
| Full Idea: Federalism is the co-ordination of society by a network of councils. Virtually all anarchists are federalists, but that is not confined to anarchist movements. International systems like air traffic control are federalist. | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p.15) | |||
| A reaction: [compressed] Federalism builds on grass roots mutualism, so it ends up with quite a complex social structure, which needs to be stable and well funded. Eventually the anarchists will battle to stop the federation from turning into a modern state. |
| 24408 | Syndicalism expands worker control through enhanced and widespread trade unions |
| Full Idea: Syndicalism is the view that society should be based on trade unions, as the expression of the working class, but covering both occupations and areas, and in the hands of the rank and file, so as to manage the whole economy. | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p.17) | |||
| A reaction: The dream of the workers running a modern factory looks dubious, because technology is now so sophisticated. It makes sense only where what needs to be done is fairly obvious. I like unions, but they can become very authoritarian. |
| 24409 | Syndicalism overemphsises work, and the role of the working class |
| Full Idea: The main argument against anarcho-syndicalism, and against syndicalism in general, is that it overemphasises the importance of work and the function of the working class. | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p.18) | |||
| A reaction: Walter says anarchists are not attracted to the marxist view of society in terms of classes. If it is a matter of classes, then I (along with Aristotle) will champion the middle classes, who always get a bad press. Modern classes are too fluid. |
| 24404 | Anarchists want organisation by consent, so there will be more planning, not less |
| Full Idea: Anarchists actually want much more organisation, though organisation without authority. …When compulsion is replaced by consent there will have to be more discussion and planning, not less. | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p07) | |||
| A reaction: The spectre of a way of life consisting largely of committee meetings looms. A sensible anarchy will delegate lots of small authorities. |
| 24403 | Only small scale democracy is possible, but then it is unnecessary |
| Full Idea: Genuine democracy is possible only in a small community where everyone can take part in every decision; and then it is not necessary. | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p04) | |||
| A reaction: It is hard to see how the majority could fail to prevail, even in this local situation. Unless powerful bullies dominate. You can't achieve unanimity or consensus on every occasion. |
| 24401 | Anarchists show that freedom and equality are essentially the same |
| Full Idea: The crucial contribution to political theory made by anarchists is the realisation that freedom and equality are in the end the same thing. | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p.03) | |||
| A reaction: They can't be the same thing, but they may be inseparable. Two slaves can be equal, and two unequal people (in wealth, say) can be very free (in separate countries). But local inequality seems to restrict someone's freedom. |
| 24405 | Anarchists only favour personal property which cannot be used to exploit others. |
| Full Idea: Anarchists are in favour of the private property which cannot be used by one person to exploit another - those personal possessions which we accumulate from childhood. | |||
| From: Nicolas Walter (About Anarchism [1969], p.08) | |||
| A reaction: Talk of childhood possessions ducks the problem. What is wrong with owning a house, if you don't actually exploit anyone? Can you own a car? Or a taxi? Is all renting of property exploitative? Anarchists do, of course, discuss these issues. |